There have been hundreds of documents produced in the past few years by the City of Burlington as part of its planning for Aldershot’s new Major Transit Station Area, adjacent to the GO station. Buried within all these documents is an appendix that alerts planners to the importance of older buildings within the redevelopment area.
The 2019 appendix, known formally as a Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment, provides an analysis of heritage resources within the MTSA and has identified three homes it describes as “potential built heritage resources.”
The analysis recommended that “The Aldershot MTSA redevelopment and intensification plan should incorporate policies that ensure the long-term viability and presence of cultural heritage resources in the area.” It further suggests that a Heritage Impact Assessment be conducted to determine the specific heritage significance of each of the properties resulting in establishment of a conservation plan and mitigation measures if needed.
The three newly-identified “cultural heritage resources” are the homes at 62 and 66 Plains Road East and 1063 Waterdown Road. They are not currently on the city’s Register of Cultural Heritage Resources.
The home at 62 Plains Road East is described as a “two-storey red-brick building with Arts and Crafts influences with mature trees throughout the property.”
The home at 66 Plains Road East is reported to be a “one-and-a-half storey residential building with central dormer and front porch addition, set back from Plains Road East, surrounded by mature trees.”
These homes are thought to be owned by the Infinity Development Group, which is proposing a new 10-storey building stretching across both properties. If approved, demolition of the two buildings would be inevitable. Infinity’s proposal is currently being appealed before the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The home at 1063 Waterdown Road was also identified as a two-and-a-half storey red-brick residential building with Arts and Crafts influences, surrounded by mature trees. It too is thought to fall under the jurisdiction of Infinity and destined for redevelopment.
“These properties and the recommendations contained within the heritage study will be considered in creation of the Area Specific Plans for the MTSA areas, in a policy context or as recommended,” according to Jenna Puletto, Coordinator of Community Initiatives at the city.
The city is close to approving its final Area Specific Plans for the Aldershot MTSA. At this point, all three of these properties are on sites proposed for intensification. There will be a public meeting on April 28 to discuss the MTSA plans further.
In addition to these three old buildings within the MTSA, four other properties nearby but outside the MTSA boundary were also identified as heritage resources. These include St. Matthew’s Church and Cemetery, the Gallagher House at 241 Plains Road East, the Roelfson House at 242 Plains Road East, and the Scheer-Read Farmhouse at 192 Plains Road East. They are all either registered on the list of Cultural Heritage Resources or designated as historical buildings.
Correction: the writer of this article was originally erroneously identified as Jennifer Arnold: Rick Craven wrote this article. Our apologies to Rick and anyone else to whom this caused an inconvenience.
