Water penetration problem from the leaking flat roof above the enclosed porch had been described by the owners to have been ongoing for several years, damaging the stucco and windows. The owners proceeded to replace the windows and doors and in the course of those repairs, the sculpted parapet in the front elevation, stucco coping, the compound arches between the first floor piers, and the roof drains were removed without permission from Heritage Committee/Council. In July and August 2019, the Owners worked with the Heritage Planner to discuss repairs to reinstate all of these heritage attributes, as well as the repairs to the stucco with a new colour and finish. The repairs to the stucco with the earthly toned colour scheme, and with the “free-style” finish (a texture imitating the original stucco and suitable for Mission Revival Style building) were determined as acceptable. Since the house had already been cladded in the past with the “modern” types of stucco and underwent a number of previous alterations, the repair to the stucco (colour and finish) was not considered to require a formal Heritage Alteration Permit application.

The recreation of removed designated heritage attributes however, was discussed and agreed upon to be a requirement of the Heritage Alteration Permit for additional proposed work to the balcony area over the front enclosed porch. The Owners submitted two drawings to the City as part of the previous Council Report S 159/2019 (Appendix B), which had been scheduled on the agenda for September 16, 2019 Development and Heritage Standing Committee Meeting. However, Administration was made aware on September 11, 2019 that changes were being made to the property that were not reflected in the Owner submitted drawings. On staff recommendation, the Development and Heritage Standing Committee deferred the item to allow Administration to review changes that may be required to the application.

The Owner has through this time continued to complete changes to the property without both Heritage Approvals and Building Permits. The owner provided new drawings to reflect the changes and any additional Building Code required changes to the City on November 19, 2019 (Appendix A). This report now reflects the options originally proposed by the Owners, and also the new request by the Owners based on what has been built without approvals, with additional railings to be added at a later date. A heritage alteration permit is necessary as any new work would have an effect and disturbance on the appearance of the designated property, and the changes that have been made without approval has also significantly altered the designated heritage attributes.

Please see Appendix D for photo documentation of alterations made without permits.

Discussion:

Property Description:

This Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival property is located on the south side of Riverside Drive West, between Rankin Avenue and Randolph Place. The house underwent a number of alterations over the past decades. Originally constructed of lime rich stucco, the building still retains the stucco appearance with a projected one-storey porch across the full width of the house, and sculpted parapet on the second floor and above the first floor enclosed porch.