Tag: HCA

Congratulations New Westminster!

I’m excited about the future of heritage buildings in the lower mainland, with the news that New West has also created a Heritage Conservation Area (HCA), in Queen’s Park.  As I walked down a few of the streets in the area recently , I was reminded of Mayor Cote’s comment : “It is not any one individual home that makes that neighbourhood what it is. It is the collection of homes that have been able to last as long as they have and to receive the love and attention from the neighbourhood.”  There is certainly lots to love here!

 

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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/