Dear Editor:
When I read the Letter to the Editor “Heritage can’t trump property owners’ rights” (Record, May 25), I immediately thought of the popular sitcom Malcom in the Middle whose catchphrase was: “You’re not the boss of me!” Or the “Trumping of rights” that helped someone get elected president south of the border.
Hold on folks. Calm down. Both opponents and supporters of the heritage conservation area (HCA) agree that Queen’s Park has considerable heritage charm. Some opponents even like the concept of a conservation area. We all acknowledge that Queen’s Park has a large stock of built heritage in one neighbourhood that no other city in the Lower Mainland has. It is something special and sets it apart from the others.
We all agree we need to retain that charm and history, but we disagree on how to go about it. Those who have lived in the neighbourhood for decades know that stressors in land use will see – and have seen – a loss of heritage resources. The time has come to offer, here in the oldest city in B.C., sensible legal heritage protection and a set of flexible and respectful design guidelines that many already follow anyway. There are hundreds of heritage areas and districts in Canada. Studies indicate that prices remain stable and, in many cases, are higher than in non-HCA areas.
I strongly advise that anyone who has concerns about the HCA should contact city hall for the facts.
My husband and I have already sought out the strongest form of heritage protection for our house. It is a personal decision and not for everyone. You basically are saying: Here is our house and this is how we would like it to be for years to come.
That is why the HCA is brilliant. It offers some protection but continues to allow homeowners the ability to make changes as per the existing current zoning. That right is not taken away. Yes. There will be design guidelines. Quite gentle ones compared to many other heritage areas.
I appreciate the mention of Yvonne Cocke in the writer’s letter. Dennis and Yvonne Cocke were pioneers in making powerful heritage statements. They were the first homeowners to formally protect a house. The Wintemute House on Fifth Avenue was designated in July 1985.
On Sunday, May 28, the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society (NWHPS) hosted its 38th annual Heritage Homes Tour. More than 800 people toured homes from Victory Heights to Moody Park. The homes, large and small, spanned seven decades of the city’s architectural history. A lovely day for all involved! (The Wintemute House was on tour in 1984 and 1986.)
We estimate more than 30,000 tickets have been sold since the first tour in 1980. Many people visited/discovered the city for the first time because of this tour. Real estate. Tourism. Home improvements. Local eateries. All these have benefited by our heritage resources. Showcasing our heritage charm helps with our local economy.
The community heritage commission (CHC) was somewhat maligned in this letter to the editor. I sit on the CHC. This group of diverse residents from all parts of the city are passionate, thoughtful and logical. There is no deafening silence. Their support is loud and clear. The CHC supports the HCA as does the advisory planning commission, the Queen’s Park Residents’ Association and the NWHPS.
Readers, please remember that the HCA recommendation did not come from a “mob” but from a group of 12 residents who formed the Queen’s Park heritage study working group and, after almost three years of public consultation and endless meetings, this measured and respected group of your neighbours determined that an HCA was the best option to protect heritage resources. We all want to live free. And I think we will still be, with or without an HCA. It’s just some of us want to live free with our heritage resources intact.
Catherine Hutson is a Queen’s Park resident.
