Essex approves Notice of Intention to Designate 14 properties
Council for the Town of Essex approved issuing a Notice of Intention to Designate 14 properties on the municipal Heritage Register.
These properties – some privately owned, some by the Town of Essex – are located across the municipality.
In late April, Administration for the Town of Essex explained the process municipalities must take to designate properties of cultural heritage value, and highlighted the benefits of conserving cultural heritage resources for the community and economy.
The Town was set to review 22 properties listed for Heritage Designation, as changes to the Ontario Heritage Act were made a result of Bill 23. That is requiring listed properties on a register as of December 31, 2022 be removed on or before January 1, 2025, if no Notice of Intention to Designate is given.
Bill 200 was recently passed, which extended the deadline, giving municipalities until January 1, 2027 instead. That will provide more time, if there are properties that need research.
Designation, Rita Jabbour, Manager of Planning Services, explained, is the best way to protect a resource, as it prohibits alteration or demolition, unless an application is made and approved. Listing provides for temporary protection, which allows for alterations but prohibits demolition, unless a 60-day notice is provided to Council.
The next step in the process, Jabbour told Council previously, was to have Planning Services research and review the 22 listed properties to determine which ones would be candidates for designation.
She appeared before Council during the June 17 meeting, noting staff wanted to issue a Notice of Designation for 14 of those 22 properties.
Those properties include: Christ Church, Christ Church Cemetery, and the John Snider House St. Clement Church in Colchester; St. Clement Church in McGregor; Grace Baptist Church, Essex United Church, Dr. Robert B. Potts House, and Charles Roberts House in Essex Centre; A.M.E/New Canaan Cemetery (the only remaining part of that once thriving settlement) in Gesto; John McIntyre’s Harness Shop, the Central Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church, E.F. Darby’s Drugstore, John McAfee’s General Store, and the former Harrow Municipal Building in Harrow.
Currently, 11 of those properties are listed on the Town’s Heritage Register, three – Christ Church Cemetery, A.M.E/New Canaan Cemetery, and the John Snider House – are not, but have been found to have enough historical and cultural heritage vale that they warrant protection, Jabbour noted.
In terms of the other nine-properties currently listed, Jabbour said planning staff members are continuing to conduct research to ensure they will meet Ontario’s criteria for designation.
With Council’s nod, notice will be served to the property owners of those 11 properties. There will then be a 30-day objection period. Anyone can object. If adopted, there will be another 30-day appeal period.
Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley declared a Conflict of Interest on the Essex United Church portion, as his business uses the property and has had discussions in the past about potential purchasing.
In answering his question about consulting with property owners beforehand, Jabbour noted the Town did speak to the 11 that were listed during the listing process. The three that were not listed not were not, but will receive a notice.
He and Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais suggested Town staff knock on the doors of those three to ensure everyone is properly notified.
Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
