80-86 Lynn Williams Street - Proposed Designation By-law Under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act - Consideration of Objection

The Notice of Objection dated April 25, 2024, is included as Attachment 1 to this report. The property at 80-86 Lynn Williams Street (including the structure address of 130 East Liberty Street) - the A. R. Williams Machinery Company Warehouse - is located in the Liberty Village neighbourhood, on the north side of Lynn Williams Street, mid-block between Hanna Avenue and Western Battery Road. The property contains a 59-metre-long, brick warehouse building with a two-storey central mass flanked by one-storey wings constructed in 1928-29. The warehouse was constructed for the A. R. Williams Machinery Company which used the building as a warehouse and likely for manufacturing purposes until c.1946. By 1943 the west wing was being used by other companies as a welding shop and by 1948 the property had become the Liberty Storage Warehouse and operated in this capacity into the 1960s. In 2005, the south half of the central portion of the warehouse was renovated for office use. The north half of the warehouse is currently vacant. Staff have reviewed the objections raised by the owner and are of the opinion that despite these objections, the property meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, under five of nine possible criteria for its design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual values. City Council has until July 24, 2024, 90 days from the date of the end of the objection period, or 120 days from the issuance of the Notice of Intention to Designate, to make a decision on this objection as per the timeline under the Ontario Heritage Act. As the property has cultural heritage value or interest and meets the prescribed criteria pursuant to Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, this property should be designated. Designation enables Council to review proposed alterations for the property, enforce heritage property standards and maintenance and refuse demolition.