Proposed Amendments to the Planning Process and the Toronto Preservation Board

(Similar in quality to the information package provided in proponent submissions to the City Design Review Panel) The creation of a Heritage Design Review Panel (DRP) composed of heritage professionals that would work parallel to the current design review panels, offering advice to staff rather than Council, on heritage aspects of proposals. At present, of the 17 members of the DRP, only one is a heritage professional. Having the parallel heritage panels could expedite the planning process by bringing heritage issues to the forefront with recommendations earlier in the process. The heritage design review panels could liaise with Preservation Board to give fuller explanation of issues and recommendations; The creation of four preservation boards-one for each district--that would each have a community preservation panel attached to them; The addition of more heritage professionals on the design review panels who would analyse the heritage aspects of design deeply in relationship to the Ontario Heritage Act and City guidelines for listed and designated individual properties or HCDs; or a cross-appointment between the design review panels and the heritage review panels, so that each were better informed of the other's issues and recommendations; and Earlier and more options for public deputations, beginning with design/heritage design review panels as well as Preservation Board. As Chair of the Toronto Preservation Board, on behalf of the Board, we would like to propose a new business item to the agenda called Proposed Amendments to the Planning Process and the Toronto Preservation Board.