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In a city continuously facing intense development pressure, the politics of heritage preservation often prove a decisive factor in influencing the scope of urban growth. For an individual property, designation on Toronto's heritage inventory ensures that any redevelopment of the site maintains the heritage building's prominence and architectural character. Heritage Conservation Districts (HCD) extend similar principles across a cluster of properties, mandating strict guidelines for altering existing structures and adding new infill density to the area.
Designated under PART V of the Ontario Heritage Act (individual properties are designated under PART IV), HCDs can be created if an area is holisticly deemed to have notable historical, physicial, socio-cultural, or natural attributes. Many neighbourhoods are identified due to of a high concentration of heritage properties, in an attempt to keep the area's broader character—rather than just individual buildings. In an HCD designated area, new development is required to blend in with the scale of existing built form, even if the development site itself does not include a heritage property.
For an HCD to be created, an area must be deemed to possess some type of heritage value, whether in regards to built form, socio-cultural character, or a unique and 'representative' physical layout. For example, Toronto's Union Station HCD—a component of the area's Master Plan—recognizes the rail terminal as a unique presence on the streetscape. The HCD sets out development criteria that, among other priorities, maintain the building's visual prominence.
Toronto currently has 17 HCDs, with additional areas currently under review, and a further list of neighbourhoods set to be studied in the future. Following an HCD study, a heritage plan is created, which is subsequently reviewed by City Staff, the Toronto Preservation Board, the local Community Council, and finally City Council. Most recently, the 'St. Lawrence Neighbourhood' HCD Plan was adopted by City Council in late 2015, while the 'Historic Yonge Street' HCD—between Bloor and College—has recently been recommended for approval, and is slated to be reviewed by City Council in March.
The auspices of each HCD are different. Since the unique character of the city's neighbourhood's entails a specifically curated approach, every district's particular regulations are tailored to protect the area's unique features and address specific risks. On 'Historic Yonge Street,' for example, excessive storefront signage and 'over-cladding' has been identified as an area of concern. To address this, the HCD would stipulate regulations governing re-cladding and signage, protecting the area's street-level ambiance.
In the recently approved St. Lawrence HCD plan, a major priority of the new designation was protecting the area's unique built form. The 19th century storefront, the industrial warehouse, and the 'landmark building' were identified as three historically valuable architectural typologies. In order to maintain the prominence of these buildings—and the area's street-level character—Toronto's newest HCD stipulates that new development show deferential sensitivity to existing heritage structures, with more fine-grained regulations in place to maintain each of the neighbourhood's unique building typologies.
For new development, Heritage Conservation Districts can play a significant role in regulating the nature of new built form, particularly at street-level. HCD designations do not exist to prevent new development, merely providing a more fine-grained planning framework to regulate changes in the area. Like Secondary Plans, HCDs implement a specific planning framework for select neighbourhoods. However, this does mean that approving new development entails a somewhat more complex process.
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Want to learn more about Toronto's Heritage Conservation Districts? The City's official website includes an overview of Heritage Preservation Services, including a page devoted to HCDs. The official HCD blog also tracks potential conservation areas currently under review, which include King-Spading, the Garden District, Queen Street East, and the West Annex—in addition to Historic Yonge Street. Want to share your thoughts about Toronto's Heritage Conservation Districts? Leave a comment in the space below this page.
