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Council endorses latest revisions for Quaint House

The redevelopment plan of the Quaint House came back to council for a third time, with revisions reflecting the feedback received from town staff and residents
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The Quaint House in Bond Head. Miriam King/BradfordToday

In Tuesday night's Committee of the Whole meeting at the BWG Council meeting, an updated plan for Bond Head's Quaint House was presented as part of a deputation for a zoning by-law amendment application. 

Angela Sciberras of Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd. spoke in a deputation on behalf of the home's owner Frank Buda. The power point presentation outlined the timeline and design of a project plan that has been in the works since 2016. 

The controversial redevelopment  project caused quite a stir in the Bond Head community. The owner/developer originally proposed the demolition of the 155-year-old home, to be replaced with a new residential-commercial structure. 

However, in multiple public meetings and communications to staff and council, residents of Bond Head argued in favour of leaving the property intact and designating it as a heritage home.

"We got a lot of comments from the residents, some really good input," noted Sciberras. "From Sept. 2019 until COVID, we had been working quite actively with town staff and diligently addressing their comments and concerns until we reached a point that everything had been addressed to their satisfaction and we are now back before you today."

In February 2019,  the developer had proposed a plan that would preserve some attributes of the home, with 41 suites, a commercial space of 1687 sq.m, side yard setbacks of 3m and 2.75m and a building height of 16.83 m to the roof peak, with 134 parking spaces. 

Council and staff were not satisfied with the proposal, and the developer sent back a revision in August 2019 that reduced the number of residential units to 35  and the commercial floor area to 1540 sq.m, increased side yard setbacks to 4.45m and 4.61m, reduced the height to 10.55m and increased the number of parking spaces to 145. 

After additional comments from the public, the plan was sent back to the developer for further revision - and the result was presented to council on Tuesday night. 

In the presentation, Sciberras noted that the developer has acknowledged the heritage value of the home and is committed to preserving it by relocating it to the southeast corner of the property located at 4240 County Rd. 88, onto a new foundation. The Quaint House will serve as the lobby entrance for the residents on the second and third floors.

The new plan includes a reduction in the number of residential units to 30, a total commercial space of 1350 sq.m, side yard setbacks at 6.52m and 5.28m, a slight increase in height to 10.83m ("Still below the Town's maximum height of 11 metres," Sciberras noted) and a reduction in parking spaces to 121. 

Because of the reduction in commercial space, the need for parking space was reduced, but still fits within the town's standards. 

"We believe it provides a much improved product, with resident input," said Sciberras. "All revisions requested by staff have been made. We believe this will be a welcome addition to the community."

She noted, "The design features pick up on some of the key heritage features in Bond Head," adding that the developer "acknowledges the heritage value of the Quaint House." She assured residents that "a heritage restoration plan will be required... That will be part of the Site plan approval process."

Coun. Ron Orr who also chairs the Heritage Committee thanked the developer for taking the time and effort to address the residents many concerns. 

"Hopefully we can get the best possible development that’s going to enhance Bond Head," he said. "Some of the issues that I'm hearing is still the height in relation to the houses on each side," in addition to traffic "coming out onto 88 Highway."

"I am pretty sure some of the residents still won't be happy," Mayor Rob Keffer acknowledged, "but this is a pretty good development application. Mr. Buda is a local resident and he did take it (the complaints) personally and he was trying to work with our town staff."

He asked Peter Loukes, Director or Development and Engineering about the site plan agreement and if it will have the "teeth" to ensure the heritage building is preserved. 

"Will that be part of the site plan agreement to make sure that the old Quaint House is moved safely?"

Loukes confirmed that it is the intent under site plan control to have special provisions put in place specific to the nature of the property. 

Deputy Mayor James Leduc applauded the developer on his willingness to work with council and staff on the revisions. 

"He came with a plan that I can sit behind and support. I think it’s a great opportunity for Bond Head. This will give real life to what can happen to the community," he said.

Coun. Raj Sandhu agreed. 

"This developer/owner worked with our staff, worked with our residents and came up with a win-win situation," he said.

Council voted to approve the zoning by-law amendment for the property as recommended, and to remove the Holding (H1) provision upon execution of a Site Plan Agreement.

The Quaint House is currently home to Cotto 88 Italian Eatery and is on the town’s heritage registry. It features a Greek neoclassical entrance, and was once home to the Smith family, who helped the hamlet grow in the 1870s. 

 


Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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