prevents unsympathetic changes to heritage properties that original owners created with pride and resolve and that current day own-ers have labored to restore and protect.

Alterations to a Designated PropertyOwners must seek municipal Council’s approval for any alterations that are likely to affect the heritage attributes that formed the basis for the Designation, as detailed in the By-Law. Council has 90 days to consent – with or without conditions – to an applica-tion or to refuse it.

Demolition of a Designated PropertyA building on a Designated property can-not be demolished without the consent of municipal Council. Council has 90 days to consent – with or without conditions – to an application for demolition, or refuse it.

RepresentationsOwners always have the opportunity to make representations to the municipal Her-itage Committee and to Council in support of their application to alter or demolish and in respect of any conditions that might be proposed.

Designation does not: •Interferewithmodificationsandrepairs to the property that are unlikely to affect the heritage attributes on which the Designation is based •Affecthowthepropertycanbeusedor require the owner to open it up to the public •Requiretheownertorestoreapropertyto its original condition or its appearance in an earlier period

•Haveanegativeimpactonproperty value; in fact, the rate of sale of a Designated property may exceed the general market. Designated properties also tend to resist downturns in the market. There is a strong likelihood that this trend will be evident in Belleville given the area’s increasing desirability as a residential and commercial relocation destination •Haveanadverseeffectoninsurance premiums. Designated heritage buildings are in the same situation as other older buildings insofar as insurance premiums are concerned •Affectgeneralmaintenanceworkin respect to the heritage attributes. These do not usually require Council approval. Alterations and repairs to features of the property that do not affect the heritage attributes do not require approval.

Why you would want to Designate: •Topreserveandprotecttheinvestment you may have put in to restoring or beautifying your home •Topreserveworksofuniquenessthat defineyourneighborhoods’orcity’s character •Topreserveplacesofculturalorhistorical interest or importance for future generations •Thesenseofprideoflivingina building or owning a property designated for its architectural or other heritage significance •Fortheloveofpreservinghistoryand buildings for future generations.

Interestedinlistingordesignating?Contact: Heritage Belleville

c/oCityHall,169FrontSt.,Belleville,ONK8N2Y8Tel:(613)968-6481|contact@heritagebelleville.ca

Heritage Belleville meets the third Thursday of every month at City Hall. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

Designation & List ing InformationWould you like to ensure your heritage homeispreservedforyearstocome?Haveyou ever thought of having your home Des-ignated or Listed under the Ontario Her-itageAct?WhatisthedifferencebetweenListing and Designation and what do they mean?Ifyouaretheownerofoneofthemany old homes and commercial buildings in Belleville, you may wish to read further.

List ingListingisthefirststeptowardsdesignatinga property. However, this does not mean that the property will in fact be designated. Th e decision to list a property may be done by Belleville City Council, who believes the property to be of cultural heritage value or interest. A listing includes the legal description, the owner’s name, and a brief rationale to explain why the property is important to the community. Th e listing is keptontheRegisterofHeritageProperties.

Th eRegisterisarecordkeptbytheClerk’sDepartment, of buildings or properties noted to have cultural heritage value or in-terest.Th eRegisterisconsultedbyHeritageBelleville when dealing with impending demolition in order to determine whether or not the building or property should be protected.

Reasons fo� List ingRecognitionoftheheritagevalueofourunique Belleville buildings by Listing them is important because it: •Celebratestheeffortsofbuildingowners to restore and preserve their properties •Fosterscommunityprideandpromotes awareness of the historical and cultural past of Belleville •EstablishestheRegisterasavaluable planning document to be used to support the goal of conservation of significantbuiltheritageresourcesby municipal decision makers in the

context of development proposals, building applications or other land use initiatives •Providesanongoingsourceofhistorical, cultural and architectural information to facilitate local tourism initiatives, the work of local educators and historical researchregardingtheQuinteRegion.

Eff ect of List ingListingapropertyontheRegisterdoesnotprotect it as extensively as does Designa-tion. Listing may provide interim protec-tion pending Designation in cases where property is seriously at risk. Th e eff ect of Listing on the ability of an owner to deal with his or her property is minimal.

Under the Ontario Heritage Act, demo-lition or removal of a listed building or structure is prohibited, unless municipal Council is given 60 days notice in writing. Th is time allows the Heritage Committee and Council time to decide if the property should be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act to prevent its demolition or removal. Th is is done in consultation with the property owner.

DesignationDesignation provides long-term protection of the designated property from demoli-tion or removal and also from alteration of the heritage attributes. Th e evaluation for designation is much more rigorous than for listing, and more in depth research and an assessment of the value or interest applica-ble to the property.

Tobedesignatedthepropertymustmeetone or more of the following criteria set out inRegulation9/06oftheOntarioHeritageAct: Th e property has design or physical value because it: •Isarare,unique,representativeorearly

example of a style, type, expression, material or construction method •Displaysahighdegreeofcraftsmanship or artistic merit •Demonstratesahighdegreeoftechnical orscientificachievement.

Th e property has historical or associative value because it: •Hasdirectassociationswithatheme, event,, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significanttoBelleville •Yields,orhasthepotentialtoyield, information that contributes to an understanding of community or culture •Demonstratesorreflectstheworkor ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designerortheoristwhoissignificantto Belleville.

Th e property has contextual value because it: •Isimportantindefining,maintainingor supporting the character of an area •Isphysically,functionally,visuallyor

historically linked to its surroundings, or •Isalandmark.

Based on these criteria and extensive re-search, a statement explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the property is prepared together with a description of the property’sspecificheritageattributes.

Heritage attributes are those principal fea-tures of the property that relate and contrib-ute to the cultural heritage value or interest identifiedinthestatement.Th esearetherealsubject of the designation; it is these features of the property – and those alone – that Designation protects. Heritage attributes of a building might include: •Style,massing,composition(thebuilding may be an excellent example of Victorian, Italianate,Georgian,GothicRevival, TudororRegencyarchitecturetonamea few) •Featuresrelatedtofunctionordesign (suchaswindows,friezes,brackets/eaves, wroughtironorbargeboard) •Featuresrelatedtoahistoricalassociation (forexampleawallthatsurviveda devastatingfireintheCity’shistory) •Interiorspatialconfigurationsorexterior layout(auniquefloorplansuchasan octagon, or interior design such as an original mosaic decoration, staircase, fireplacemantleorpocketdoors) •Materialsandcraftsmanship(rareor imported building materials, work by a famousartistorcraftsmanordesignedby alocalorrenownedarchitect).

Designation is done by Council By-Law and is preceded by a public meeting and publi-cationofaNoticeofIntentiontoDesignate,which includes the statement of cultural her-itagevalueorinterest,andidentifiesindetailthe heritage attributes that must be retained.

Eff ect of DesignationDesignation is a tool that recognizes the irre-placeable nature of a municipality’s remain-ingtiestoitspast.Inessence,Designation