City Council Acknowledges Receipt Of Intention to Demolish Portion of GE Building

City Council has endorsed acknowledging receipt of a notice of intention to demolish a portion of General Electric’s industrial buildings at 107 Park St. N. during their meeting on Monday night.

The complex, which is currently developed with approximately 104,000 square metres (1.1 million square feet) of building area, dates back to 1891 and is a central part of Peterborough’s industrial heritage. Architecturally, the GE complex typifies late nineteenth and early-twentieth-century factory design through its integration of late Victorian design features onto the exterior of its industrial spaces. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Council states that it has no interest in pursuing heritage designation for 107 Park St. N., except for certain identified buildings. It will consult with the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee on the appropriateness of designating these buildings and report back to Council.

On Sept. 8, property owner GEPR Energy Canada Inc., (a subsidiary of GE Vernova) gave the City a 60-day notice of its intent to demolish almost 84,500 square metres (910,000 sq/ft) of industrial building area in accordance with subsection 27(9) of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18 (“the Act”).

The Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) prepared on behalf of GE Vernova proposes a series of mitigation strategies to preserve heritage elements on site, including the preservation of certain buildings on the property, while also accommodating the proposed demolition. The HIA concludes that the proposed development for the site (i.e., building demolitions and retention) appropriately conserves the site’s cultural heritage value and attributes, and reflects best practice in Canadian heritage conservation. The author of the HIA, ERA Architects Inc., specializes in heritage conservation, architecture, planning and landscape and holds various professional memberships.

The General Electric Factory Complex at 107 Park St. N. is listed on the City’s Heritage Register as a property of cultural heritage value or interest. The property is not designated; it is a ‘listed’ property on the register according to the City.

After Council received the notice of intent to demolish (unless negotiated otherwise), they have until Nov. 7 to determine whether they wish to issue a notice of intention to designate the property under Part IV, subsection 29(1) of the Act; otherwise, the proposed demolition may proceed subject to applicable law.

The majority of the buildings on site have been vacant since 2018 ,except for 60 GE Vernova employees located in buildings at the southeast corner of the site along Park Street and approximately 300 BWXT employees located in buildings at the west limit of the site along Monaghan Road.

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