Resolution 2024-12-254 - Approval of Heritage Conservation District Study

THAT the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Smiths Falls accept the findings of the Heritage Conservation District Study undertaken by Stantec Consulting Ltd and dated November 29, 2024; 

AND FURTHER THAT Stantec Consulting Ltd is directed to prepare a Heritage Conservation District By-law and Plan under Sections 41 and 41.1 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

The Draft Report, including the results of the survey are now available!

Click on this link to read the full Draft Report Smiths Falls Downtown Area Heritage Conservation District Study

Take the Heritage Conservation District Study Survey!

Take this quick survey about heritage preservation in the Downtown Core by letting us know what your thoughts are on the Heritage Conservation District Study!  The survey is only available until November 28th - be sure to be heard!  Follow this link Heritage Conservation District Study Survey - Town of Smiths Falls to complete the survey now.

Thursday November 7, 2024 - the Second Public Information Centre - Open House

The Second Heritage Conservation District Study Open House will present the details of a potential Heritage District for Downtown Smiths Falls.  Stop by and discover the heritage themes, the properties, the proposed boundaries and what this means for our downtown and how it can support our revitalization efforts.  Staff and the project team from Stantec Consultants will be on hand to explain what they have learned, their recommendations and answer any questions you may have; we will be very pleased to get your feedback!  The Public Information Centre - Open House is on Thursday November 7, 2024, from 5pm-7pm, at the Welcome Centre at Town Hall, light refreshments will be served.  See you there!

The built form of Smiths Falls’ downtown area represents a wide array of architectural styles and eras based on the Town’s history of booms, busts, and economic and social change. In concert with the Town’s landscape and natural features, this creates Smiths Falls’ unique character. Implementing a Heritage Conservation District Study and Plan is part of Council’s new Strategic Plan Initiative 3.6 to preserve the unique heritage of our downtown.

Heritage conservation districts recognize the collective heritage value of areas and neighbourhoods with common threads such as construction timeframes, architectural features and styles, neighbourhood design and development. Through designation under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities can identify and preserve neighbourhoods with unique heritage characteristics. This is done by creating a heritage district plan which provides guidelines for managing future development and alteration of existing heritage structures.

While heritage conservation districts are recognized as a conservation strategy in the Town of Smiths Falls’ Official Plan, to date, the Town has only focused on the designation of individual properties under Part IV of the Act. As a result, several properties within the Downtown Core and nearby have some level of protection under the Act as designated properties or on the Registry as “properties of interest.” However, there is no overarching vision for how these individual properties form a cohesive and distinct heritage landscape. 

In light of the growing interest in the cultural heritage of the area, as well as in consideration of the growing development pressures we see, a need has been identified to investigate planning tools and policies to manage intensification, ensure compatible development and protect the attributes that define the sense of place, as we change and grow.

What is a Heritage Conservation District?

A Heritage Conservation District is a concentration of cultural heritage resources designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) that may include:

• Buildings or structures
• Designed or natural landscapes (like streets, natural features, parks, etc.)
• Important views and vistas

A shared aesthetic, history, use, or socio-cultural context links the cultural heritage resources in an Heritage Conservation District. This is reflected by:

• A sense of visual coherence that conveys a distinct sense of time and place
• A distinct character that allows the district to be distinguishable from its neighbouring areas
• A physical framework composed of natural features like watercourses or landforms and built forms like street patterns, pathways, or landmarks

Why complete a Heritage Conservation District study?

• An opportunity to identify important cultural, natural, and built heritage characteristics associated with the area
• Identify what is an integral part of the development of the community and its surroundings
• Work with the property owners and community members to identify its architectural and cultural heritage
• Establish a framework where the community can grow and change as it has in the past and will continue to do in the future while preserving and protecting what makes it a unique and important place.

Next Steps

• Preliminary Research and Data Analysis:  Field investigation, report preparation, submission, and review process
• Built Form and Landscape Survey: Compile inventory findings, boundary assessment, and recommendations into draft Heritage Conservation District Study Report
• Public Information Centre:  The first of two Public Information Centres was held on May 30th with the second being slated for Fall 2024.  
• Receive community input and prepare the final Heritage Conservation District Study report
• Determine if the area merits Heritage Conservation District designation
• Presentation of the final Heritage Conservation District Study report to the municipal heritage committee, planning committee and Council
• Public Information Centre to review the draft Study in the Fall 2024