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Council Policy C-CS-21 - Municipal Historic Conservation Program Policy
Presented by: Kelly Jerrott, Director
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
1. That City Council Policy C-CS-21- Municipal Historic Conservation Program Policy, provided as an attachment to the September 11, 2017 agenda report entitled “Historical Designation Policy”, be approved.
2. That Administration draft amendments to Schedule O3 of City Council Policy C-FS-01-Financial Reserves to reflect the addition of the Heritage Reserve Fund for the Heritage Conservation Program for consideration of Council as part of the Annual Review of Financial Policies.
3. That Bylaw 43/2017, A Bylaw to establish and define the functions of the Heritage Advisory Committee, be read a first time.
4. That Bylaw 43/2017 be read a second time.
5. That unanimous consent be given for consideration for third reading of Bylaw 43/2017.
6. That Bylaw 43/2017 read a third and final time.
7. That the following postponed motion be approved:
(PM08-2018)
That an annual allocation equivalent to $1 per resident based on the most recent municipal census ($64,965 for 2018 be added to the 2018 base budget on an ongoing basis to support the Municipal Historic Conservation Program to be funded from taxes.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
To present to Council a Heritage Conservation Policy for approval, which includes a Heritage Conservation Program Outline, funding model and Heritage Advisory Committee Bylaw.
COUNCIL DIRECTION
On May 8, 2017, Council passed the following motion:
(AR-17-190)
That the Draft Municipal Historic Conservation Program Policy be received for information and that Council members provide feedback to Administration by May 15, 2017.
On March 13, 2017 Council passed the following motion:
(INC-17-023)
That Administration develop a policy to encourage Historical Designation of private and public property.
On February 25, 2013 Council passed the following motion:
(C72-2013)
That the City of St. Albert Heritage Management Plan dated February 2013, be approved;
That Administration use the City of St. Albert Heritage Management Plan dated February 2013 as a guideline for the development and proposal of any bylaws or policies for Council's consideration for the implementation of the Management Plan;
That Administration use the City of St. Albert Heritage Management Plan dated February 2013 for business planning and budget business case development purposes; and
That Administration and the Arts and Heritage Foundation, internally conduct a review and update the City of St. Albert and Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert Master Plan for St. Albert's Heritage Sites dated 2004.
On July 17, 2007 Council passed the following motion:
(C433-2007)
That Bylaw 15/2007, as amended, be read a third and final time.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In 2013, City Council approved the City of St. Albert Heritage Management Plan “to guide the municipality’s stewardship of both public and private historic resources, through a framework of policies and strategy.” As part of this plan, a heritage conservation and designation program specific to privately-owned heritage resources was scheduled to be developed by the City beginning in 2018. This program also supports the goals and objectives of the Municipal Development Plan Section 15.0 Heritage Preservation.
On March 13, 2017, Council moved (INC-17-023) that Administration develop a draft Heritage Designation Policy for the City of St. Albert. To align with provincial and federal standards, this Policy has been given the title “Municipal Historic Conservation Program”. The purpose of this Policy is “To have in place a City of St. Albert Municipal Historic Conservation Program to preserve and build upon St. Albert’s historical integrity by identifying, protecting, preserving and promoting the conservation of heritage resources in the community.”
A draft Policy and Program Outline was presented to the Standing Committee of the Whole on May 8, 2017, at which time comments and feedback was solicited from members of Council. The direction from the Standing Committee of the Whole was to take these comments into consideration and bring a proposed Policy forward to City Council in Q3 of 2017.
The proposed City of St. Albert Municipal Historic Conservation Program Policy and related documents is attached to this report as Schedule A.
To develop the proposed Policy and Program Outline, Administration consulted with several internal and external stakeholders as well as other municipalities with similar policies in place. In addition to this, Administration also solicited feedback from residents through an in-person survey at the Farmers’ Market as well as online. A summary of this feedback is highlighted on the next page.
OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
This Policy is a high-level guiding document. With this Policy and the included Program Outline, Administration will create a detailed workplan and all accompanying documentation, forms and guidelines to execute this program in the community. A summary of steps is indicated below:
1. A detailed workplan for implementation of the program
2. An updated inventory of municipal heritage “Places of Interest”
3. A communications plan for residents
4. Any updates to the MDP
Documentation to be created to support this program include, but is not limited to:
1. A Heritage Advisory Committee Bylaw (prepared and attached to this report as Schedule B)
2. Administrative guidelines for the application, assessment, adjudication and designation processes
3. Heritage designation agreements
4. Promotional and awareness materials for the community
It is Administration’s intent to have all workplans and supporting documentation needed to implement this program beginning Q1, 2018.
HERITAGE IN THE COMMUNITY
The results of the recent Resident Satisfaction Survey highlights that residents’ expectations are being met in the areas of Preserving Community Heritage (86%). This can be attributed to the effective implementation of the Cultural Master Plan and Heritage Management Plan. Both of which identify the development of a Municipal Historic Conservation Program, as a pillar of preserving and celebrating St. Albert’s heritage.
FUNDING
The Municipal Historic Conservation Program outlines a funding model of $1 per resident, as per the most recent census, per year. This model has been used in other similar sized municipalities with success. Based on this model, the total funds allocated to this program as part of the 2018 Municipal Operating Budget would be $64,965.
COUNCIL COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK
Several comments and questions were provided to Administration from the presentation of an initial draft of this Policy to the Standing Committee of the Whole. Below is a summary of these comments and responses.
COMMENT: Including reference to the MDP.
o RESPONSE: Reference to the MDP has been included.
COMMENT: Include reference to photo catalogues of each designated property.
o RESPONSE: Reference to maintain a photo catalogue of each designated property was added to the City Manager responsibilities.
COMMENT: Add the requirement for the solicitation of public input into the potential designation of any properties.
o RESPONSE: Because any “designated” property would require a designation bylaw be placed on the property, the bylaw procedure would necessitate adequate opportunity for public input on the proposed designation of such properties.
COMMENT: Include a cheat sheet of “Preservation Facts” in the Policy.
o RESPONSE: Administration felt this was a valuable addition but would be better placed in communication materials (website, pamphlets, information packages, etc.) rather than the Policy itself.
COMMENT: Is the Advisory Committee voting? And what is their role in adjudication of applications for designation?
o RESPONSE: The Heritage Advisory Committee would be a voting committee in order to reach consensus on any recommendations to Council or Administration. The Committee will be responsible for reviewing applications for designation and any granting or incentive requests that are made by property owners. Through consensus, they will then make their recommendation to Administration, based on their knowledge and expertise in the field of heritage management. Administration will then review for final legal, planning and financial considerations before presenting any recommendations to Council.
COMMENT: Should we include information on how to “undesignate”?
o RESPONSE: Once a resource or property is officially designated, a bylaw is placed on that resource. Therefore, only Council would be able to rescind such a bylaw and “un-designate” a property. This practice would only be taken in exceptional circumstances. Administration feels this is captured in the current Compensation Parameters section of the Program Outline but has refined the language used to express this. It would be clearly outlined in any negotiations with property owners that designation is to be considered as permanent.
Administration also made the following alterations to the draft documents circulated in May 2017 outside of the responses indicated above:
• To the Council Policy:
o Refined some language in the document to ensure consistent reference to “heritage resource”, “heritage property” and “historic conservation”.
• To the Program Outline:
o Refined language and consistent reference to terms.
o Administration added a “Major Conservation Grants” category to the financial incentives listing. This is to provide a one-time funding mechanism of up to $25,000, matching funds for any major conservation or restoration work needed to a resource. This aligns with other municipal and provincial standards.
o Further clarified the role of the Heritage Advisory Committee in the application process of designation and grant assessment.
o Changed the funding model from carrying forward unused operating funds each year to placing unused operating funds into a reserve fund.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Administration researched and consulted with numerous communities who already have in place similar municipal programs to guide the development of this Policy and Program Outline. These communities included: City of Edmonton, City of Calgary, City of Medicine Hat, City of Lacombe, City of Kingston, City of Ottawa and the City of Waterloo.
Other internal and external stakeholders consulted in the development of this Policy and Program Outline include: Arts and Heritage St. Albert, Musée Héritage Museum, Edmonton Heritage Council, St. Albert Historical Society, the Government of Alberta, Planning and Development, Legal Services, Legislative Services and Financial Services.
Administration also conducted a public survey both in person in the community and online. In total, 94 people completed the survey of which 73 indicated they were residents of St. Albert, 15 indicated they were not residents and six did not answer this question. Below is a listing of some of the results:
• 91.5% of respondents support the development of a Historic Conservation Program Policy; 8.5% do not.
• 80.8% of respondents support the proposed funding amount for the program; 15.9% do not.
• 87.2% of respondents support Land Use Bylaw relaxations to encourage the retention of privately-owned heritage resources; 4.2% do not.
Attached as Schedule C is the complete results and comments of the survey.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
This Policy proposes an annual investment into a Heritage Conservation Program at an amount equal to $1 per citizen, as per the most recent Census data, to be funded from taxes.
Funds not utilized by the end of the fiscal year will be transferred to the Heritage Reserve Fund for possible future use. This new reserve sub-schedule will be established under Schedule O3 Operating Program of Council Policy C-FS-01 Financial Reserves. The proposed projects or initiatives to be funded from this reserve will be presented to Council for consideration.
Legal / Risk:
Legal agreements will need to be entered with owners of privately-owned historic resources upon designation. As well, agreements will be needed for any grants or incentives provided to resource owners for preservation work done on the property.
Program or Service:
By approving this Policy, an additional program with congruent service levels will be added to the Cultural Services department’s list of programs and services.
Organizational:
Staffing resources will be required to monitor and implement the Municipal Historic Conservation Program. As this program was already part of the long-term workplan for the department, adequate resources are available within the current staffing levels to introduce this program. If the program is heavily subscribed to and additional staffing resources are required to maintain service levels, Administration will bring forward a business case for consideration by Council.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
1. Council could choose not to approve the Policy and refer back to Administration for revisions as directed by Council.
• The earliest a new draft policy would be ready is Q1 of 2018, depending on the magnitude of the revisions.
2. Council could choose not to approve the Policy with no further direction to Administration.
• Administration would postpone bringing forward another policy for Council consideration until such a time that Council requested this work be completed.
Administration would look to update the existing Heritage Management Plan and associated timelines for implementation.
STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS
Built Environment Pillar
We build our community towards the future to sustain balanced development, with a reverent eye to the past, honouring our unique settlement history and distinct identity.
We celebrate and honour our origins by preserving our local landmarks, including Father Lacombe’s Chapel, the Grain Elevators and St. Albert Place.
6.1. Develop an enhanced City of St. Albert Heritage Policy and Program framework that links to broader civic goals of sustainability, economic development and neighbourhood planning, while providing significant and sustainable development opportunities.
6.2. Identify, evaluate, manage and commemorate significant historical resources that illustrate the broad range of St. Albert’s heritage values.
Culture Pillar
We are proud of our storied history that has fed and nurtured our festive and culturally-rich community.
1. We preserve and treasure our past, mindful of the roots from which our community has grown and will continue to bloom.
1.1. Celebrate cultural assets through providing residents and visitors with easy access to cultural amenities, integrating cultural activities in unexpected places, highlighting significant cultural assets, and integrating culture into city-wide efforts.
4. We are known for our progressive architecture, art and community design, which expresses our distinct identity and strong sense of place and home.
4.1. Ensure infrastructural strength through maintaining existing cultural assets, identifying capital improvements to build on the strengths of existing assets, and identifying facilities that respond to cultural participation trends and population growth.
Municipal Development Plan Bylaw 15/2007
15.0 Heritage Preservation
Goal: To preserve and interpret heritage resources as an expression of community identity and pride, and integrate heritage resources into St. Albert’s development strategies.
Objectives
The heritage preservation objectives established in CityPlan 2007 are to:
• preserve St. Albert’s heritage resources, where possible, including significant archaeological sites
• develop a municipal program for heritage preservation
• ensure compatible development with heritage properties
Policies
15.1 Inventory of Heritage Properties: The City of St. Albert shall maintain a current inventory of heritage properties and sites including significant archaeological sites using existing community resources which include people, artifacts and records.
15.2 Heritage Preservation Program: The City of St. Albert shall develop policies and bylaws for heritage and historic site preservation.
15.3 Interpretation of St. Albert’s History: The City of St. Albert should work with the existing resources which include people, artifacts and records in interpreting the community’s rich history and enhancing the city’s tourism potential.
15.4 Preservation and Restoration of Heritage Properties: The City of St. Albert should ensure, through its planning documents, that heritage properties are preserved and restored in a manner that maintains the historical and architectural integrity as may be specified through a heritage resource designation.
Report Date: September 11, 2017
Author(s): Kelly Jerrott
Committee/Department: Cultural Services
General Manager: Dale Bendfeld
City Manager: Kevin Scoble