Pursuing Heritage Conservation District Status
The application to the City of Toronto for Heritage Conservation District (HCD) designation of Baby Point was developed, completed and submitted in March 2013, with the support of City Councillor Sarah Doucette.
In March 2015, the Foundation learned that the application for a Baby Point HCD had been reviewed and approved for formal study in 2016.
Recommendations: Baby Point HCD Study – City of Toronto (link below)
Why an HCD?
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties, streets and districts as being of cultural heritage value or interest in the Province of Ontario.
• HCDs serve to ensure that historically significant neighbourhoods and areas are protected and reflect Toronto as a place/people through their cultural heritage values and characteristics.
• HCDs are maintained so that every Torontonian, present and future, can appreciate and take pride in the City’s rich cultural heritage.
• HCDs ensure that the significance and character of areas with cultural heritage value are protected and conserved in the long term by managing change to the resources within it.
What an HCD is not:
It’s not a set of rules that say you can’t paint your front door red – or yellow, or blue, or purple. Or that you can’t install energy efficient windows, heating and air conditioning systems. Or put an addition on the back of your home.
We are all in favour – including the City of Toronto – in keeping our city green, clean and as energy efficient as possible. It doesn’t limit you from making changes to your home and property; rather, it asks that you consider the heritage quality of buildings, streets and open spaces and help preserve those characteristics, which the residents will actually help define during the study. See a FAQ list of common questions below.
Did you know:
• Cabbagetown actually has 4 HCDs within its boundaries?
• North Rosedale has HCD status? As does Blythwood Road, Wychwood Park, Yorkville-Hazelton, Harbord Village, Draper Street, East Annex and Riverdale
and many more…..there are more than 90 HCDs in Ontario!
The Toronto Preservation Board has identified the following potential HCDs for study in the next two years:
2015: West Queen West, the Distillery District, Kensington Market
2016: Baby Point, Bloor West Village, Cabbagetown Southwest, Casa Loma
Read about HCDs and the process. Click on the Links Tab for more information. Like us on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1240594772690448