{"id":14548,"date":"2016-06-23T12:43:16","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T16:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=14548"},"modified":"2016-06-29T16:43:37","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T20:43:37","slug":"study-to-lay-groundwork-for-heritage-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/study-to-lay-groundwork-for-heritage-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Study to lay groundwork for “heritage landscapes”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wide vistas and approaches to well-known historic landmarks can evoke powerful memories and feelings for people who hold them dear \u2013 and these landscapes could become protected in Aurora following a Council decision last week.<\/p>\n

In an 8 \u2013 1 vote, Council voted in favour of a motion put forward by Councillor Tom Mrakas to begin building an inventory of what he calls \u201ccultural heritage landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n

These landscapes \u2013 which could range from parkland and open spaces to streetscapes, cemeteries and even golf courses \u2013 are an extension of protections already in place for \u201csignificant built heritage\u201d and a move to protect landscapes could be an opportunity to \u201cencourage good stewardship\u201d of identified lands and structures around the community.<\/p>\n

The motion calls on a full assessment and inventory of such landscapes to be incorporated into Aurora\u2019s Official Plan Review, and the compiled inventory sent to the Town\u2019s Heritage Advisory Committee in September prior to Council review.<\/p>\n

Although some Councillors said they had concerns about what such an inventory could mean to homes and buildings already designated for their heritage value, as well the owners of such buildings that could be up for future designation, they welcomed an inventory. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn Aurora, I think we pride ourselves when it comes to heritage,\u201d said Councillor Mrakas. \u201cAs a municipality, I think we have done an excellent job in preserving and protecting our building structures, but when it comes to history, it is not just about buildings; it is about places where people gather, where people play, and where they have grown together in a community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to know the past in order to be able to move forward. We need to protect and preserve not just the built structures. We need to protect landscapes that have special meaning to the residents of the Town. I am saddened at the thought we may have missed opportunities to preserve such cultural landscapes that are important to this Town. I think I we do not address the lack of policy now we may [lose] others forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLost opportunity\u201d is key when considering the motion, said Councillor Sandra Humfryes, who said it is important to investigate opportunities that are out there \u2013 and there are quite a few, she contended. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was very glad to see this motion,\u201d said Councillor Wendy Gaertner. \u201cI think it is something that makes sense. It is something that has been lacking. I look forward to it coming to the Heritage Committee and I think they are going to be pretty excited about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they will be, agreed Councillor Jeff Thom, who chairs the Committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as we protect our heritage structure, our landscapes should be protected as well for future generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As Aurora looks towards intensification, it is important for these landscapes to be documented now, agreed Councillor John Abel. His enthusiasm for the motion, however, was tempered looking back at some of the community uproar that took place last year over studies to designate the southeast quadrant of Yonge and Wellington into the Town\u2019s second heritage conservation district.<\/p>\n

He sought assurances from Marco Ramunno, Aurora\u2019s Director of Planning, that the same issues would not crop up in any future talks when it comes to designation and restrictions property owners might face to their properties if they lie within a future designated landscape. <\/p>\n

Those options will be considered in the future, said Mr. Ramunno, noting an inventory of what\u2019s available is just the first step.
\n\u201cI just want to make sure we don\u2019t have a rebellion,\u201d said Councillor Abel.<\/p>\n

Councillor Paul Pirri, who was ultimately the lone vote cast against the motion, shared these concerns. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe landscape has changed an immense deal with the 2Bs and 2Cs in Town,\u201d he said. \u201cI look forward to seeing how much more there is to preserve. I think it is very easy for us, as a municipality, to designate our own properties and our own assets, a lot of the roadway, the way the roads work, a lot of our parks, our trail system, and the national historic site in Town. I think it would all make sense, but it would be interesting for me to see how private residential owners react to being put on this list.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Mayor Dawe, however, that was a topic for another day.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour point is well made, but I don\u2019t think we\u2019re at that stage yet,\u201d said Mayor Dawe. \u201c[But], quite frankly, I agree with most of your points.\u201d<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wide vistas and approaches to well-known historic landmarks can evoke powerful memories and feelings for people who hold them dear \u2013 and these landscapes could become protected in Aurora following a Council decision last week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-3ME","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-23 13:31:49","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14548\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}