Message from Wesley Mimico Place – the renewal of Wesley Mimico United Church

Following message is from Wesley Mimico Place – The Renewal of Wesley Mimico United Church

LIVING with Heritage & Hope

Welcome to the first Wesley Mimico Place Bulletin, sent by the FAITH & HOPE renewal team of Wesley Mimico United Church.

We will be writing about key steps in the project, and linking you to new information posted on our website – wesleymimico.org.

Good News from the Preservation Board for Wesley Mimico Place, and a Council Decision Ahead

This past Thursday, October 3, 2013, the Toronto Preservation Board approved a staff recommendation to designate Wesley Mimico United Church under the Ontario Heritage Act. Designation comes with a list of heritage attributes – the parts of the church building that must be preserved.

Wesley Mimico welcomes designation, but one item on the original list would have made our renewal proposal impossible: preserving the interior of the existing sanctuary. The good news is that this attribute was removed from the list by the Preservation Board. The amended list makes our three goals (church, community, and housing) possible. (see the Preservation Board decision on the City of Toronto website.)

Next, the Board’s designation decision goes to the upcoming meeting of Etobicoke York Community Council (EYCC) October 17, 2013, for their decision. It is item EY28.7, scheduled for 10:15 a.m.

At a later date the EYCC will consider the church’s re-zoning application based on heritage, design and other planning considerations.

Between now and October 17, the congregation and their consultants are continuing to work with the Heritage and Planning staff towards an agreement about how the heritage attributes will be respected while helping the Wesley Mimico Place proposal to move ahead.

So many of you have told us that you support the renewal proposal, and now it is time to make sure Councillor Mark Grimes and his EYCC colleagues hear your voice.

EYCC Councillors need to know you support Wesley Mimico Place

First, please write to Councillor Mark Grimes and his colleagues about your support for the renewal proposal, simply click here to use or edit the email message provided.

[The information at the above-emntioned link is provided as follows:]

[The addresses of the Etobicoke-York Community Council members are as follows:]

councillor_grimes@toronto.ca
councillor_digiorgio@toronto.ca
councillor_doucette@toronto.ca
councillor_palacio@toronto.ca
councillor_dford@toronto.ca
councillor_lindsay_luby@toronto.ca
councillor_milczyn@toronto.ca
councillor_mammoliti@toronto.ca
councillor_leon@toronto.ca

[The draft message reads as follows:]

Dear Councillor Grimes & EYCC Colleagues,

The Heritage Designation of Wesley Mimico United Church is coming to the Etobicoke York Community Council this month, and will be followed in the near future by their rezoning application for the church’s renewal proposal. Wesley Mimico deserves your support.

The congregation has consulted openly and often with the community to come up with a renewal plan that honours the heritage of the church and will contribute to revitalization in the Mimico community in the future.

At the upcoming meeting, I understand that the council will consider the heritage designation. The congregation and their consultants have been working hard with the Planning and Heritage Services departments to reach an agreement on the heritage attributes, especially how these can be respected while ensuring the renewal proposal can move ahead.

I am counting on you to help make this community-based renewal proposal succeed. It will be a landmark of revitalization in Mimico.

Thank you

P.S., the church’s renewal now has a website ‘Wesley Mimico Place’ wesleymimico.org where you can find more facts about their proposal

[End of Draft]

Second, write to the City of Toronto Planning Department using the link the City has provided for this proposal. Your comments will be included in the staff report that goes to the EYCC councillors.

Third, attend the EYCC Meeting on October 17, 2013, 10:00 a.m. Council Chamber, Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall – to show all the EYCC councillors that you support the Wesley Mimico United Church renewal – your presence will count:

NOTE: You are receiving this because you told us you are interested in the church’s renewal, and provided your email address.

To tell others about this, and invite them to subscribe, see the ‘forward to a friend’ link just below this Bulletin

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[ Twitter account for Wesley Mimico Place is https://twitter.com/Peter87905271/ ]