Valente protests possible heritage designation for former General Amherst High School

The Town of Amherstburg will debate if the former General Amherst High School will be designated as a heritage building next month.

Amherstburg town staff have recommended to council that they start the process to officially designate the former General Amherst High School property, located at 130 Sandwich Street South, as a heritage property.

The province changed rules around heritage sites, and any buildings listed before 2023 need to be considered for full designation by Jan. 1, 2027.

If the town doesn’t act, the property loses protection for five years and could be demolished or significantly altered with no oversight.

A report was presented at Monday night’s council meeting where property owner, Peter Valente of Valente Development, spoke and was strongly opposed.

Valente purchased the property in April 2024 with ongoing plans to construct eight-storey and 11-storey mixed-use towers with 144 residential units, including commercial and institutional uses.

He said he was not aware of the potential designation prior to him purchasing it and this now puts his project at risk.

“When a site like this becomes locked under a heritage, redevelopment becomes extremely difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible,” Valente said.

“The result is often the worst outcome of all, a building that sits vacant, deteriorates, and contributes nothing to the community around it.”

Valente said properties like General Amherst have existed across the province for decades.

“General Amherst while meaningful to many people emotionally is not a rare architectural landmark,” he said.

“It’s not a building that represents a unique or irreplaceable piece of Ontario’s built heritage.”

Valente said success of the development relies on vehicle access to Laird Avenue, which means tearing down a section of the gymnasium that houses two murals.

“I’m willing to donate the murals to the Town of Amherstburg, where they can be repurposed into a monument or on another building within the public domain,” he said.

“On the structure, we found the original drawings of the school, and I’m willing to rebuild the south’s facade exactly the way it was built in 1922.”

Designation wouldn’t stop upgrades or additions, but it would require approval for any changes that affect the building’s historic features.

Council decided to defer the matter to the April 13 meeting because they did not have enough information to make an informed decision.