A city committee voted to demolish the old Riverside School building as local developers seek to build low-density residential on the property.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Members of the Municipal Planning Commission voted unanimously in favour of approving the demolition of the old Riverside School building as a builder has expressed interest in development of low-density residential.
Members of the commission received a presentation on the application Wednesday from planning officer Rebecca Arabsky, which seeks to demolish the two-storey building located at 201 Second St. NW.
Prime Builders Ltd. filed an application for demolition of the old school to facilitate building of low density residential in the land currently zoned as direct control. Redevelopment of the site still requires council to approve a rezoning application and registration of a subdivision plan before any development would begin.
The Riverside neighbourhood plan emphasizes preserving its low-density character and community identity, and the Municipal Development Plan supports various concepts of the proposed redevelopment.
“(It) encourages the preservation of heritage elements of the city, and building the location of the site within the established neighbourhood with existing utilities services and local roads makes it a good candidate for a variety of infill development, residential or other compatible use, and/or adaptable reuse of the former school building,” said Arabsky.
According to Prime Builders Ltd., the interior of the building is in disrepair due to years of roof leakage, as well as break-ins, and poses a safety hazard to the community as windows are being broken and the building vandalized.
The school closed in 2017 and has since been vacant, however it is listed on the city’s Heritage Inventory property list, meaning it has received a thorough evaluation for historical, architectural and cultural significance. A statement of the school’s significance has been attached to the application for council’s consideration.
The Heritage Resources Working Group has recommended retaining certain architectural and heritage features, and the builder has stated plans for preserving the James Marshall mural. The building’s engraved cornerstone and entry keystone would be included and preserved in any future developments.
Construction of the school occurred in 1916 and 1917 and includes historic banded brick pilasters resting on substantial molded concrete bases, recess arched central entry with voussoir and a decorative wooden entry cornice with separate boys’ and girls’ entries.
The HRWG is also seeking to protect many of these carved stone elements and stone plinths, as well as preserving a memorial planted on the site.
Additionally, the heritage group and developers are keen to re-earth two time capsules believed to be placed into the building’s cornerstone or other locations during its construction.
“If we unearth the mural and the base and everything, we possibly could find it,” said Brad Wenzel, owner of Prime Builders Ltd.”But there’s been no confirmation as to where it is. If it is behind there, we’ll certainly find it.”
Committee members were shown a video of current safety hazards inside the school, taken by Wenzel, depicting a dangerous environment, before voting unanimously in favour of demolition.
