1871 and 1879-1885 Weston Road - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

The Weston Park Baptist Church have been worshipping and serving the Weston community at this location for over 115 years. 1879-1885 Weston Road contains a modernist style one-storey banking building constructed in 1962 to the designs of the multiple award-winning architectural firm of Page & Steele. The former Bank of Nova Scotia Weston Branch operated at this location from 1910 to 2016. On November 4, 2021, the City received a Zoning By-law Amendment application to permit construction of two mixed-use residential towers above a shared 3-storey base. The base would contain commercial, place of worship, and community uses. A revised submission, including a new Site Plan application received on December 22, 2022, proposes two mixed-use buildings, 28 and 38 storeys in height (approximately 105 metres and 135 metres in height including the mechanical penthouses) with a total of 538 residential units, four levels of below grade parking connected by a shared three-storey base. The existing former bank building located at 1879-1885 Weston Road would be retained and integrated in the base and the existing church building at 1871 Weston Road is proposed to be relocated to the southeast corner of the site. The church's later additions would be replaced with new two-storey additions and repurposed to contain retail uses. The Zoning By-law Amendment application and the Site Plan application are still under review. A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required for all development applications that affect listed and designated properties. An HIA completed by ERA Architects Inc. dated December 21, 2022, was submitted to support the application and is currently under review. A Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) for each of the two properties was also submitted and dated October 27, 2021. In June 2019, the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 (Bill 108) received Royal Assent. Schedule 11 of this Act included amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act. The Bill 108 Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act came into force on July 1, 2021, which included a shift in Part IV designations related to Planning Act applications that would trigger a Prescribed Event. Section 29(1.2) of the Ontario Heritage Act now restricts City Council's ability to give notice of its intention to designate a property under the Act to within 90 days after the City Clerk gives notice of a complete application. On December 9, 2021, the property owners submitted a waiver in conjunction with their development application opting to waive the 90-day timeline established under Bill 108. On November 28, 2022, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) received Royal Assent. Schedule 6 of the More Homes Built Faster Act amended Bill 108 prescribed event requirements under Section 29(1.2) of the Ontario Heritage Act to create additional municipal requirements. Bill 23 came into effect on January 1, 2023. The application currently under review was deemed complete prior to Bill 23 changes to the Ontario Heritage Act coming into force, however, the Part IV designation must be in compliance with the province's amended O. Reg. 9/06. The revised regulation establishes nine provincial criteria for determining whether a property is of cultural heritage value or interest and a property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act if it meets two or more of the nine criteria. The properties at 1871 and 1885 Weston Road each meet four criteria relating to design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual values. Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.

3. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.