Tag: First Shaughnessy

Sometimes There is Good News

In the past few weeks, I read three pieces of good news about heritage buildings.

First, the BC courts have upheld Vancouver’s protection of older homes in the First Shaughnessy area.  Although the by-law isn’t perfect, I strongly believe in being more pro-active to save our heritage buildings, and this is one way of doing so.

And, a LinkedIn post described how older industrial buildings are being converted to funky office spaces, making the business case that it’s a wise move for building owners.  The article cites buildings in New York and Chicago as examples, and I’m sure there are lots more. (Here’s where you can read more:  http://tinyurl.com/jbmab8a)

Lastly, the City of Kelowna transferred a local heritage site, St. Aiden’s Church on Rutland Road, to an organization that st-aidens-churchwill restore the building and site, so it will be used regularly by the neighbouring community members. It isn’t a large church, nor is it on a big plot of land, but this action too says our history is worth keeping.

 

Heritage Conservation Areas (HCA’s)

There are definitely pros and cons to HCA’s, as the impassioned discussions in the lower mainland last year regarding Vancouver’s first HCA in Shaughnessy demonstrated.  However, the idea isn’t new, as I learned with a bit of research: a few years ago Ottawa created a Heritage Conservation District in Briarcliffe, a community of 23 mid-century modern homes, the latest of several in that city. BriarcliffeOther cities across Canada (including our neighbour Victoria) have done the same. There are certainly challenges to creating and keeping these areas as intended, even more so today as pressures to rezone and rebuild increase, but in my mind definitely worth the effort.

Sidenote:

Vancouver Heritage Foundation has a great resource page about the HCA: http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/learn-with-us/understanding-the-heritage-action-plan/