Stephen Avenue development paused for provincial heritage assessment

Article content material

A proposal to construct a number of new towers on a block of Stephen Avenue has been placed on maintain after the province requested a heritage evaluation of the buildings presently on the positioning.

Article content material

Final Might, Triovest made the plan to construct three towers, together with a 66-story condominium tower that may be the tallest in Western Canada, on a block bordering Stephen Avenue and seventh Avenue SW, between Middle Road and 1st Road SW.

Article content material

The plan, in a block made up virtually completely of traditionally vital buildings, raised flags for individuals who worth Calgary’s heritage buildings. Triovest’s early plans for the event contain retaining among the constructing facades, however not essentially the inside of the buildings.

However work on the challenge was halted after the province ordered a historic assets influence evaluation.

Nancy Bishay, communications director on the Division of Tradition, mentioned the requirement was issued to Triovest in December as a result of a part of Stephen Avenue had been designated a nationwide historic website, and since it contained numerous historic buildings.

Article content material

“We wish to be certain that the proposed redevelopment alongside Stephen Avenue is completed responsibly and takes under consideration the distinctive heritage character of the world,” Bishay mentioned in an e-mail. “The evaluation would require the developer to discover a spread of choices that prioritize the preservation of Stephen Avenue’s historic buildings.”

She mentioned as soon as that evaluation is full, the province will make an knowledgeable determination about any vital conservation measures.

Triovest mentioned in an e-mail that it’s “persevering with work with municipal and provincial authorities our bodies on this challenge.”

Josh Traptow, CEO of Heritage Calgary, welcomed the evaluation.

“I believe having an HRIA performed to take a look at all of the buildings holistically is an efficient factor as a result of each roads are nonetheless largely unique and intact, and we do not have a variety of that in Calgary,” he mentioned.

Article content material

He mentioned it might be as much as Triovest to discover a certified marketing consultant to hold out the evaluation, which might take anyplace from six months to a 12 months to finish.

“My understanding is that the HRIA principally contains the whole block on seventh and eighth avenues, after which additionally surrounding buildings which have provincial heritage designation,” mentioned Traptow. “It is going to be a big enterprise, and it’ll take a while not solely to search out certified consultants, however then for them to undertake that work.”

There’s a patchwork of historic recognition provided by all three ranges of presidency, and Traptow mentioned a number of designations apply to this block. A lot of Stephen Avenue is a nationally acknowledged historic district, whereas the province has acknowledged the Molson’s Financial institution Constructing and the Financial institution of Montreal Constructing on its Register of Historic Locations.

Article content material

Virtually each constructing on the block is listed within the metropolis’s stock of evaluated historic assets. Whereas that itemizing acknowledges a property’s historic significance, it supplies no safety to the present construction.

Seven buildings on the block have been designated as municipal historic assets, which means they can’t be demolished or considerably altered.

Ward 7 gr. Terry Wong mentioned town has already performed its due diligence over the previous 12 months to 18 months, however there ought to at all times be a couple of set of eyes on a challenge.

Article content material

“For the county to ask for it was impartial of town, but when they felt there was a requirement to do it, that they had the justification,” Wong mentioned.

Traptow mentioned the findings of the provincial evaluation are unlikely to be made public. Heritage Calgary lobbied the province to make at the very least an govt abstract of every evaluation publicly out there.

“I am not saying that is what Triovest can do, however a developer can say, ‘Oh, there was nothing traditionally vital discovered within the HRIA, however there is not any approach to confirm that as a result of it isn’t publicly out there not,” says Traptow.

The county has the facility to designate buildings and even the whole block as a county historic useful resource, however Traptow mentioned that is hardly ever performed in opposition to the homeowners’ needs. The one latest instance he might consider was when the province selected to guard a traditionally vital timber body construction in Edmonton.

He mentioned Heritage Calgary is just not in opposition to Triovest’s challenge, however feels it may very well be improved.

“There are numerous examples from around the globe of heritage being built-in into extra than simply the facade, which is what they’re proposing for a lot of websites on Stephen Avenue,” he mentioned.

brthomas@postmedia.com
Twitter: @brodie_thomas