I am writing a short note to voice my support for the Heritage Conservation District (HCD) in downtown Almonte.
As mentioned by others recently, Almonte has become a vibrant community that is the envy of many. In no small part this is due to the heritage character of this town that has been so well preserved by long term and newly arriving land and business owners – and previous generations of such, of course. Add to that the large community volunteer base that blesses this town – who make festivals, events, and concerts happen, we have a very winning combination. And though there are varying opinions on this, add to the above a town staff and council who I think really care – and you have the ingredients of a great future.
As a landlord with properties in close proximity of the proposed HCD, I can attest the draw of all that has been created here is very, very attractive.
I was actually somewhat disappointed when my property on the Island was excluded from the HCD due to the revised smaller HCD boundaries as proposed now! This is because I believe that the HCD will help in creating an even more vibrant community.
But my greatest fear is that, as the attraction of Almonte grows – it will more so in the “sights” of larger developers, speculators, and such. This is already starting to happen. It is my belief that they may not have the same community minded outlook as those that are currently here. In chasing the almighty buck – perhaps our heritage will be pushed aside? To me, that would be a real shame.
The extra protection and insurance that the HCD provides from that is in itself worthy. I believe there are many other positives as well, as already stated by others. There are some rather small drawbacks – like a heritage review of exterior building changes – but I believe that all involved in that part of the process are committed to making this a painless as possible. In other words, I think the advantages of an HCD greatly outweigh the negatives.
If you are of generally the same opinion as I, then feel free to attend the Committee of the Whole meeting tomorrow night (Tues June 21) and show your support!
Sincerely,
George Yaremchuk
