One local resident is urging Bradford West Gwillimbury council to stop a proposal to redevelop 154-year-old Quaint House in Bond Head into a three-storey “monstrosity” with residential and commercial spaces.
“The proposal for the replacement building of the Quaint House is an extreme and an example of what’s to come unless the town does something to prevent it from happening,” said David Morton at a May 21 council meeting, suggesting the town needs better bylaws in place to control infill projects before it is overrun with development.
“Bradford West Gwillimbury is on the northern border of the (Greater Toronto Area). House prices in the GTA are two or three times or perhaps even more than the value … in Bradford West Gwillimbury. The town is on the verge of a rebuild.”
Angela Sciberras, representative for Quaint House's owner and a principal consultant at Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd. in Aurora, told BradfordToday that Wednesday's meeting is the "very beginning of the process and we look forward to hearing everyone's input."
Quaint House, which is occupied by Cotto88 Italian Eatery, is on the town’s heritage registry, features a Greek neoclassical entrance, and was once home to the Smith family, who helped the hamlet grow in the 1870s, according to a 2015 heritage assessment.
The owner is proposing rezoning the property at 4240 County Rd. 88 to construct a three-storey mixed-use building with 41 residential units on the second and third floors and about 1,700 square metres of commercial space on the ground floor, read a town Notice of Complete Application.
There would also be underground and rear parking, according to Ryan Windle, the town’s manager of community planning.
Morton pointed out Quaint House is next to two heritage homes and urged council members to attend a drop-in public meeting being held by the owners on Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. at the Bond Head Community Centre.
If any further action is taken with the project, a town-run public meeting will be held.
Anyone who cannot attend Wednesday’s meeting but wants to submit feedback can contact Sciberras at 905-503-3440 or [email protected].
