Findings from Heritage Conservation Area engagement

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.