Save Barriefield Heritage Village

Barriefield Village Association

Dear Friends of Barriefield,

Re: Barriefield DND lands 

We the undersigned thank you for the opportunity to present our views.  The Barriefield Village Association represents both residents and friends of Barriefield. 

OUR POSITION on HERITAGE - no building on the DND lands

We are opposed to ANY development on the DND lands in Barriefield. We do not care if the development is private estate lots or affordable housing. Our position is that the lands should be preserved as open space. The reasons for this are as follows:

Barriefield is a very important historic village. It is important to Ontarians and all Canadians. It's features and characteristics are found no-where else in North America. It is not just a collection of old buildings. It is the very form of the village, the narrow streets, the lack of set-backs, the wood siding, the stone work and the sharply defined edges buffered by green space -- these are integral features to the 1800s character of the Village.

The proposed development runs contrary to the Heritage Conservation Plan and the Kingston Official Plan which sets out specific measures for protecting the Village. For example, both of these Plans were developed after EXTENSIVE expert input and public consultation.  One key consideration is that these plans require that most new residential buildings within the existing village fabric be small, single-family homes to a maximum of 1 1/2 stories and that there be a green space around the village. In particular, a landscaped buffer along Highway 15 must be maintained and no new structure will be permitted to impede the view of St. Mark's Church from either Main St. or Highway 15.

The proposed development violates all of these heritage planning requirements. 

OUR POSITION ON NEW DEVELOPMENT - it must be gradual, small scale and within the existing fabric of the village

New, small-scaled development should be within the existing framework of the Village, not tacked on to side of it. 

OUR POSITION on AFFORDABLE HOUSING - WE ARE NOT NIMBY

We would like to make our position clear for those who may have NIMBY concerns. WE ARE NOT OPPOSED to AFFORDABLE OR SOCIAL HOUSING. We welcome newcomers of all socio-economic backgrounds within the Village fabric.  Many in our village live on some form of social assistance; others have come from social housing.  Our position is that a slow, gradual, careful integration of affordable housing within the existing village fabric of Barriefield makes more social planning sense than the current proposal.

The proposed development does not make sense from a social planning perspective and were it not for the cheap land the city would not be considering this land because it does not make planning sense.  For example, there is no access to services: transportation is spotty at best, family-support services are not within close access, there are no full-service grocery stores within walking distance, there are no walk-in clinics or access to jobs close by.

Furthermore, the proposal does not integrate the housing within the village. The proposed development will rim along the edges of the original village, creating the classic socio-spatial divide within the small community of 182 people.  This development goes against the current evidence-based social planning research that supports integration.

OUR PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR MOVING FORWARD

We are ready and willing to work with the City to realize our collective goals of providing affordable housing. At the same time, we want the City to work with us to help protect a heritage and open space asset that is important to all the people of Kingston and Ontario. We are a strong, diverse community and we would like to be part of a positive solution moving forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and we would welcome your support of our position.

Warm Regards,

The Barriefield Village Association
Barriefield Village
Kingston, Ontario
Canada