Years ago John Rivington (Rivington Appraisal Co.) told me that Almonte’s property values were roughly 11% higher than other towns of equivalent distance to downtown Ottawa. He attributed that to the natural beauty, the number of well maintained heritage buildings and the perception that the Town is a little more culturally sophisticated than most.
John Muston wrote a good letter recently in which he built on that by saying the Town is beautiful so “Why fix it if it ain’t broke”? Don McLeod’s response was excellent. Essentially Don said, if there is any danger that what has been achieved so far can be undermined then a little insurance is not a bad thing.
The Town is becoming better known, films are shot here because of the beauty of the streetscapes and homes. People are filling the restaurants and helping the shops stay alive. Even though we see more faces on the street that we don’t recognize this fledgling prosperity is by no means secure.
The concept of a Heritage Conservation District is protection for what has been achieved, recognition and financial support for the incremental cost of going that extra step to maintain a structure of cultural significance and will not necessarily force an owner to build to a heritage standard if their building is not already recognized. I see it as one last level of design oversight for any publicly visible changes that require a building permit.
Reg Gamble, John Kerry, John Levi, Brian Gallagher and many others have kept their buildings in good repair and have been contributing to the street for the last many decades (none of us want to admit to how many). They deserve recognition. They have provided the base on which many of my partners and friends have added. It would be difficult to calculate the total investment, the number of jobs added or maintained, the increase in commercial and residential taxes in the core as a result of the attraction of the heritage downtown. This could still be undermined. It needs to be protected and supported.
Stephen Brathwaite
