Introduction

The built form of Smiths Falls’ downtown area represents a wide array of architectural styles and eras based on the Town’s history of booms, busts, and economic and social change. In concert with the Town’s landscape and natural features, this creates Smiths Falls’ unique character. Implementing a Heritage Conservation District Study and Plan is part of Council’s new Strategic Plan Initiative 3.6 to preserve the unique heritage of our downtown.

Heritage conservation districts recognize the collective heritage value of areas and neighbourhoods with common threads such as construction timeframes, architectural features and styles, neighbourhood design and development. Through designation under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities can identify and preserve neighbourhoods with unique heritage characteristics. This is done by creating a heritage district plan which provides guidelines for managing future development and alteration of existing heritage structures.

While heritage conservation districts are recognized as a conservation strategy in the Town of Smiths Falls’ Official Plan, to date, the Town has only focused on the designation of individual properties under Part IV of the Act. As a result, several properties within the Downtown Core and nearby have some level of protection under the Act as designated properties or on the Registry as “properties of interest.” However, there is no overarching vision for how these individual properties form a cohesive and distinct heritage landscape. 

In light of the growing interest in the cultural heritage of the area, as well as in consideration of the growing development pressures we see, a need has been identified to investigate planning tools and policies to manage intensification, ensure compatible development and protect the attributes that define the sense of place, as we change and grow.

What is a Heritage Conservation District?

A Heritage Conservation District is a concentration of cultural heritage resources designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) that may include:

• Buildings or structures
• Designed or natural landscapes (like streets, natural features, parks, etc.)
• Important views and vistas

A shared aesthetic, history, use, or socio-cultural context links the cultural heritage resources in an Heritage Conservation District. This is reflected by:

• A sense of visual coherence that conveys a distinct sense of time and place
• A distinct character that allows the district to be distinguishable from its neighbouring areas
• A physical framework composed of natural features like watercourses or landforms and built forms like street patterns, pathways, or landmarks

Why complete a Heritage Conservation District study?

• An opportunity to identify important cultural, natural, and built heritage characteristics associated with the area
• Identify what is an integral part of the development of the community and its surroundings
• Work with the property owners and community members to identify its architectural and cultural heritage
• Establish a framework where the community can grow and change as it has in the past and will continue to do in the future while preserving and protecting what makes it a unique and important place.

Online Survey Now Available!

On May 30th, from 5-7 pm, the Town of Smiths Falls Municipal Heritage Committee hosted a Public Information Centre in the Town Hall's Welcome Centre to gather comments and suggestions from residents and businesses alike about the Downtown Core Heritage Conservation District Study (HCD) currently underway.  The well-attended event established open dialogue about this exciting project that outlined what an HCD can do for a community if awarded a designation. 

All participants had the opportunity to complete a survey, which allowed everyone to have a voice in the project. 

Complete the survey now by following this link to share your thoughts about the HCD study!  The survey will be available only until June 28th.  Paper copies are available at the Town Hall reception.

Next Steps

• Preliminary Research and Data Analysis:  Field investigation, report preparation, submission, and review process
• Built Form and Landscape Survey: Compile inventory findings, boundary assessment, and recommendations into draft Heritage Conservation District Study Report
• Public Information Centre:  The first of two Public Information Centres was held on May 30th with the second being slated for Fall 2024.  
• Receive community input and prepare the final Heritage Conservation District Study report
• Determine if the area merits Heritage Conservation District designation
• Presentation of the final Heritage Conservation District Study report to the municipal heritage committee, planning committee and Council
• Public Information Centre to review the draft Study in the Fall 2024