This contentious site was once home to the town’s original high school which was built in 1874 and then rebuilt after a fire in 1925.  It eventually became an elementary school which many of today’s local residents fondly recall having attended.  In 2003, a new school was built on another site and the existing property was sold to local developers.

In 2005, the developers applied to change both the Official Plan designation and zoning by-laws for the lands to permit a retirement facility and  a six-storey, mixed use, residential/commercial building.  There was significant public opposition as the site is located within Collingwood’s Heritage Conservation District which basically restricted new projects to having a form, scale and height of existing buildings along Hurontario Street with building heights to be a maximum of 11 meters or, 2-3 storeys in the Downtown core.  Despite this restriction and despite a heritage impact assessment saying the building did not conform, the council of the day gave their approvals to the plan.

An appeal to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) was launched by a ratepayers group (full disclosure:  I was integrally involved) and during that time, a new council was also elected.  The new council DID NOT revoke any development approvals however, they did over turn the previous council’s approval of the Heritage Impact Assessment, thereby nullifying the basis of the appeal to the OMB.  They subsequently negotiated a compromise with the developer allowing a 5 storey building with the 5th storey set back from the road to reduce impact on the streetscape.

Reportedly due to economic times, the development did not proceed beyond the digging of a large and unsightly hole on the site.  The public became increasingly agitated and a sentiment to see it built in some form took hold.  Another election was fought and a new council now took on the political responsibility for seeing the project move forward.

This is a long and complicated story with many twists and turns but in a nutshell, the developer, knowing he had a sympathetic council, came back to the table with a proposal for a 6 storey, plus partial 7th storey altered plan to be approved.

Public emotion is again raging and passionate.  There are those who wish to see this project built at any cost and, there are those who fear it will jeopardize the existence of Collingwood’s respected Heritage Conservation District.  In the last week, the discussion seems to be turning toward the design of such a massive building on a prominent site.

Here is a rendering of what the developer has proposed:

Here is an excellent example of a new condominium being built on a very similar site in Etobicoke. In my view, there is simply no contest as to which one stands out as an iconic, heritage style building:

This week-end, I received an anonymous email with several mock-ups attached that show the scale and density of the existing proposal.  The writer refers to the proposed structure as a “monster” and says, “The look and feel of a town is very delicate and a sense of place in one’s mind is easily destroyed.”  I would certainly agree and share the same sentiments.  The writer also attached a number of “professionally generated images” of the building to give people a perspective on just how much this will change our sense of place:

 The Town is holding a public meeting on December 5th to discuss amendments to the Heritage District which would allow the present plan to proceed.  It is sure to be an interesting evening.

For the real estate and renovation junkies out there, we already have Colin, Justin, Sara and Candace.  Now comes Sibling Rivalry, a new show featuring twin brother and sister, Dan and Nikki Hall.  The premise of this new series is to see which sibling has better success in taking a home from tear-down to dream home.

Considering that Nikki is 5 minutes older and therefore surely wiser and, considering what Nikki did with this Blue Mountain home, my money is on her.  The show premieres on August 30th at 8:00 pm.  I’m going to set my PVR right now.

This wonderful century home in Thornbury was sold last year to a family with vision and I am marvelously impressed by their skill and creativity!  Have a look at these before and after shots:

Side Entry Before

Side Entry After

Front Room Before

Now A Dining Room After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Today, there are all kinds of sites online to help with this project.  Here are a few of my favourites and they are all free:

Floor Planner
Lazy-B-Boy 3D room planner  
Benjamin Moore Colour Planner 
Behr Paint Colour Planner 
My Deco 3D Room Planner
IKEA Home Planner
Design a Room (by Armstrong flooring)
Garden Planner
Home Depot Carpet Planner
BHG Garden Planner

A couple of years ago, Collingwood embarked on a special project to develop urban design standards. The idea is that we need to take responsibility for how we develop our community if it is to be liveable and sustainable.

The Town was very fortunate to have been able to hire urban planner, Robert Voight who completed his project last year at which time the council adopted the new standards into policy. Robert has helped us to see our built environment in entirely new ways and I know that after hearing one of his presentations, you will never see things the same way again either.

In the fourth presentation of the local, “No Place Like Home” Speaker Series,  Robert gives a fascinating look inside Collingwood and how we need to plan our community.

Architectural Conservatory Of Ontario

As stated by the Aco, the award was well deserved.  The Lex’s won for their “vision and hard work in restoring the Tremont House, Collingwood. A once decrepit building ready for demolition is now a remarkable gem in Collingwood’s downtown heritage district. This outstanding project raises the bar for the restoration of  heritage architecture in Ontario, and will serve as a model for other dreamers across the province.”

All of us in Collingwood are also proud of what you have achieved and have watched you toil with heart and soul bringing this very special building back to life.  What easily could have become landfill has become a landmark to be cherished for centuries ahead.  We congratulate Rick and Anke for achieving this richly deserved recognition.

The Ontario Sustainable Construction & Resource Centre (OSCAR) (formally called The Ontario Green Building Resource Centre) a not-for-profit organization, is hosting it’s first Green Homes Technoolgy Tour on Saturday October 23rd from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The tour is a full day, interactive and education experience that will enable participants to learn from green homeowners and qualified professionals. 

According to their website,  the tour visit homes in Grey and Bruce County which incorporate design and construction practices that combine healthy, high quality, high performance systems and materials that reduce environmental impacts.  As they say on their site, “understanding sustainable building is an important step towards reducing your footprint and improving the economic, health, and social performance of a home.”

Tickets are just $30.00 for adults or $15.00 for students which include bus transportation and lunch as well.  Full details can be found on their website at http://greenhometour.ca/.

After a yearlong restoration that fascinated many of us in Town who watched the transformation taking place,the Tremont will celebrate it’s Grand Re-Opening on September 17th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and YOU are invited.

Here is what owners Rick and Anke Lex have to say:

“Built in 1889 by John McCormick as a 24 room hotel, the Tremont is one of the last remaining 19th century hotel buildings in the Collingwood Heritage Conservation District. The building survived a major fire in the 1920’s leaving burn marks still visible on the pine flooring.”

“After a yearlong restoration, the Tremont is now home to the Bay School of Art, the Tremont Cafe and the Elihu Book Room, as well as artist studios and live/work spaces. The building incorporates sustainable and environmental measures, along with heritage preservation.”

“Three facades of the building underwent a historically correct restoration and are protected by a conservation agreement. The Tremont’s south wall and roof garden, is inspired by Viennese painter and architect F. Hundertwasser. We are grateful to the many people who played a part in saving the building. A heartfelt thanks to the skilled trades and crafts people who brought a wonderful and positive energy to the project. Also, many thanks to the community – your encouragement and support have been wonderful. Finally, thanks to the Tremont tenants for their trust and faith in the project from the beginning.”

And they said it couldn’t be done. Congratulations Rick and Anke for proving them wrong and for teaching us all a lesson on how much heritage matters.   Having watched you over the last year, I have seen your passion.  I know how much you care and now, you can justifiably swell with pride at what you have accomplished.

Most home owners at one time or another, do a renovation project in their homes.  This is a great opportunity to look for green options and a little research can lead to all kinds of interesting ideas.

Here is a video that looks at a “green” kitchen.  Nothing in it is too complex or expensive for the average home owner to incorporate in a kitchen remodel:

I especially love the idea of using recycled glass materials for the counter top and using bamboo for cabinetry.  Did you know some bamboos grow up to 2 feet in a day?  I’ve even heard of 4 feet.  And yes, it can grow in Canada so it would be good of course to look for sources nearby where possible to reduce shipping and transportation impacts on the environment.

As the demand for environmentally sustainable housing grows exponentially each year, I would think a kitchen that incorporates “green” features wherever possible will also add value to a home.

Darn it, now I want to remodel my 80’s kitchen…

I spent some time this morning reading various reports and studies to find out the trends home builders and renovators might want to pay particular attention to.  What I found was not surprising at all.  Buyers are placing increased importance on:

•  Open concept floor plans
•  One level living
•  Main floor master bedrooms
•  Universal design
•  Energy Efficiency

Recently, the Ontario Association of Home Builders held their meetings in Collingwood and some of the newer trends they identified were:
 
 - McMansions are being traded for better quality homes
 - People want to age-in-place and are looking for homes that are easily adapted for accessibility
 - People are expanding their living into the outdoors with a greater demand for 3-season living spaces such as covered patios and  porches, sunrooms

They also specifically noted that buyers are demanding greater energy efficiency in their homes and are willing to pay for it to a certain point.  Some of the features they are looking at include:

*  Homes that are pre-wired to be solar ready
*  New products and building techniques that will address the fact that homes built under the new building code in 2012 will be more air tight
*  Kill switches to easily turn off appliances using phantom energy
*  Home automation systems for multi-media
*  A movement away from stucco to things like stone and hardiboard
*  Kitchens with walk-in pantries, solid surface countertops, specific task lighting and energy efficient appliances.

If you are buying a new home, it’s a good idea to incorporate as many of these elements as possible because they are likely to become the norm when you one day face resale of your property.  For people renovating their homes, it’s also a good idea to consider these trends both for resale and for efficient and healthy home operation.  Remember, the cost of operating your home (heat, hydro, water) are the second  price tag of ownership.