Property owner urges Kincardine council to reject Heritage Conservation District plan

To the Editor:

The following is an open letter to Kincardine council, regarding the decision to mandate a designation of Heritage Conservation to a portion of downtown
 
As a family, we own six buildings that have the potential to be designated in this Heritage Conservation District “swoop.”

I have received some calls, and listened and read many opinions on both sides of the issue. For clarity, I have had only direct conversations with other owners within the area and at no time with anyone from the municipality, the committee or the consultant.

To be fair, I did not chase after anyone; I was a little busy as we are in a global pandemic. I truly thought the whole process would be put on hold as wisdom and common sense would dictate that until matters of significantly more importance were dealt with, this would be put on hold. 

Matters, such as “How can I keep my family safe? How we can keep our customers safe? How can we keep our employees safe? Will my restaurants open and downtown businesses stay open? Is the municipality able to safely manage tourists and residents that come into downtown? Can we keep our washrooms open or must we use portable toilets? Are the beaches going to stay open? Our municipal hall?”

To our credit and the hard work of many of our municipal employees, these where being dealt with and appropriately managed. However, we all are aware that our own municipality is not yet open! I feel our efforts should remain focused on these issues and the many other matters that need to be dealt with first.

Such things as, Do we have affordable housing? How can we assist developers and investors to devote the time investments to work here?

I am not saying we need to be Port Elgin, but it has far more “services” than Kincardine. Again, this is happening - water and sewer are being installed, roads are being rebuilt - but we all know, we have much yet to do.
 
Yet, here we sit with this Heritage Conservation District debate before us. I think the whole decision should be put on the back-burner until our municipality returns to normal, by this I mean the service industry. We need to be able to get staff, patios off the street, and doctors and hospitals that are able to treat us unrestricted. Back to the Kincardine we know and love, with car shows, parades and community events, after which, then let us have an open rational discussion. Not one that says we reached out within the restrictions due to the pandemic.
 
My first impression after reading this, begs the question: Is this a problem that needs solving? I understand the ash tree issue – diseased trees could potentially fall on people - but this is a designation not an imminent problem. I suggest that perhaps we should be getting our building department staffed, our own bylaw office staffed, a new chief administrative officer, or countless other issues resolved.

However, if you deem it is important enough to spend council time, Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board) staff time, legal time and, more importantly, the money that this takes to implement (that we all know will, ultimately, be required), then let’s look at this in a manner that is more inclusive and transparent. Let’s get the affected property owners together, the business owners together and the residents, and let’s understand the impact. But more importantly, let’s understand why we are doing this.
 
Beyond the rhetoric, I truly don’t understand the value. Are the buildings being desecrated? No. Is the downtown losing its character? No. Is it trying to make the downtown more beautiful? No. Is it going to assist the property owners to make improvements? No.

So I ask what is the benefit? Do we not already have important buildings designated? Yes. Is there a process to designate a heritage building? Yes. Is there a committee in place to participate? Yes. So why do we need more rules? I also know, as an owner of several heritage-designated buildings, they are more costly to maintain and more costly, and difficult, to insure. They are harder to sell and have a lower rate of property-value increases.
 
In closing, I would comment that most of all, everyone can see that, as you drive along Princes, Harbour, and Queen Streets and Durham Market Square, and the entire area under discussion, you’ll see pride of ownership. Our homes and business are well-maintained, groomed and well-kept. Why try to fix what isn’t broken?

I have seen that trying to mandate rules that are not needed, causes people to get there backs up, and this is the last thing we need. I would simply request that this issue be delayed until such time as we all can truly understand and appreciate the economic, cultural and actual value that this will bring to our community. 

As a taxpayer, I see no value in pursuing this path when we know that the individuals and businesses involved do not want it. As an owner, if this passes, given the long-term impact, I know that I and others will see that there is no recourse other than trying to prevent this through the appropriate processes. And that will cost us and the municipality, financially and emotionally, during a time when we do not need this extra stress.

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.
 
Charles Edey
Kincardine