I urge council to oppose the proposed demolition of the Maclure/Rattenbury designed 1909 stone house with a slate roof Jones Heritage house at 599 Island Road. The building is of local and national heritage ignificance.
To allow demolition of a Heritage Home because the present owners wants to live in a 100 per cent seismic safe house would be precedent setting- every heritage property could be up for similar treatment. The intent of a 1985 covenant on 599 Island Road, which was available to the present owners when they purchased the property, further reinforced the obligation of the coventantee (Oak Bay municipality) to ensure that no major modifications be made to the
property or house exterior.
The Heritage Commission, at the May 8 meeting, was unanimously against demolition. The Heritage Commission minutes, as of May 22, are not available.
It has been suggested that council might discuss this item at their May 28 meeting. This would only give the public from Friday afternoon/evening (May 25) to Monday (May 28 at 7 p.m.) to (hopefully) see the Heritage Commission minutes, the planner’s report, correspondence and other documents, and comment on potentially a fundamental rewrite of what it means to be a heritage preserved property in Oak Bay.
Mike Wilmut
Oak Bay
