'What makes Newmarket unique': Heritage protection sought for 48 properties

Town of Newmarket aims to designate dozens of properties, including Grey Goat Pub and Newmarket Cemetery, for permanent protection against development

USED 20190823 Newmarket oldest pub grey goat kc

Newmarket's oldest pub on Main St. S., the Grey Goat Pub & Grill, was built in 1865 and the town seeks to give it a heritage designation. File photo

The Town of Newmarket has revealed the 48 properties it wants to designate as heritage to preserve them for future generations.

The municipality has filed a notice of intention regarding the properties for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. The municipality had faced a provincial deadline to file heritage protections or the properties would be eligible for potential development.

“The town is designating these properties because cultural heritage is a major part of what makes Newmarket unique,” the municipality said in a news release. “Cultural heritage resources tell us who we are, where we have come from and what we have accomplished.”

The town has planned a major push for heritage designation for several months. The properties chosen were narrowed down from hundreds of non-designated heritage properties in town, as the province previously set a Jan. 1, 2025 deadline to either be designated or removed from those non-designated lists.

However, in June, the province changed the deadline to Jan. 1, 2027, as municipalities and other organizations complained that the 2025 deadline wasn't feasible, given the amount of work involved in a designation.

A heritage designation means a property gets recognition and protection from demolition or unsympathetic alteration to heritage features. A listed property, meanwhile, only offers short-term protection of 60 days. Any property that loses its listing status cannot be relisted for another five years, leaving it open to redevelopment if it did not go through the designation process.

The town said these heritage resources enrich the community, inspire and guide growth.

“They also can be a form of community economic development that will bring visitors into the community; help revitalize a main street; create jobs; enhance a neighbourhood and increase property values and the municipal tax base,” the municipality said. “Designating these properties is one way to protect built heritage.”

Some of the properties proposed for designation included the Grey Goat Pub at 74 Main St. S. and Newmarket Cemetery at 112 Main St. N.

The full list of properties up for designation includes: