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WAl “(1,00 CHRONICLE. Wednesday. April 14,30“ ' 3 Balancing act 0 , 0 C O 0 City 3 first heritage planner looks to Waterloo’s future while keeping an eye on the City’s past Br huts littzicsoN ing its rich architectural history ,,,‘,,‘__. t‘hrmiit’leltuLfi‘fi_ When she left home for university. h0W< ever. her focus leaned towards the protec~ liile the growing iitiiiiber of cranes tioii of natural landscapes rather thaii the Witi the sky sigtial Waterloo's tiesire preservation ofbuilt ones. a" a, to build towards the future, it She received her undergraduate degree in $5 . recent hire at (iity Hall suggests planners are environment and resource studies from the 5 starting to place itiore value on identifying University of Waterloo in 1997 and went on , anti protecting Waterloo's past. to receive her master’s degree iii landscape "f? s . In December, the city hired its first herâ€" ecology two years later in Ottawa. - 1, . itage planner and all signs point to Michelle After a decade of working with linviron- fiflt lee taking on a larger role in munit‘ipal merit Canada and a consortium of research “le planning lit-r biggest task during her two scientists and academics, she developed an ‘ ' year contract with the city, a position create interest in how cities and the surrounding ff ' ed as part of the staff reorganiration process ecology interact anti began looking at ways fig" . 20th l-orward. will be to help develop a her- to help prevent urban sprawl from taking ff 3‘ ilage strategy to identify the city's existing over the natural environment. 5 historical stock, what might be missing frotii l'hat interest prompted her to return to i that stock, and develop ways to protect anti UW anti enroll in the school of planning. 1. preserve inure ofthat heritage. and her research was focused on how com» ‘ Her research will be critical for planners munities such as Waterloo have adjusted to and builders as they work to conform With the provincial growth plan, referred to as the provincial growth plan, which highlights l’laces to (irow. and how it has impacted the intensification and density targets iri urban btiilt form in city cores. She is iii the process centres as a key to housing tens of thou offinishing that research now. sands of new residents in the coming "it was very obvious in uptown Waterloo Michelle Leathedtvsfimhuiugeplmnennmdsmdeflnwtmbominmmt decades __ you see inlensificatjon is quite rampant, was built in 1910 and is NOW borne to Paul Puncher clothing store. She said adaptive 70058 IS "Waterloo isn't unique." said lee. “(comr At the same time i was living there and well one way if" cities to balance intensification demand; W (h! M" w WOW“ heritage munities) are all facing the same challenge aware of its historic qualities and saw there M‘mm'” of how to get more people to live and work was a challenge there." she said. downtown without razing (hertiage) butld She joined the city's municipal heritage Catholic School site at 75 Allen St. E. Lee “l have no doubt Michelle will do excel ings and constructing new ones." committee three years ago and was vice» spoke to council last May through her role lent work as a heritage planner anti it Will Few communities have such a heritage chair of that group when she was hired by as vicevchair of the heritage committee and benefit the city economically, envtmnmen strategy in their planning toolkits. and those the City late last year. Lee stepped down urged them to avoiti tearing it down. (bunâ€" tally and culturally,’ said Elgie. “i am really that do were often developed in response to from the citizen»only committee. but has cil decided to include the school, which was impressed by her initiative and leadership " major conflicts between residents and the since retumedasstafl'liaison. built in 1905, on the city's municipal her Uptown councillor Melissa Durrell said municipality, she said Waterloo will benefit Her experience suggests Waterloo's best itage registryas a non designated building she's been hearing for years that the l 1“ by planning ahead course of action to preserve its past is lee is now working through the reclevei rim-dedadedicated hentage planner “I think that's a pretty big deal.” lee said through adaptive reuse ololder buildings. opment process alongside t ity staff and the ~My hope is that a heritage planner will “To have a broad plan that says 'lhlS is what “it's arguably the greenest approach to developer, lefl7flVlKL who bought the 24,000 tollaborate Wllh developers anti we will we've got, these are the gaps and this is what city~building," she said. There‘s been a ptish square foot building last year and wants to have an advocate for our heritage buildings we're doing to address those gaps' is very iii recent years for buildings to become adaptively reuse it for condo units and otir heritage sites.~ l)tirrell said useful for the city" ecu-certified under the leadership in him " lbert"s definitely been a strong heritage A trained erwironnientalist. I et- \l't'\ Waterloo currently has 41 designated gy and Environmental Design designation, thrust ftir that proper"! it's been remarkably strong parallels between her Work i|\ All properties on its heritage registry, built vet lee said for infill development and easy because the developer is supportin- emirotiinentai researther and her new mu between lHlZ anti the mid 20th tentury. intensification it is actually more effit tent to and the protect'ls supportive of retaining all with the l ity and one heritage t onservation district reuse old buildings. not tear them down of the heritage features,~ she said " lbe enwttiiimeiital movement Kids iii Ratsed in a military faintly. ice was Heritage buildings or distrii ts tend to "It's been a very positive exponent e " trails fragmented and considered extremist etpost-ti to the range of historical perspet boost Iounsm and become cultural hubs as Kat- Hgie, president of the North Willi'l but now more people have betotnr- ”it!“ rites as a i liild lrotii the remote r oiiiiniiints well, lee said Preserving a t ity ‘s heritage loo brarit h of the Architet rural ( misc-want \ in t iisiomed to the idea," In said oi ( old lake. Alta where she said the oldest also helps residents developan l(il'lil|i\ of Ontario is thrilled the t in (tt'all‘ti the '\llti she‘s rorifident the same will soot in building was built around the 1940s to lee is riirrently working on the heritage planner position and hopes the tub said about the growmg push to rm out“ w being stationed in (rt-riiiam and experienc~ redevelopment of the former St l outs bet times permanent and respei t Ontario's built heritage W't-EMUW \;.' ‘l ‘i9<:‘~41!i a. ”of”? “i" h , . \ ' .. . _ g i 201 4 llOl'r'llNATlOllS ARE NOW CLOSED VOTING BEGINS MAY 7. 2014 h 5 , i 1