http://www.thespec.com/news-story/44...storic-church/
The owner of James Street Baptist Church is now free to move ahead with tearing down about three-quarters of the 135-year-old Gothic Revival beauty.
A demolition permit was approved by city staff Thursday after conditions were fulfilled. At about the same time, the city's heritage committee voted to ask the developer to present detailed plans before making any moves toward demolition of the historically designated church.
Property owner Louie Santaguida plans to build a 25-storey, $80-million commercial and condo development, while preserving and integrating the stone entrance and tower along James Street South.
He presented studies to the city's heritage permit review committee showing much of the church is unstable and beyond repair. That committee approved the demolition request in October.
Alyssa Denham-Robinson, chair of the city's municipal heritage committee, says interactions between heritage members and Santaguida and his team have been nonadversarial.
"We have aimed to keep dialogue open. We want them to feel comfortable about coming to speak to us."
Efforts to reach Santaguida Thursday were unsuccessful. His office referred calls to a Toronto public relations firm, which did not return a call from The Spectator.
Councillor Jason Farr says he has urged the developer to tread carefully with public opinion.
"I've told him he needs to come forward with plans before the wrecking ball comes in. They need to show architectural plans and drawings."
Janice Brown, president of the Durand Neighbourhood Association, said the entire heritage protection process has been flawed because city staff deemed the demolition permit to be a minor alteration only. That meant it was reviewed by the permit review committee and then signed off on by a senior bureaucrat.
Brown says it should have been reviewed by the entire heritage committee and then city council. She said the public did not have proper input into the application and the developer should have been required to present a site plan before being given the clearance to demolish.
The neighbourhood group is asking council to reverse the demolition permit but she doesn't hold out much hope.
"I'm convinced this process has to change. It puts too much power in the hands of too few people … We have lots of designated buildings that need to be protected."
The heritage committee would like to see the former church's north façade preserved, along with the entrance and tower. Studies have shown that wall is not stable, but Denham-Robinson says it could be taken apart, catalogued and stored and then rebuilt in the new development.
Preliminary sketches have shown a glass façade through which the brick can be seen, says Denham-Robinson.