Concerned Residents Community request & Letter to Council
Dear Neighbour,
This is a call to action. We need your help in stopping the demolition or removal of 1558 Beach Drive (for details, see letter below and attached flyer).
To prevent this potential loss, would you be willing to write a quick email to Oak Bay’s Mayor and Council? Oak Bay needs to receive it before noon, Monday, Sept. 9.
To register your protest, please write what resonates with you, or simply send an email that says, “We, the undersigned, support the letter sent to Mayor and Council, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, asking Council to do what it can to protect 1558 Beach Drive from removal.
Please share this information with anyone you think would be willing to participate.
With deep appreciation,
Concerned neighbours interested in saving 1558 Beach Drive from removal
How to set up your email:
1) In the “To:” line, load all the email addresses listed below.
2) In the “Subject:” line put: “PLEASE PROTECT 1558 Beach Drive.”
3) Address your email: “Dear Mayor and Council.”
4) By rule, you must include your full name and residential address in any letter or email correspondence, but it will be blacked out when your letter is posted with all the others.
Oak Bay Council:
[email protected]
Mayor Kevin Murdoch:
[email protected]
Councillor Andrew Appleton:
[email protected]
Councillor Hazel Braithwaite:
[email protected]
Councillor Cairine Green:
[email protected]
Councillor Tara Ney:
[email protected]
Councillor Esther Paterson:
[email protected]
Councillor Eric Zhelka:
[email protected]
Chief Administrative Officer, Lou Varela:
[email protected]
Bruce Anderson, Director of Building and Planning
[email protected]
Letter sent to Mayor and Council, Sept. 5, 2019:
Abstract Developments, which owns the historically significant J. W. Morris House (built in 1912 at 1558 Beach Drive) in the proposed Heritage Conservation Area (HCA), has submitted an application to remove the house off site, demolish its foundation and historic garage, and build two new homes.
This historic mansion, designed by prominent architects Douglas and Percy Leonard James for John W. Morris, has been a landmark on Beach Drive for over 100 years, and we strongly oppose its demolition by removal.
To safeguard this valuable historic resource for the benefit of the community, we ask Council to consider adding 1558 Beach Drive to the Heritage Register at the upcoming council meeting, September 9. In addition, can an immediate Control Period be established for The Prospect neighbourhood, so as to safeguard the heritage resources currently in place?
It is our understanding that a “temporary HCA” is called a Heritage Control Period and is authorized under the Local Government Act. It lasts exactly one year and is not (and legally cannot be) a moratorium. Applications must be accepted and considered by Council throughout that time. The difference is that Council has the authority to deny or postpone an application, based on the Heritage Conservation Area policy development process. As such, it is recommended that municipalities prepare guidelines for these kinds of decisions as part of the implementation program for a Control Period.
Putting the HCA in place before the permits are approved is imperative. Otherwise, it may well be a repeat of all that neighbours and Council have been through with 1561 York Place, which after three years has left us at nearly the same starting point.
The Prospect neighbourhood has in hand a petition signed by over 500 residents and community members eager to support the retention and restoration of 1558 Beach Drive. This historic structure is an important part of the streetscape, giving an accurate historic “snapshot” of our shared cultural history.
Our OCP encourages us to “Conserve Oak Bay’s history and heritage.” 4.7.1.1 The J.W. Morris house at 1558 Beach Drive is the most prominent and arguably the most significant building within the proposed HCA. Together with its neighbours on Beach Drive, it will be the part of the HCA most seen by the public.
Please act swiftly to safeguard J.W. Morris house at 1558 Beach Drive. Home
Respectfully,
XXX & XXXX XXXXX
XXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX & XXXXXXX XXXXXX
XXXXXX & XXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXX & XXXX XXXXXXX
This is a call to action. We need your help in stopping the demolition or removal of 1558 Beach Drive (for details, see letter below and attached flyer).
To prevent this potential loss, would you be willing to write a quick email to Oak Bay’s Mayor and Council? Oak Bay needs to receive it before noon, Monday, Sept. 9.
To register your protest, please write what resonates with you, or simply send an email that says, “We, the undersigned, support the letter sent to Mayor and Council, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, asking Council to do what it can to protect 1558 Beach Drive from removal.
Please share this information with anyone you think would be willing to participate.
With deep appreciation,
Concerned neighbours interested in saving 1558 Beach Drive from removal
How to set up your email:
1) In the “To:” line, load all the email addresses listed below.
2) In the “Subject:” line put: “PLEASE PROTECT 1558 Beach Drive.”
3) Address your email: “Dear Mayor and Council.”
4) By rule, you must include your full name and residential address in any letter or email correspondence, but it will be blacked out when your letter is posted with all the others.
Oak Bay Council:
[email protected]
Mayor Kevin Murdoch:
[email protected]
Councillor Andrew Appleton:
[email protected]
Councillor Hazel Braithwaite:
[email protected]
Councillor Cairine Green:
[email protected]
Councillor Tara Ney:
[email protected]
Councillor Esther Paterson:
[email protected]
Councillor Eric Zhelka:
[email protected]
Chief Administrative Officer, Lou Varela:
[email protected]
Bruce Anderson, Director of Building and Planning
[email protected]
Letter sent to Mayor and Council, Sept. 5, 2019:
Abstract Developments, which owns the historically significant J. W. Morris House (built in 1912 at 1558 Beach Drive) in the proposed Heritage Conservation Area (HCA), has submitted an application to remove the house off site, demolish its foundation and historic garage, and build two new homes.
This historic mansion, designed by prominent architects Douglas and Percy Leonard James for John W. Morris, has been a landmark on Beach Drive for over 100 years, and we strongly oppose its demolition by removal.
To safeguard this valuable historic resource for the benefit of the community, we ask Council to consider adding 1558 Beach Drive to the Heritage Register at the upcoming council meeting, September 9. In addition, can an immediate Control Period be established for The Prospect neighbourhood, so as to safeguard the heritage resources currently in place?
It is our understanding that a “temporary HCA” is called a Heritage Control Period and is authorized under the Local Government Act. It lasts exactly one year and is not (and legally cannot be) a moratorium. Applications must be accepted and considered by Council throughout that time. The difference is that Council has the authority to deny or postpone an application, based on the Heritage Conservation Area policy development process. As such, it is recommended that municipalities prepare guidelines for these kinds of decisions as part of the implementation program for a Control Period.
Putting the HCA in place before the permits are approved is imperative. Otherwise, it may well be a repeat of all that neighbours and Council have been through with 1561 York Place, which after three years has left us at nearly the same starting point.
The Prospect neighbourhood has in hand a petition signed by over 500 residents and community members eager to support the retention and restoration of 1558 Beach Drive. This historic structure is an important part of the streetscape, giving an accurate historic “snapshot” of our shared cultural history.
Our OCP encourages us to “Conserve Oak Bay’s history and heritage.” 4.7.1.1 The J.W. Morris house at 1558 Beach Drive is the most prominent and arguably the most significant building within the proposed HCA. Together with its neighbours on Beach Drive, it will be the part of the HCA most seen by the public.
Please act swiftly to safeguard J.W. Morris house at 1558 Beach Drive. Home
Respectfully,
XXX & XXXX XXXXX
XXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX & XXXXXXX XXXXXX
XXXXXX & XXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXX & XXXX XXXXXXX