Regional Municipality of Waterloo Heritage Planning Advisory Committee Minutes February 8, 2018 5:00 PM Regional Administrative Headquarters, Room 110 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener Present were: Councilor E. Clarke (Chair), M. Rowell (Vice-chair), G. Ersoy, B. Benninger, A. Jackson, E. Thorsen, A. Hooykaas, A. Carswell, B. Bryant, E. Heinrichs, and M. Page. Members absent: S. Zepf, B. Nader, B. Paddock, and B. Wallace Staff in attendance: K. Hagerman and B. Coady Declarations of Pecuniary Interest under the Municipal Conflict Of Interest Act 1. Approval of the Agenda Moved by M. Rowell Seconded by B. Benninger That the agenda for the Heritage Planning Advisory Committee Meeting of February 8, 2018 be approved. 2. Approval of the Minutes Moved by B. Bryant, Seconded by A. Hooykaas
HPAC - 2 - February 8, 2018 That the minutes of the Heritage Planning Advisory Committee Meeting of January 11, 2018 be approved. 3. Delegation on Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit from Kitchener to Cambridge Public Consultation Centre #3 from M. O Neil Acting Manager Rapid Transit, Regional Transportation and Environmental Services. Rapid Transit staff presented the preliminary preferred route as well as several other new route alternatives being considered for Stage 2 ION Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Kitchener to Cambridge. This same information was presented to the public during the third round of Stage 2 ION Public Consultation Centres (PCCs), held between November 2017 and January 2018. The new alternative routes were developed by Rapid Transit staff in response to the significant feedback received on the North Cambridge segment of the Stage 2 ION after PCC No. 2. M. O Neil pointed out a new route alternative that considers Highway 8 (in the Kitchener segment) to cross the Grand River rather than Old King Street as the route is significantly shorter and the once suggested stop at Freeport is not likely feasible. M. O Neil reiterated from previous presentations to HPAC that a stop in Preston is very important and this process and the evaluation of the route alternatives will look at how best ION can serve Preston, while minimizing impacts. New alternatives for terminal locations in Galt are also being considered, to maximize cross corridor bus connections, ridership and development potential. HPAC members asked about some of the route alternatives that are not identified as the preferred alternative, such as routes to the Airport, Maple Grove Road and Speedsville Road. M. O Neil stated that the Airport could be well served by conventional bus transit or even by a shuttle, and the routes through North Cambridge Industrial Area are significantly longer and would not yield the required densities and ridership to support Rapid Transit. Full build-out with optimistic ridership on these route alternates could only generate the ridership levels already being achieved in the Preston Area today and would actually draw development and investment out of the built-up area. HPAC members agreed that the addition of the spur line route alternative (V and W) is a good option and generally that any on-street route can be supported so long as it does not impact heritage. Some concerns noted by HPAC included the impact to natural and cultural heritage by some of the route alternatives through Riverside Park and generally impacts of the preferred route on Cultural Heritage Landscapes. HPAC agreed to
HPAC - 3 - February 8, 2018 provide a memo to the Rapid Transit team in advance of the February 16, 2018 deadline for public feedback. Once the updated HIA has been completed for Stage 2 ION, M. O Neil will provide the document to Cultural Heritage Staff and the HPAC subcommittee for further comment. 4. Business Arising 5. Information Updates a) Updates on Infrastructure / Development Projects i. Stage 2 ION Public Consultation Progress and Feedback Discussed earlier ii. East Boundary Road EA Public Consultation Centre On February 1, 2018, Public Consultation Centre #3 was held for the Class Environmental Assessment study to determine the East Boundary Road Corridor from Dundas Street in (Hwy 8) at the proposed South Boundary Road Intersection to Townline Road in Cambridge. At PCC#2 in December 2015, Route C1 a very central route in the Project Area was identified as the Preferred Alternative based information available at that time. However, in discussions with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as well as the Region s Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee, challenges with Route C1 were identified. Those challenges included the need to conduct four additional seasons of habitat and wildlife study as well as the potential need to obtain an Overall Benefit Permit, due to the long and bisecting crossings of high quality natural environmental features. Establishing an Overall Benefit to habitat and wildlife is an uncertain and potentially very expensive process. As such the B Route which rated comparatively to Route C was reconsidered and extensive consultation with key stakeholders took place to develop a sub-alternative of Route B, Route B4 which satisfactorily mitigates previous social and environmental challenges. More detailed heritage inventories, archaeological work and if necessary heritage impact assessments will take place once after the filing of the EA, tentatively set for summer of 2018, during the detailed design stage. HPAC was asked that if members had any comments to submit them to Justin Armstrong, Senior Project Manager by February 15 th at juarmstrong@regionofwaterloo.ca or for more information
HPAC - 4 - February 8, 2018 to visit: https://icreate7.esolutionsgroup.ca/11111028_regionofwaterloo/en/livinghere/resources/documents/future-construction/dc_07299_3rdpccinfopackage.pdf iii. King Street Improvements Project (Eagle Street to Bishop Street, City of Cambridge) The approved roadway improvements on King Street East (Regional Road 8) in Cambridge are for the reconstruction and minor widening of King Street East, extending from Eagle Street to Bishop Street, including public sidewalk replacement and associated works (e.g. utility and service replacements). This project will address the deteriorated condition of the road and underground sewers and watermains in this section of King Street, and presents an opportunity to incorporate enhanced facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The Region has commenced the expropriation process to acquire the land requirements identified as part of this project. iv. Public meeting for a Proposed Amendment to the Regional Official Plan to Define the Boundaries of the Countryside Line in the Baden and New Hamburg Township Urban Areas, Wilmot. Regional Staff have been working with Wilmot Township to review the boundaries of their settlement areas and the surrounding Countryside Line. This review is called the rationalization exercise and is intended to give Wilmot (and each Township if they desire) the opportunity to closely review the remaining developable area in their settlements and promote more efficient development patterns. The rationalization process does not result in a net increase in the amount of land available for development, and the Region is requesting a public meeting later this spring to obtain community input on the refined boundaries and Countryside Line in Wilmot. Cultural Heritage staff have briefly reviewed the proposed boundary revisions and do not believe that any cultural heritage resources will be affected (brought into a developable area), but will continue to follow this process and update HPAC accordingly. b) Updates on Area Municipal Heritage Projects i. City of Waterloo Preliminary Cultural Heritage Landscapes Mapping The City of Waterloo is undertaking a study to develop an inventory of significant Cultural Heritage Landscapes and has recently released the mapping of 28 candidate landscapes found at the link below: http://www.waterloo.ca/en/contentresources/resources/government/committees/candid ate-chl-map---jan-15-2018.pdf
HPAC - 5 - February 8, 2018 There is also a unique online mapping tool and an area where you can like or vote and comment on the candidates presented. This information can be found at the link below: http://cityofwaterloo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapjournal/index.html?appid=c33970aeba1 e42f0bc421b5a96a93d16 If you would like to submit comments directly via email, or would like more information on this project please contact Michelle Lee at: michelle.lee@waterloo.ca 6. Other Business 7. News and Events Round Table a) Public Open House for Downtown Ayr Heritage Conservation District The heritage Resources Centre at the University of Waterloo on behalf of the Township of North Dumfries hosted a Public Open House to present the results of a survey of business owners in Ayr about the possibility of establishing a Heritage Conservation District in Downtown Ayr. The Open House was held on February 5 th with a good turnout. For more information on this matter or if you wish to be kept informed of the review process, please contact the heritage Resources Centre at hrc@uwaterloo.ca b) Wilmot Heritage Day A reminder that Wilmot Heritage Day will take place on Saturday February 24 th at the New Dundee Community Centre from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. The 2018 theme is: Celebrating Our Agricultural Heritage. The HPAC display will be set up and will feature the Barn Inventory. 8. Adjourn Moved by: B. Bryant That the meeting adjourn. Committee Chair, Councilor E. Clarke Committee Clerk, B. Coady, Cultural Heritage Principal Planner