Mark Winfield, professor of environmental studies at York University [Faculty of Environmental Studies], says private-sector involvement is not a bad thing – as long as the city maintains strict bylaw control on the heritage buildings, wrote The Orillia Packet and Times July 9, in a story about public-private sector projects in the city.

Forming partnerships with private developers could work for the city if the developers are prepared to "retain the heritage character," Winfield said. "If a developer is willing to put in the effort and the money to do the refurbishment in a way that retains the heritage value of the building, then that's not a bad thing at all."

The city can impose conditions through zoning bylaws and other bylaws to protect the buildings, Winfield said. But the situation gets "trickier" for a building that houses a museum, Winfield said. "A private developer isn't going to come in unless there is some commercial viability of the building."

One of the struggles for smaller cities in Ontario is maintaining the viability of their downtowns, he said. "It's very central to preventing the classical hollowing out that happens to downtowns – where you get the strip malls on the edge of town near the highway and the downtown ends up empty."

Using heritage buildings as destinations counteracts the "hollowing out" effect, Winfield said. "Turning it back into more of a destination is all very, very helpful and sort of counteracting those sorts of pressures."

Posted by Arielle Zomer, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin.