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The Wellington Branch of the Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) seeks public input through this anonymous survey of the public’s awareness of how the land-use planning process provides protection to the low-rise heritage structures and distinct sense of place of our historic small town Elora Heritage Area (typically 1 to 2 stories in height) and Fergus Heritage Area (typically 2 to 2.5 stories in height) from proposed high-rise infill/intensification by buildings of 4 or more stories in height.

PLEASE ANSWER THE SURVEY QUESTIONS BELOW:

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* 1. Were you aware that Ontario’s land-use planning process guides planning decisions as to where and what type of development can occur and where certain types of development should not occur in order to protect and safeguard our valued cultural heritage resources from the negative impacts of inappropriate development?

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* 2. Were you aware that the historic small towns of Elora/Salem and Fergus contain the highest concentration of municipally identified cultural heritage resources in Wellington County?

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* 3. Were you aware that the Province of Ontario, through the Destination Animation Strategic Co-Investment Project, has partnered with the Township of Centre Wellington, since 2017, to “create/enhance bigger and better projects that showcase the DNA of the region; natural setting, heritage and arts and culture” of the historic small towns of Elora and Fergus, considering them as regionally significant tourism destinations?

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Graph from Township's Cultural Action Plan Response-over 2000 respondents.

<strong>Graph from Township's Cultural Action Plan Response-over 2000 respondents.</strong>

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* 4. Were you aware that the 2013 Township of Centre Wellington survey of citizen priorities for the Township’s cultural future reported the highest ranked priority as being the preservation of heritage resources (see the light green line on graph above)?

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* 5. Were you aware that 81% of the 2,331 respondents to the 2021 survey conducted by the Elora-Fergus Today online newspaper say that “Centre Wellington is growing too fast”

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* 6. Were you aware that the Province of Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe 2020 (A Place to Grow, 2020), which establishes municipal growth and intensification targets, also imposes constraints on where and how to grow/intensify by mandating that cultural heritage resources, such as the Heritage Areas and the Historic Village Cores of Elora & Fergus, will be conserved?

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* 7. Were you aware that the Ontario Planning Act’s Provincial Policy Statement 2020 (PPS,2020) also imposes constraints on where and how to grow/intensify by mandating that significant cultural heritage landscapes, such as the Heritage Areas and the Historic Village Cores of Elora/Salem and Fergus, shall be conserved?

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* 8. Were you aware that the Township of Centre Wellington planning report PLN2020-37 regarding the Township’s Cultural Heritage Landscape Study advised Members of Council:
  •  that “A key objective of the Ontario Planning Act is to integrate matters of provincial interest in municipal decision-making regarding planning matters and that one matter of provincial interest is ‘the conservation of features of significantarchitectural, cultural, historical, archaeological or scientific interest’”
  •  and that “Municipalities are required through Section 3 of the Planning Act to ensure that any decision of council that affects a planning matter shall be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS, 2020) and shall conform with provincial plans (A Place to Grow, 2020)”
  •  and that “In particular, this study focuses on the PPS policy that states ‘significantbuilt heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be conserved’”?

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* 9. Were you aware that the section of the Township of Centre Wellington Official Plan entitled “Development and Redevelopment Within Heritage Areas” contains planning policy which imposes the following constraints on where and how infill/intensification should occur in the Heritage Areas of Elora/Salem and Fergus:
  • it requires “any development, redevelopment or public work, including the replacement or reconstruction of existing buildings, shall respect the goals and objectives of the Official Plan relating to the protection and enhancement of heritageresources”
  • and it requires “in reviewing any development or redevelopment proposals within the Heritage Areas, the Township will use the legislative authority available to encourage the design of new development in a manner that is compatible, sensitive and sympathetic to any existing heritage buildings, neighbouring buildings and the area”?
  • and it states “Development projects requiring planning approval, which are of a size, scale or character not in keeping with the surrounding heritage resources, should not be allowed”

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* 10. Were you aware that the Township of Centre Wellington’s Urban Design Guidelines (PLACE MATTERS) for Elora/Salem and Fergus provide the following clear direction for designers, developers, and property owners in their applications for proposed developments/alterations to their properties:
  • “Buildings within the downtowns shall not exceed 3 stories or 11m in height, per the Townships Zoning By-law.”
  • “The height of any addition should be similar to adjacent buildings and should not dominate the existing building, adjacent buildings, or the streetscape, nor should it interfere with any significant view or viewshed.”

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Map of Built-Up Areas and Red-Line Heritage Areas 

<strong>Map of Built-Up Areas and Red-Line Heritage Areas&nbsp;</strong>

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* 11. Were you aware that Wellington County planners have proposed to allocate 55% of the County’s entire growth target to Elora/Salem and Fergus (see the dark-purple and light-purple areas on the map above) without having conducted any due diligence technical studies to analyse and demonstrate how much and what type of growth related intensification can be tolerated without negative impacts on the integrity of the low-rise heritage fabric and distinct sense of place of the Built-Up Areas of these historic small towns (see the dark purple areas of the map above), and on their protected Heritage Areas (see the red-line boundary on the map above), and on their significant cultural heritage landscapes?

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* 12.    Were you aware that, on the one hand, Wellington County Council has requested that the Province approve a reduced alternate Built-Up Area housing intensification target of 15% for the County because Elora/Salem and Fergus have the highest concentration of municipally identified cultural heritage resources in Wellington County while, on the other hand, Wellington County Planners have proposed to allocate housing intensification targets of 20% to both Elora/Salem and Fergus Built-Up Areas (see the dark purple areas of the map above) and to their respective Heritage Areas (see the red-line boundary on the map above) and significant cultural heritage landscapes? 

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* 13. Were you aware that the administration of the Township of Centre Wellington does not provide Council’s heritage advisory committee and the public with the opportunity for consultation and engagement in the following first two planning application processes which are critically important to ensuring planning process due diligence and compliance for the protection of cultural heritage resources: the preconsultation planning process; and the planning process by which planning applications are deemed to be complete?

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* 14. Do you think there should be a moratorium on planning applications seeking to raise the regulated maximum building height until such time as the County and the Township have completed due diligence technical studies which analyze and demonstrate how much and what type of growth related intensification can be tolerated without negative impacts on the integrity of the low-rise heritage structures and distinct sense of place of their respective Built-Up Areas and on their protected Heritage Areas and on their significant cultural heritage landscapes?

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* 15. In the upcoming County and Township of Centre Wellington municipal elections this fall, would you vote for a candidate who supports approving planning applications seeking to raise the regulated maximum building height within the low-rise historic small towns of Elora/Salem or Fergus in the absence of due diligence technical studies which demonstrate how much and what type of growth related intensification can be tolerated without negative impacts on the integrity of the low-rise heritage structures and distinct sense of place of their respective Built-Up Areas, their protected Heritage Areas, and on their significant cultural heritage landscapes?

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* 16. In the upcoming County and Township of Centre Wellington municipal elections this fall, would you vote for a candidate who supports the allocation by Wellington County of any growth related intensification target to the low-rise historic small towns of Elora/Salem or Fergus in the absence of due diligence technical studies which demonstrate how much and what type of growth related intensification can be tolerated without negative impacts on the integrity of the low-rise heritage fabric and distinct sense of place of their respective Built-Up Areas and on their protected Heritage Areas and on their significant cultural heritage landscapes?

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* 17. Comments:

0 of 17 answered
 

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