It’s been a busy few weeks for Heritage Guelph, and this meeting promises to be one of the busiest. On this agenda, there’s some administrative work for the committee, and there are some new heritage designations in the queue for their consideration too. Also, if you’re worried about heritage assets not being protected, this is a good meeting for you, and if you want to take part in the great hybrid work debate, there’s something for you too.
NOTE #1: If you would like to delegate to one of the items at the meeting, or to access an alternative meeting format, get in touch with the committee liaison before Friday February 2 at noon at jack.mallon [at] guelph.ca or by calling (519) 837-5616, ext. 3872.
NOTE #2: This meeting will take place virtually on Cisco Webex. You can find the link on the agenda page for this meeting on the City’s website.
Appointment of a member to delegate to Council on February 13, 2024 – Someone from Heritage Guelph needs to be designated to speak on the committee’s behalf at the February council planning meeting. Two previous heritage designations, 2187 Gordon Street and 331 Clair Road East, have received objections.
Transition of Heritage Guelph Meetings to Hybrid Meetings – Unlike many City of Guelph boards and committees, Heritage Guelph meetings are still almost entirely online affairs. This may be about to change. A motion will be proposed to move forward with hybrid meetings for all future Heritage Guelph gatherings going forward.
Advisory Committees of Council Governance Framework Phase 2 – As you may know, the clerks office is working with Guelph Labs at the University of Guelph to come up with a new framework for the operation of advisory groups, including Heritage Guelph. Deputy Clerk Dylan McMahon will be a featured guest at this meeting to take part in the first of two sessions with the committee to look over the framework passed by council last fall, and how best the Heritage Guelph committee can fit within it.
40 Spring Street: Amendment of Heritage Permit Designation Bylaw – It’s hard to see this house from the street, but it’s there and it’s already protected by a heritage designation. Apparently, an amendment is being requested, perhaps because there’s some work that needs to be done by the house. No report was attached to the agenda.
408 Willow Road: Heritage Attributes and Designation Recommendation – Discussed previously at one of the January meetings, this property along Willow Road between Marksam and the Hanlon that was once a 100 acre farm meets six of the nine prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 569/22. Staff are now ready to formally request designation, and staff have been in touch with the current property owners who support the effort.
15-23 Fountain Street: Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report – In what’s bound to be disappointing news for some heritage fans, staff have found there to be no “prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest” for a row of houses on Fountain Street across the road from the municipal parking lot. It’s a good example of a late-19th century working class rowhouse, but it is not rare or unique.
108 Queen Street: Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report – It may not look like it, but the old John Mitchell farmhouse on Queen Street was first erected about four years after Guelph was born. The property has been updated and expanded over the years, the last time being a two-car garage that was built after 1946 and incorporated three of the stone walls from an original outbuilding, so the property has been kept in good condition for over 190 years. The house meetings four out of the nine prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 569/22.
Guelph Politico 