328 Bellamy Road North - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

It contains a two-and-a-half-storey brick "bank" house situated to the rear of the Bendale Bible Chapel which fronts onto Bellamy Road North. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property are found in Attachment 2. The property contains a two-and-a-half-storey brick "bank" house built in 1867 and designed in a vernacular style with Gothic elements emblematic of Ontario's rural residential architecture from the early to mid-nineteenth century. The bank-style Wheler House was built into the side of a hill, rising above West Highland Creek and presents from the south side as a two-and-a-half-storey building, and from the north as a single-storey plus attic residence. J.P. Wheler, a local agriculturalist, mill owner, and politician, was a prominent figure within Woburn and Scarborough Township, serving as reeve 18 times between 1851 and 1875. Though partially obscured from the public realm since the c. 1959 construction of the Bendale Bible Chapel, which is attached to the J.P. Wheler House along its east façade, the subject property remains a strong historic reminder of Woburn and Scarborough's rural, agrarian, past. The subject property at 328 Bellamy Road North was listed on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register on September 27, 2006. This property is one of eighteen pre-1870 listed properties citywide that were identified as candidates for designation through the City's implementation of Bill 23 amendments to the Act, and its ongoing prioritization strategy for listed properties that must be designated or removed from the Heritage Register by January 1, 2027. Part of the City's strategy for the review of listed properties on the Heritage Register includes the procurement of qualified heritage consultants to research, evaluate, and prepare heritage evaluation reports for a subset of listed properties prioritized for designation. City Planning retained the services of Alex Corey Heritage Consulting ("the Consultant") to research and evaluate a citywide group of eighteen pre-1870 listed properties which includes the subject property at 328 Bellamy Road North. The Consultant evaluated the subject property and determined that it meets the provincial criteria. The Consultant's research on the subject property is included in Attachment 3 of this report. The research, analysis, and evaluation contained within Attachment 3 reflect the Consultant's professional expertise and opinion. Staff have independently reviewed the Consultant's research and heritage evaluation and concur with the determination that the property at 328 Bellamy Road North has cultural heritage value and meets two of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. 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. In accordance with 3.1.6.50 of the Official Plan and the City's Protocol for the Identification and Review of Heritage Places of Worship, Heritage Planning staff consulted members of the Bendale Bible Chapel to determine if any of the heritage attributes identified in the Statement of Significance and in a future designating by-law were liturgical elements, and therefore not subject to regulation while the property remained in use by the congregation. The Bendale Bible Chapel confirmed that while the structure is used for liturgical purposes none of the identified attributes were liturgical elements. Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.

2. 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.