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9 North Street

The Queen City Oil Co. Ltd. warehouse at 9 North Street (better known as on Wellington St. below Rideaucrest), is a mostly two-storey limestone building designed by William Newlands in 1897.  Newlands is well known for his handsome houses and his beautiful pavilion on the lakeshore near the Richardson Bath House. Read more about the building’s truly fascinating history in the historical account by John Duerkop included at the end of this update.  Did you know, for example, that one of the founders is a relative of today’s media giant Ted Rogers?

In 2014 we reported that the 9 North St. property was sold to ABNA Investments Ltd. pursuant to RFP Number F31-CSI-RELD-2014-01 to acquire, stabilize, restore and repurpose 9 North Street;

Work is now ongoing (Spring 2020). Applications for Brownfield Assistance and for Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendments have been filed to facilitate its redevelopment into eight residential units. 

Brownfield Financial Assistance

Due to former industrial uses on the site, the proposed project has required management, remediation, and risk assessment of environmental contaminants. Council has approved a brownfield financial tax rebate benefit in exchange for remediation and redevelopment of this brownfield property, and the approval of by-laws and execution of agreements for that purpose. Report to Council Number 20-120 dated April 21, 2020 is here .   In short: “The report recommends approval of brownfield financial tax rebate benefits of up to a maximum of $1,216,915 to ABNA Investments Ltd. in exchange for the remediation and redevelopment of the brownfield property at 9 North Street, and the approval of by-laws and execution of agreements for that purpose.”

Heritage Approval

This property is also designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and has was deemed complete March 20, 2020. The application for Heritage Permit was presented to Heritage Kingston (Report HK-20-023) on April 15, 2020 (File Number P18-019-2020).

Alterations include the following;

  1. Withdraw of the approvals under Heritage Permit P18-110-20172. 
  2. Restoring and repointing of the remaining limestone walls of the building, including the reconstruction of the south gable-end chimney to its original height;
  3. Reconstructing the gabled roof to its former profile, with new standing seem metal roofing and two vent boxes, at a 4:12 pitch and at a height of approximately 1.5 metres above the stone walls;
  4. Installing pattress plates on the east, west and north elevations, and exhaust vents on the east elevation;
  5. Altering a number of the openings on the north and south elevations to accommodate new entrances;
  6. Installing metal-clad wooden sash wooden sash windows and wooden exterior doors with partial glazing in their respective openings around the building;
  7. Installing concrete steps, landings and metal hand rails at the entrances on the east elevation;
  8. Erecting of a “silo” shaped metal-clad stair enclosure addition on the north side of the building with a painted “Queen City Oil Company” signage on its east face;
  9. Installing  landscaping pavers, plantings, and a larger stone planter;
  10. Relocating retaining wall to create a level access to the second floor on the south elevation; and

That the approval of the alterations be subject to the following conditions:

  1. A Building Permit shall be obtained, as necessary;
  2. A Sign Permit shall be obtained, as necessary;
  3. All Planning Act applications, including Official Plan and zoning by-law amendment and Site Plan Control approval, as necessary, shall be completed;
  4. Drawings and specifications submitted as part of the Building Permit process shall be provided to Heritage Planning staff for review to ensure consistency with the Heritage Permit;
  5. Details related to the colour(s) of the new siding, trim and roofing shall be submitted to Heritage Planning staff, prior to installation, for review and approval, to ensure it complements the heritage character and attributes of the property;
  6. All planters shall be constructed as free standing structures and not attached to the stone walls;
  7. All masonry works shall be completed in accordance with the City’s Policy on Masonry Restoration on Heritage Buildings;
  8. All window works shall be completed in accordance with the City’s policy on Window Renovations in Heritage Buildings; and
  9. Any minor deviations from the submitted plans, which meet the intent of this approval and do not further impact the heritage attributes of the property, be delegated to the Director of Planning Services for review and approval.

You can find out more about this project by visiting DASH and searching using the application file number D35-001-2020 and/or by contacting James Bar, Senior Planner, jbar@cityofkingston.ca