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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15,1987, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN This column is the first in a periodic series on other communities with some of the same problems that Whitby has. The articles will focus on planning issues, particularly in their downtown areas, and how these communities have handled problems as they arose. 1 EARLV CAWIDAIAN4 PICKERING VILLAGE There's an old saying about the grass on the other side of the fen- ce always looking greener. That's why many people in Whitby regard the Village of Pickering as an example of what Whitby should be. As you enter Pickering Village along Highway 2 from Whitby, the first impression is the large Victorian homes on the south side of the Highway. This sets up expectations for its business area which are only met if you look past al Uthe gaps, the decay and the blatan- tly modern infills and look only at the few well preserved buildings. The guide for my tour of the village was Fred Roles who until last December was chairman of LACAC (for the last six years) for the Town of Ajax to which Pickering Village belongs. He has lived just north of Highway 2 on Church St. right next to the commercial core of Pickering since the early '60's and so was well qualified to show me around. My conclusions at the end of our tour was that the village had more in common with Brooklin than with Whitby. Its problems, like Brooklin, stem from an inadequate economic base - a population of only about 3,000 (most of whom would rather shop in the Pickering Town Centre). It also has similar identity problems having lost its status as a separate village when it was annexed by the larger community of Ajax; however, its distinctiveness is kept alive by an active population through events such as the annual Village Festival. The downtown area itself contains relatively few original buildings and, perhaps to compensate, a number of new buildings in a deliberately "old" style have been or are in the process of being built. The Pickering Village Square on the south side of the highway has a Western frontier town design which although inap- propriate has a great deal more character than most of the strip malls being built in Whitby. Farther west on the north side is the Courtyard; an almost completed four and a half million dollar con- dominium project (with shops on the ground floor) done in a very attractive but equally inappropriate Tudor style. This complex lies between Highway 2 and old Kingston Rd. to the north where the original downtown was located and where the highway used to run until about 15 years ago. Immediately east of the Courtyard on the old highway is a Vic- torian hotel which for many years was a low-grade downtown rooming house. Although dirty and run down, the original doors, windows and trim work are still there and the building has recently been acquired by someone with the imagination to see its potential. A little farther east is a new dental office under construction - not just another dental office but a Victorian style building with polychrome brickwork on the quoins and arched window headers. (Pickering has many new "old" buildings, both commercial and residential and Victorian reproductions have become a thriving in- dustry.) Stone Manor Antiques, a little farther up the street, is one of the few businesses which draws its clientele from well beyond the village. Originally a board and batten house, it now has a large ad- dition which has duplicated the original cladding precisely. The Town of Ajax had originally requested that the entrance porch, whose delicate trim was continuous with the rest of the building, be upgraded to modern commercial standards but with the support of LACAC, the owner was perimtted to keep tne original. The involvement of LACAC in virtually all developments in fne village has been a key element in shaping its character. Ajax's planning director, Bob Martindale, is a keen preservationist (I first met him at the Heritage Canada convention in Ottawa last fai) and acts as secretary to LACAC. All development proposals are examined by the committee and it has been instrumental in modifying many of -them through a process of persuasion and negotiation. , The zoning in the area is far tighter than in Whitby. The stretch of Highway 2 east of Church St. which is iargely responsible for the village's character remains residential despite a regular chorus that commercial development is "inevitable". With the exception of the new Victorian style professional building right at the main in- tersection, Ajaxcouncil has refused to ailow other commercial in- cursions into thc area. When a lawycr just around the corner on Church St. wanted to get the next house up (which he owned) rezoned, six residents showed up at council to oppose it and the ap- plication was refused. Through negotiation, a parallel proposal to put a parking lot beside the law office was modified so that a num- ber of trees which shield the lot would be saved and the residential character of the neighborhood preserved. Ajax council appears ready to deny any extensions to the commercial area until existing vacant buildings and properties (of which there are many) within the core area arc fully utilized. Council is also rigorously enforcing certain limitations on commercial development in the neighboring Westney Heights development. This planning approach may yet breathe commercial life back into Pickering Village. breate scmmei mo y discussions with Fred was the ap- parnt pcnesswith which development proposais have been han- paentyi Tpenns ofAa.Ipt from LACAC and residents is en- dored h angt ofAjax. cnuideration. Potential confrontations awe aresidentser a cdevelopers are resoived through negotiations. Everybody cornes out a winner. 1 LAST WEEK'S WINNER FARZANA DOCTOR 158 Hazelwood Drive The Old Whitby Public Library This downtown Whitby lan- dmark was built in 1913 for le $19,000 provided by the Carnegie Foundation on land donated by the Ontario Coun- ty Old Girl's Association. 'known as the "Carnegie Free Library", it served as the cultural centre of the Town for Z 59 years. Designed by Guelph architect, William A. Mahoney, the library is a good example of "Beaux Arts classical", the predominant LOCATION style of public buildings at the time. Despite appearances, all Name the columns and carvings are made of moulded concrete Address tooled to look like chiselled stone. Phone No._ _ _ _ __ _ *LOCAL ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVANCY ADVISORY COMMITTEE A F0e in Iime A CONTEST FOR SUMMER STROLLERS AND SUNDAY DRIVERS Sponsored by Whitby's LACAC* to encourage an awareness of our local architectural heritat!e Each week though the summer, the Whitby Free Press wii pubiish a picture of an architecturai detail of a building somewhere in Whitby. A draw will be made from ail the correct entries received by the following Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. for a copy of Restoring Old Homes The correct answer along with a picture and description of the building in question will be published in the next issue along with a new mystery detail. All entripr will be entered into a grand prize draw on Sept. 26, 1987 If you can identify this picture, submit en- try below to the Whitby Free Press, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, LiN 5S1. Winner will be selected next Tuesday at 10:00 am.