Delta council this week approved a development proposal for a parcel of land that includes a Ladner heritage home.
Following a public hearing Monday night, civic politicians approved a proposed four-lot subdivision in the 4900-block of 47A Avenue. The development will include single-family homes as well as coach houses.
The site is home to the Gillespie House, which was constructed in 1901 for R.H. Gillespie, an employee of Marshall Smith's store. The old house is on Delta's Heritage Inventory, but not on the Delta Heritage Registry, which provides greater protection.
The owner has committed to relocating the home to a farm, which is owned by the same owner. The property on 34th Street is actively farmed and, according to a staff report, the home would be converted to an office or used for storage.
Two people spoke in opposition to the proposal, voicing concerns over the height of the homes and the effect on neighbouring properties, as well as the number of trees that will have to be removed.
Earlier this year, the Delta Heritage Advisory Commission voted to recommend opposing the development after applicant Howard Smid told commission members the small house was not in the right location and that restoring and incorporating old homes into new developments must be purposeful and "in the right place at the right time."
Coun. Jeannie Kanakos, who chairs the heritage commission, voted against the application.
"I think it's a sad day in Ladner," she said, adding she thinks there was an opportunity to incorporate the house into the new development. Coun. Sylvia Bishop also voted against in development saying she is concerned about the loss of heritage in the community.
She said when the heritage value of the home was assessed more than a dozen years ago it received a score of 76 out of 100, with 15 points awarded for the landscaping at the time.
"I don't think it's fair to say a heritage home loses its value over time," she said. "It does when it's neglected intentionally."
Bishop added that she originally wanted to support the application but she also wanted to see the home retained in its current location.
Mayor Lois Jackson spoke in favour of the application, saying she has concerns about the message the municipality could be sending, saying retention and upkeep of a heritage building can be costly.
"Look at the financial reality of what this council is trying to do, and I think we're going to have to start looking at that," she said.
"I have some real difficulty with some of the direction we seem to be taking here," she said. "Yes, heritage has its place. Are we going to stop all development where we have an old house in place? I'm not sure what message that's going to be when we send that out to the community."
The discussion followed a debate on a separate motion put forward by Bishop. During an earlier portion of Monday's meeting, Bishop presented a motion that the municipality put a moratorium on all new development applications affecting buildings on Delta's heritage inventory until council has adopted a heritage strategy.
In 2012, the Corporation hired a consultant to develop a heritage strategy. A draft, which sets out a plan to help Delta establish a framework for heritage preservation, was completed early last year.
Bishop said she brought the motion forward for several reasons, including the fact that the strategy has yet to be finalized.
"I think we need to find a resolution to the draft strategy and move forward with some of its recommendations," she said.
Several councillors voiced concerns over the implications of imposing a moratorium.
"You have to realize what the consequences of that will be," Jackson said. "I don't think that should be taken lightly."
Chief administrative officer George Harvie said there are often legal problems with moratoriums. Bishop agreed to table the motion until staff could report back at the next meeting, which is on Sept. 14.
Staff also confirmed that the draft heritage strategy will be discussed during a council workshop in the fall.
