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The
findings from the survey to determine interest in designating Windsor Avenue
and the ‘K Streets’ as Heritage Conservation Areas in the new Official
Community Plan is now available for residents to review. Staff discussed
the findings of the survey and the resulting recommendation not to include the
HCA designation in the OCP during the review of the draft plan at the April 16
Council meeting.
“Through
the engagement activities, the City learned that there may not be enough
interest from a large enough area to create guidelines as part of the Official
Community Plan,” says Ben Johnson, Special Projects Manager leading the
development of the new Official Community Plan. “The feedback suggests there is
great appreciation for the character of the original homes and interest in
having some guidelines around height restrictions for new developments in these
neighborhoods, but for many of the participants, a formal designation is too
restrictive for homeowners.”
Residents
in the affected neighborhoods were first notified about the proposal with a
mailout from the City. They were also invited to information sessions to learn
more about the proposal and share their feedback on whether or not to move the
idea forward in a survey. Nearly 130 residents attended the two information
sessions on January 31 and 122 completed the survey on
shapeyourcitypenticton.ca. Some of the findings from these activities include:
- There
is more interest in creating the designation from participants who live on
Windsor Avenue which includes approximately 70 properties. Of the 30
respondents from this area, 77% agreed or strongly agreed with designating
their street as a Heritage Conservation Area. Only 48% of the 91 respondents
from the ‘K Streets’, which includes approximately 220 properties, supported
the idea.
- Participants
that support the proposal like it as a way to preserve the history and heritage
of the neighborhoods and prevent development that was out of character. Those
that do not support the proposal expressed concern about the application
process being arduous, expensive and restrictive, and about the unknown impacts
on property values and their ability to sell their homes in the future.
- Of
the eight design guidelines that were proposed including recommendations for
roof pitch, yard setbacks, landscaping, eave heights, building heights and
colour palettes, participants were most supportive of the proposal to limit the
height of buildings in the neighborhoods to 1.5 storeys and to maintain the
traditional roof pitch. The suggestion of providing a colour palette for the
neighborhoods and direction on lawns and plantings were some of the least
supported of the design guidelines.
Council
heard these findings and staff’s recommendation as part of a discussion about
the first draft of the Official Community Plan at their meeting on April
16. The complete findings from the
survey and staff’s presentation are now available along with the official first
draft of the report.