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Heritage Permits Approved for Trafalgar Road - 23 Jun 26
Oakville · June 24, 2026
Good morning everyone. I now call this
meeting of Heritage Oakville to order
and welcome to everybody here at Town
Hall and those who are watching us from
home on our live live stream which is on
oakville.ca or the town's YouTube
channel.
For those who are watching from home who
wish to follow the agenda today, the
agenda and materials are available at
oakville.ca
under Town Hall agendas and meetings and
you can download all the materials that
we're working with today.
Uh we have
the opportunity for delegates to present
either in person or online and to do so
delegates have to register by noon on
the business day prior to the meeting.
And on the town website there's a an
easy process to enable you to do that.
Uh we are I remind everybody an advisory
committee and any advice that we give to
council today will be dealt with by the
council at its meeting on July the 7th
at 6:30 p.m.
Um we have two discussion items on the
agenda today so let's get moving. Do we
have any regrets uh Madam Secretary?
>> Yes Mr. Chair, Emma, Bob, and George are
regrets.
>> Okay, thank you.
Uh do we have any declarations of
pecuniary interest with respect to
anything on the agenda today? Nope,
good. Moving on.
The minutes of our last meeting were
distributed and are there any comments
on those
uh minutes? Would somebody like to give
me a motion? Jason, thank you. A motion
to approve has been made by Jason. Any
further discussion on that? Anyone
opposed? The minutes are approved. Thank
you.
So our first discussion item, in fact
4.1 and 4.2 are somewhat linked. Uh the
first one deals with the garage which is
now on a neighboring lot. So I I guess
that sets the scene for it.
Uh so okay Kristen, you us through that
one.
>> Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee. Uh,
so, as uh, Drew just said, I'm today I
am speaking to two properties that are
kind of related to each other. So, the
first one I'm talking about is 397
Trafalgar Road, uh, which is located in
the Trafalgar Road Heritage Conservation
District.
Here we go. So, it's located on the east
side of Trafalgar Road on a prominent
corner lot, uh, with Spruce Street to
the south there. Um, and here today we
are talking about the garage on this
property. And historically, recently
this property just went through a
severance process at the Committee of
Adjustment. So, the north, the larger
thick line outlines the original lot,
and then the yellow is what we are
speaking to today.
So, a bit of background on the permit
application. Uh, this property is
designated part five under the Trafalgar
Road HCD. Uh, it has a contributing
house on the property, uh, from circa
1900. It is a two and a half story brick
dwelling built in the Queen Anne style,
and it's known as the Doughty House. The
garage, uh, is from around 1910 with a
1960s carport addition.
So, the owner has, as part of the
process to sever the north and east
portions of the property, submitted two
separate heritage permits for work on
the severed lot and work on the retained
lot. So, this heritage permit I'm
talking about right now is for work
being done on the retained lot. And
that, uh, includes demolishing the
existing detached garage, constructing a
new one and a half story frame detached
garage, and installing new landscaping
elements.
So, just a few photos to kind of give us
some context. Uh, the property from
Spruce Street is on the top with the
garage behind, and then the photo on the
left at the bottom, uh, is more the
older structure, and on the right there
is the carport.
Um, and as I said, it contains currently
the heritage house and the and the
garage. Uh, the historic coach house,
uh, is in very poor condition as was
noted on a staff site visit and could
not be restored without substantial
replacement of materials. I don't have
interior photos in this presentation,
but in your package there are photos of
the interior of the garage.
And here is the west elevation and then
the east elevation as well.
And here we just have a street elevation
drawing of the house with the proposed
new garage. The design of the new garage
has a more traditional steep roof
aligned with the roof slope of the
heritage house as we can see here
and is
designed with traditional coach house
architecture
and here on the elevations of it we can
see proposed horizontal wood cladding
with aluminum clad wood windows and
doors and all the glass will be
multi-plane multi-pane glass, sorry, as
we can see here.
The siding windows and doors are
proposed to be painted white to
complement the house and the garage
would also have wood trim.
Along with the garage are some proposed
landscaping elements such as here we can
see the proposed flagstone walk just on
the south coming off of the porch and
some flagstone at the back as well and
with that is a proposed black metal
fencing which has some gates there at
the back and also will separate the two
lots.
There [snorts]
is also here we can see the garage is
proposed to be moving a bit further
south as Drew mentioned the current
garage is on the new lot so it has to be
built on the retained lot and so the
driveway will be shortened which is a
positive overall for the greenery in the
space but that does mean the driveway is
widened a little but it will be made
with brick paving stones as well.
And for this demolition and construction
of the new garage there's no proposed
trees to be removed.
And I will just note that as part of
that
severance process through the committee
of adjustment that was approved. It was
also approved for a minor variance for
this garage, and that was a height
variance because of heritage planning
staff and heritage committee feedback at
the time uh
was that they preferred the steep slope
roof, which required the variance. So,
that was done in February and was
approved.
So, in terms of the heritage assessment,
the Doughty house and this lot, it is a
prominent corner lot within the
district, and it does contribute to the
character of the Trafalgar Road Heritage
Conservation District and particularly
along Trafalgar Road.
So, the proposed garage is actually on
the Spruce Street elevation and set back
from both the heritage house and the
street.
So, the proposed garage is detached, uh
which is the preferred approach within
the HCD, and has been designed using
traditional forms and architectural
elements uh with complementary materials
that go with the heritage property on
the lot.
Its location and setback maintain the
character of the district and ensure
that this uh new garage does not detract
from or dominate the Spruce Street
streetscape.
In terms of the design itself, it has
been designed to reflect the form and
character of the historic coach house
that is currently on the property.
Uh it has that sloped roof, uh some with
the dormers, horizontal wood siding, and
traditional single coach house style
garage doors.
>> [snorts]
>> It is modest in scale. It's subordinate
in height to the heritage house, and so
it does have compatibility with that
heritage house while meeting the HCD
plan and guidelines.
In terms of the landscaping, the
hardscaping materials are consistent
with those found elsewhere in the
district and comply with the guidelines.
As I noted before, relocating the
detached garage slightly closer to
Spruce Street allows the driveway to
remain in its existing general location,
but significantly reduces its overall
length, which allows for some more
greenery on the lot.
And the proposed fencing option is also
consistent with the plan and guidelines.
So, based on this assessment, staff
recommend that this heritage permit
application for the demolition of the
existing garage and construction of a
new garage at 397 Trafalgar Road be
approved subject to the approval of
final details on new cladding, trim,
windows, doors, and landscaping by
heritage planning staff. And that the
permit expire 2 years from the date of
final approval by council.
So, that's it for me and I'm happy to
answer any questions.
>> Thank you, Kristen.
Any questions of Kristen?
Nope. Nope. Good. Thank you. Now, we do
have Terry Radigan for both. I don't
know if you want to add anything at this
stage.
Um would
>> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee, my
name is Terry Martino and I am the
agent, Weis Architect, for the owners
who are present this morning. Uh I want
to thank Kristen for her uh
comprehensive presentation and I really
don't have
anything additional to add, but I'd be
happy to answer any questions the
committee may have.
>> Okay.
Okay. Are there any questions of the
representative of the applicant?
Nope. No questions at this stage. Thank
you, Terry.
>> Thank you.
>> Okay.
And there are no other delegates
registered, so we're confined to the
board. Any discussion on this item,
Jerry?
>> Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I think it's
a it's a lovely, quiet,
well-proportioned and designed building.
It is complimentary to the adjacent
original heritage structure, so uh I
think it's uh nicely done.
I support staff recommendation.
>> Good. Would you like to
move that, Jerry? Fine. Jerry has then
moved the motion that the staff
recommendation be accepted. Any further
discussion on that? Anyone opposed to
that motion?
Nope. The motion is carried. Thank you.
So, we move on now to item 4.2,
um
which is the building of the new house
and garage on the severed portion of
this lot and Kristen lead us into that.
Thank you.
>> Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and
Committee. I'm back.
And next I'm speaking to the north and
east portion of the severed lot I
previously discussed here.
It does not have an address yet, so
we're just calling it the severed
portion of the lot. So hopefully that's
clear.
So here I just wanted to highlight now
we're talking about the rest of the
traditional lot here and you can see
it's the northern portion and also a
sliver on the side and that is for the
driveway for the new property which will
be coming off of or is proposed to be
coming off of Spruce Street.
>> [snorts]
>> So even though there's currently no
structure on the property, it is still
designated part five under the Trafalgar
Road Heritage Conservation District.
And again, it was recently severed as
part of that consent process approved in
February of 2026. And this is the second
heritage permit the owners have
submitted for work on the severed
portion of the lot. And this application
consists of constructing a new two-story
detached brick house
and construct Sorry, constructing a new
one-story frame detached garage with
carport and also installing some new
landscaping elements as well.
So just a few photos kind of of the what
is
what was historically the side yard of
the of 397 Trafalgar Road. We can see
the current garage at the back. So that
would be demolished as part of the
previous permit and the house built here
and just a view of some of the trees
there
of the on the property from Trafalgar
Road itself. And you can kind of see 397
Trafalgar in that space there.
And this is a streetscape drawing just
to kind of show the height of the
proposed building between the two
neighbors.
While it is it will sit a little forward
of the two adjacent homes, that's to
accommodate the detached garage in the
back. Uh but it is lower in height than
both of these houses. So, it allows that
two heritage homes to kind of maintain
their prominence on the streetscape.
There will also be no driveway on the
Trafalgar Road side, and instead the
house will be connected to the road with
a proposed flagstone path.
Here we can just see some of the
elevations of the proposed building. Uh
it is built with influences from the
Arts and Crafts era.
Again, in new construction in a heritage
conservation district, we don't
necessarily want overt copies or
replications of styles, but
well-designed houses influenced by
styles that already exist in the
district. And there are examples of Arts
and Crafts houses in this district
already. So, the front facade is the top
left picture there. It has an
asymmetrical gable roof with the large
overhang that covers has a covered
porch. And that's a well-known kind of
Tudor Revival Arts and Crafts era style.
Uh it has proposed to have red brick
cladding with wood shingles as accents
on dormers and gables, as we can see.
It also is proposed to have a red brick
chimney, the dormers, multi-paned wood
windows, and these are all again kind of
elements of Arts and Crafts style
buildings.
In terms of the new garage, uh this is a
proposed detached garage and carport at
the rear of the property. And that's to
be accessed by the new driveway from
Spruce Street. It is just one story.
Also has a little asymmetrical roof. And
has a traditional coach house style wood
garage door on the east elevation.
And again, it is located at the rear and
will not be readily visible from the
public realm.
Okay, this is kind of fuzzy once it's on
a presentation slide, but I wanted to
kind of zoom in on the landscape plan
for this one just so that we can see
kind of some of the proposed tree
removals that will be happening as part
of this application.
Uh so, with the new driveway, uh it will
be paved in brick paving stones, and it
does include a parking turnaround area
east of the garage. So, this new
driveway requires the removal of a
Norway spruce, which I've circled, and
then three catalpa trees along the
driveway. So, the maple is at the rear
and does not contribute to the
streetscape, so it's removal is not a
concern. The catalpas
do contribute to the streetscape, but
not significantly. So, that's why there
is a proposed beech hedge to kind of
replace them in the in the new build and
and provide that screening and that
privacy and that greenery as well.
The new house itself does require the
removal of five trees on the severed
lot. Two larger mulberry trees, two
smaller yew, and one larger birch tree.
So, three out of the five are in poor
condition. And as you can kind of see
from my circles, most of them are in the
center of the property and their removal
would have a limited impact on the
Trafalgar Road streetscape.
If you remember the photo I shared
earlier, it showed quite a few deciduous
trees are to remain on the Trafalgar
Road side.
And then finally, as I mentioned, a new
flagstone path will connect to the house
to the Trafalgar Road
Trafalgar Road itself, I should say.
And I will note that as part of that
severance and consent in February of
2026,
there was a minor variance that was
approved for this and it was just
changing the
the legal front lot line from the Spruce
Street side to the Trafalgar Road side.
So, just a small
property line variance.
>> [clears throat]
>> So, in terms of the heritage assessment,
the setback and height for the new house
does maintain the overall character of
the district and the house
will not proposed house, I should say,
will not negatively impact the
streetscape along Trafalgar Road or
Spruce Street.
As I mentioned, the house has been
designed with influences from the Arts
and Crafts era. These other kinds of
styles can be seen in the district, so
this build will support and continue
that character in the district. The
overall scale and massing of the house
along with its composition, its
roofline, and its materials are
appropriate for the site and the
district.
The proposed new garage is detached and
in the rear yard, which is preferred in
heritage conservation districts, and has
been designed with again those kinds of
traditional materials and is
complementary to the district. And the
proposed landscape elements are
compatible with the heritage character
of the property and its neighbors, and
the tree removals will not significantly
affect the district streetscape.
So, in summary, the proposed new house,
new garage, and landscaping all meet the
requirements of the HCD plan and
guidelines.
So, based on that assessment, staff
recommendation is that this heritage
permit be for the construction of a new
house and garage on the severed lot be
approved subject to the final details on
new cladding, trim, windows, doors, and
landscaping, and that the permit expire
2 years from final approval of council.
Thank you very much.
>> Thank you, Kristen.
Okay, any questions of Kristen?
Nope. Nope, good.
Okay.
Um Terry, would you like to uh
add anything to that?
>> Again, uh Mr. Chair, members of the
committee, I'd like to thank Kristen for
her thorough
Yeah.
>> Okay. Any questions of the applicant's
representative?
Nope. Nope, good.
>> Thank you.
>> Good. And the counselors are happy. I
don't see any yellow hands. Sure, you're
on my screen now, so at least I can see
you.
Okay, good, super. Okay, so we're
confined to the board now. Any
discussion on this? Jerry, would you
like to
start us off?
>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um
I wanted to ask um page 189, is that a
a delightful sketch by Grand Muise that
we see here in this package?
Mr. Martino, just nod.
>> [laughter]
>> Well, it's nice to see a sketch from
Grand.
Um
I wanted to say this is a again a
delightful uh uh
uh vernacular. It's um
a vernacular [clears throat]
of the Oakville Heritage Design. It's a
a well-designed
and a good fit for an infill.
Um it is contextual.
Um it has whimsy and it has detail.
Um
the mannered asymmetrical roofs um
coming down to uh the ground are a
lovely uh way to bridge the height of
the ridge to the uh pedestrian actually
uh engaging uh with the house. I think
it's a it's a lovely addition I to um
it's a lovely addition to the downtown
core and it uh respects the values and
uh keeps the Oakville vernacular
vernacular alive in new design. Thank
you.
>> Thank you, Johnny. Any other comments?
[snorts]
Okay. So, if discussion's over, would
somebody like to give me a motion to
approve the staff recommendations? Thank
you, Susan. Susan has moved that the
staff recommendation be approved. Any
further discussion? Anyone opposed to
that motion? The motion is carried.
Thank you very much. And I'd remind
everybody that our recommendations go to
council at its next meeting. And I don't
remember when that next meeting is, but
I'm sure it will come to us um in a
moment.
Okay, good. So, the next item on the
agenda is information items and there
apparently are no information items.
Uh the date of time of and time of our
next meeting is July the 28th
at 9:30 here at the town hall.
Uh so, can I have a motion to adjourn?
Russ, thank you. A motion to adjourn. No
one opposed to that motion. The motion
is adjourned. Thank you, everyone, as
usual for the gift of your time this
morning and the meeting is now
adjourned.