A proud moment for Burlington: historic house moved, preserved
Residents lined the streets on Feb. 2 to watch the relocation of the historic Bastedo house from its current spot at 1437 Elgin Street to its new home at 470 Maple Ave.
The relocation saved the building while allowing the redevelopment of the existing block at Locust/Elgin/Blathwayte. Landform Development Group is proposing a 4 storey mixed use building here that will contain 37 residential apartments,three office units (two facing Locust, one interior) and two levels of underground parking.
The next step in the process will be demolishing the former Melodia Restaurant building. Construction on the new building is expected to begin this spring.
The Powerpoint and notes from the Jan. 26 public meeting on this redevelopment are here:
Saxony Meeting Notes Jan. 26 2016
City PowerPoint Presentation Jan. 26 2016
Landform Canada Presentation – Jan. 26 2016
My Take: Watching this historic building slowly move down the street was one of my proudest moments as a councillor. This was conservation through collaboration.
City staff provided research outlining the significance of the Bastedo House, and were flexible in supporting the relocation and variances required on the new site. The Heritage Burlington committee met with Landform, as did I, to encourage preservation of the building, and supporting a range of options to make that happen. The company agreed, at no cost to the city. Landform paid to move the building and bought a site to relocate it. This is a gift to the city, now and in the future.
With a little creativity and will, heritage can be preserved and need not stand in the way of redevelopment.
This entire project is an example of how residents and developers can work together for great development. The proposed new building at Locust/Elgin/Blathwayte conforms to the existing Official Plan and Zoning – it can be done, even downtown! Further, the project was modified over a series of public meetings based on resident input. Our most recent public meeting saw enthusiastic support from residents for this new addition to the downtown. How often does that happen?
A very good news story all around. Residents, heritage volunteers, city staff worked together to make it happen. You should all be proud, as I am of you.
