LOCAL HERITAGE COUNCIL – MINUTES – 54th meeting held on May 20, 2025 at 5:31 p.m.
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Demolition of a single-family home – 71, rue Saint-Henri – Hull-Wright electoral district – Steve Moran
Questions, answers, and comments were formulated regarding, among other things:
- Members were informed that this request cannot be studied tomorrow by the Demolition Review Committee (Comité sur les demandes de démolition - CDD) due to a procedural error. The tenant should have been informed of the demolition by the owner by registered mail, which was not the case. The regulations in force were therefore not respected;
- A member pointed out that it is now possible to send certified emails. It was answered that the possibility of broadening the notion of registered mail included in the regulations will have to be studied;
- There is still a desire to issue a recommendation to the CDD;
- The dwelling is located in a heterogeneous neighborhood;
- A member agrees with moving the parking space to the side of the property, but still believes that its presence in the front does not seem problematic due to the unstructured context;
- Another member believes that the proposed location of the parking space in the front is not acceptable;
- A request was made to study the possibility of creating a library of ancient materials;
- The appearance of the building is awkward: the roof and the layout of the windows are asymmetrical;
- It is believed that the estimate of the cost of restoration work should be higher due to the state of the foundations;
- The reuse program for the cleared land proposes greater density;
- It is believed that a suburb-type construction with red bricks and a flat roof would be more appropriate in this sector than what was proposed by the applicant.
R-CLP-2025-05-20/13
CONSIDERING THAT a request to demolish a single-family home has been made for the property located at 71, rue Saint-Henri;
CONSIDERING THAT the existing main building, built in 1885, is identified in the inventory "Ville de Gatineau – Inventaire du patrimoine bâti traditionnel – 2025";
CONSIDERING THAT the building to be demolished presents stability and infiltration issues that alter its condition and will require significant work (art. 22, criterion 5°, a);
CONSIDERING THAT the building to be demolished has "average" heritage value, notably due to the raising of its roof and the parging of its facades in 1972 (art. 22, criterion 6° a) and 6° d);
CONSIDERING THAT the reuse program for the cleared land consists of building a three-story two-family dwelling that integrates adequately into the rue Saint-Henri area and respects the objectives of the current urban plan;
CONSIDERING THAT the reuse program for the cleared land will be subject to Règlement numéro 505-2005 regarding PIIAs and will be subject to discretionary authorization;
CONSIDERING THAT the Demolition Review Committee (CDD) may set the conditions necessary for the issuance of a demolition certificate;
CONSEQUENTLY, this Committee recommends that the Demolition Review Committee approve, pursuant to the Règlement visant à régir la démolition d’immeubles sur le territoire de la Ville de Gatineau numéro 900-2021, the demolition of the detached single-family home located at 71, rue Saint-Henri.
RECOMMENDED UNANIMOUSLY
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Presentation – New format for reports submitted to the Demolition Review Committee
Certain findings, such as the length of reports submitted to committees, have led the administration to reflect on a way to simplify reports to make them more visual, easier to read, and easier to understand. The goal is to obtain feedback from members on the new format presented. The PowerPoint document "Optimisation des analyses" (Optimization of analyses) is presented to members. The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes:
- Contextualization;
- Desired situation;
- Targeted improvements;
- Analysis of practices in Quebec.
- Scenario – Options:
- Proposals.
- Impacts and issues:
- Advantages;
- Main challenge.
After the presentation, questions, answers, and comments were formulated regarding, among other things:
- The more accessible visual signature of the new format is appreciated;
- A request was made to ensure objectivity is maintained in the analysis of requests, as there appears to be less information presented than in the old format. It was answered that analyses are still carried out according to the evaluation criteria of the regulations in force;
- One of the objectives of the new format is to simplify understanding for members, but also for all interested persons;
- A question was asked about whether it will be possible to have access to raw information upon request;
- Another objective of the new format is to focus members' discussions on the evaluation criteria of a request;
- For reports dealing with properties listed in the built heritage inventory, it is proposed to include links in the reports to the property files on the City's website.
The meeting of the Local Heritage Council is adjourned at 5:31 p.m. and will resume after the Planning Advisory Committee meeting. In-camera session 8:27 p.m. The Local Heritage Council meeting is reopened in-camera at 8:27 p.m.