Innisfil Mayor Gord Wauchope moved to a new home about a month ago, and now his old house is moving, too.
A developer has agreed to preserve the almost 200-year-old home, located on Innisfil Beach Road, and pay to transport the building to a new spot in Alcona before it is official designated as a Heritage site.
Darren Vella, president of Innovative Planning Solutions, spoke at an Innisfil Council meeting this week to confirm Abandel Group will cover the estimated $300,000 price tag to move the 150-year-old house within its 30-unit townhouse development.
The house, built in the 1830s, will then be designated as an historic building under the Ontario Heritage Act before going back on the market.
Once the designation is completed, the home will be Innisfil fifth heritage building. The others are:
- Chimney Copse at 1639 3rd Line
- Sawyer House at 1350 6th Line
- Knock School at 7756 10 Sideroad and
- Cross House at 1770 20 Sideroad
Designation means a legal status placed on a property by municipal by-law and gives town council legal authority to refuse an application that will adversely affect the property's heritage attributes and to protect properties for future generations to "recognize, appreciate, and study them as symbols of Innisfil's history and civic pride."
Another 34 properties are currently listed on the heritage registry, meaning the Heritage Committee, in consultation with the property owner(s), has determined the property meets the specific criteria that relate to a property's historical or cultural value.
Once a property has been placed on the register, the town can review development and/or building applications for the location.
Owners are required to give the town 60 days notice of any intention to demolish or remove a building or structure on the property.
“We are looking for a way to link the past with the future,” Vella said.
“The biggest objective is to celebrate this home, to preserve this home … If we have to deal with the financial aspect of moving the building, than so be it.”
Wauchope, who has lived in the house for more than 30 years, is expected to sell for more than $1 million this month. He signed an agreement with the town five years ago to protect the house outside the Heritage Act.
Council voted unanimously in favour of the relocation plan, rejecting the heritage committee's request for immediate heritage designation at the current location.
The Innisfil heritage committee advises council "to help create an awareness of local heritage matters relating to the Ontario Heritage Act, including the preservation and conservation of buildings within Innisfil that have been deemed historically, culturally or architecturally significant to the community.
A final vote is expected at the next council meeting on Sept. 21.
