Property owners in proposed Kincardine Heritage Conservation District object to plan

To the Editor:
RE: “Mixed reviews about Kincardine's proposed Heritage Conservation District plan”

I commend the Kincardine Record for writing a well-balanced article, covering the Sept. 13 municipal statutory meeting to present the final Heritage Conservation District (HCD) plan.
 
There are many lovely heritage properties located throughout our municipality, and individual property owners who wish to exercise their right to seek designation can do so by filling out an application with the Municipality of Kincardine. This is a fine example of informed consent: residents are free to make the choice to designate their property, and/or prospective buyers knowingly purchase a property that is already designated. I fully support my neighbours’ choice to make this decision for themselves if it is their desire.

On the other hand, the HCD proposal, currently under consideration by the municipality, is quite the opposite: it is an ill-conceived attempt to force 104 properties into one heritage district without consent from those people most affected. This mandatory heritage designation will be applied to property titles ‘in perpetuity’ – this is unjust and undemocratic.

This HCD plan proposes to designate 50 commercial properties, 24 homes and six institutional or civic properties in one fell swoop. Another 24 properties (mostly residential) are already designated in the area. Of the proposed 80 new designations, 25 are considered non-contributing properties because they are new builds, or they’ve been substantially altered to the point that they are deemed to have little-to-no heritage cultural ‘value.’ 

In the end, this plan has little material impact on one-quarter of the 104 properties (they’re already designated), and another quarter are being unnecessarily forced to be designated as non-contributing properties. Almost half the homes have no justifiable reason to be included in this plan other than to maintain the notion that this is a ‘district.’ That’s plain silly.

This initiative is motivated by a perceived need to conserve the cultural heritage value of our neighbourhood and ‘manage change’ moving forward. Heritage Kincardine claims the HCD plan will “save on controversy” down the road without realizing or caring that it has brewed up a storm of controversy already! 

I don’t need, or want, self-proclaimed ‘heritage aficionados’ telling me what I can or cannot do with the exterior of my home. I don’t want a rotating committee of volunteers giving me the thumbs up or thumbs down when it comes time to upgrade my home. It’s almost as if this group feels it has a self-righteous duty to protect our homes and businesses … from us! Look around – I think we’re doing an excellent job already. 

At the heart of the issue are two falsehoods that are routinely proclaimed by municipal governments, committees, and their consultants. 

Firstly, there is a claim that heritage designation will increase or stabilize long-term property values. Often referenced, is a 21-year-old study by Robert Shipley, a now-retired associate professor at the University of Waterloo (Heritage Designation and Property Values: Is there an Effect? The International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 6). 

Shipley looked at changing property values in designated and non-designated properties across Ontario. When compared to their non-designated neighbours, heritage property values increased 59 per cent of the time, 14 per cent showed no difference, and 26 per cent performed more poorly than their non-designated counterparts. Big whoop – this is not robust and convincing evidence; especially given the housing market today is nothing like it was in the 1990s. Also important (and usually not mentioned), is Shipley’s conclusion that observed that increases in property value were not a direct result of designation, rather they were likely due to diligent home maintenance and upgrades. 

Home maintenance and tasteful upgrades are already happening in our neighbourhood – we don’t need a forced designation and dubious claims of property value increases to motivate us, thank you very much!

Lastly, blatant misleading comments were made at the Sep. 13 statutory meeting with regards to insurance of heritage homes. To quieten the inconvenient fact that designation causes insurance hardships for heritage property owners across Ontario, a flippant comment was made by Ms (Meaghan) Rivard (of Stantec Consulting) who implied that insurance premiums are only increasing in newly designated homes because they’re just old homes – that there is “no correlation between heritage and insurance rates.”

I challenge our municipality’s consultant to get a grip on reality and contact the many Kincardine residents who have recently spoken to their brokers and asked what this HCD will mean for them? Find out how many of us are being told that our premiums will rise substantially (hint – it is many). Some insurers are even saying they will no longer insure the property if it is designated! Although it is unjustified and unfair for the insurance industry to penalize property owners after designation, the fact remains that heritage designation directly causes premiums to increase.

To our elected officials in the Municipality of Kincardine, please do not force this upon us. Reject the proposed designation at the Oct. 13 meeting, or give us the option to opt-out.

Sincerely,
Dave Snider
Kincardine
 

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To the Editor:

We, as long-time residents and property owners in Kincardine, are very supportive of conserving and maintaining its heritage and charm. However, as property owners located within the proposed Heritage Conservation District (HCD), we have serious concerns.

Our insurance broker has advised us that few companies will insure heritage buildings. As a result, the rates for those companies that do, are significantly higher. Some heritage properties have seen an increase of 300 per cent in their rates.

Under the existing 'Kincardine Heritage,' property owners have the option/right to apply to have their property designated heritage. Under the HCD, property owners have no say. Property owners within the proposed HCD do not have the opportunity to vote on this proposal.

The HCD proposal indicates potential incentives for maintenance and promoting restoration of heritage features. However, these incentives are not currently in place, and what guarantee exists they will be available in future? How would other property owners/taxpayers feel about increased taxes to maintain HCD? Would tax rates be reduced to cover increased insurance and maintenance/restoration costs?

During the Sept. 13 council meeting where the HCD was presented, a claim was made that a heritage designation could increase property value. Recently, designated heritage properties within the proposed HCD have been for sale for a longer period in this current real estate market than non-heritage designated properties.

Many of the property owners within the HCD are also business owners. The potential for increased insurance and property taxes will put the survival of these businesses in jeopardy. Increased costs to the property owners will be passed onto tenants and business owners via increased rents. As we are all aware, retail in the core area is already suffering.

Thank you,
Brad and Janice Chalmers
Kincardine