Residents will get another chance this week to weigh in on the proposed Walkerville Heritage Conservation District before the plan heads to city hall for approval.
The city is hosting a third statutory public meeting Tuesday night at Willistead Manor, where consultants will unveil the final draft of the heritage district plan and guidelines, along with a property inventory identifying the heritage contribution status of each home within the proposed district.
Ward 4 coun. Mark McKenzie says after years of consultation, residents will finally get a detailed look at what the proposed heritage designation would mean for their homes.
“From the beginning, I kept hearing we just want to know what’s going to be included, what’s not going to be included, what restrictions are going to be in place. And so this is now going to start kind of laying all that out and saying, ok, here’s what you will be able to do and here’s what you won’t be able to do. Here’s what’s included, here’s what isn’t included,” McKenzie said.
The proposed district is intended to protect Walkerville’s heritage character, but McKenzie says residents have also made it clear they don’t want excessive red tape.
“We’ve heard from residents, they say, look, we do want this heritage district, but we don’t want it to be so restrictive that now we can’t do anything to our property without getting approval from the City of Windsor,” he said.
Tuesday’s meeting marks the final public engagement session before recommendations are presented to the Development and Heritage Standing Committee and then city council.
McKenzie is encouraging residents, especially those who have not taken part in earlier consultations, to attend and make their voices heard.
“If you haven’t been to a meeting yet, definitely go to this meeting, have your say, ask questions if you have any questions. I’ve heard from a couple residents saying, well, this is the first time I’ve heard of this and I said, well, it’s been going on for years, so make sure you go to the meeting and make sure you ask those questions,” he said.
The meeting runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Willistead Manor.
Residents can also submit written comments to the city before council considers the final plan later this year.