It’s a growing pot of money available from the City of Delta but only a few eligible property owners have taken advantage of the opportunity.
Council this week approved awarding a pair of Heritage Conservation Grants to owners of historic old Ladner homes for restoration and repair projects.
One was a $20,713 amount toward installing new exterior windows on the Benson Residence at 3610 72nd St., subject to the owners entering a covenant to protect the building from demolition for a period of 10 years. The building is listed on the Delta Heritage Register as well as Delta’s Rural Heritage Inventory.
The other award is a $30,000 grant toward repainting and restoration work on the exterior of the Baker Residence at 4919 48th Ave. Council last year approved a heritage revitalization agreement application which allowed the addition of an elevator and rezoned the property to allow for commercial use to accommodate a local design firm. As part of the heritage revitalization agreement, the Baker Residence was added to Delta’s Urban Heritage Inventory. It was already on the Delta Heritage Register.
It was noted during council’s discussion on Monday that the total pot of money in the heritage grant program, following the two grants, stands at around $496,000.
Coun. Dylan Kruger asked staff if there are any other heritage projects that could be eyed by the city to expand the program and spend the money more quickly. Mayor George Harvie suggested that a letter be sent to all qualified owners of Delta heritage buildings advising them of the grant opportunity.
The grant is a fund that was created in 2017 from a levy on Delta building permits.
In the summer of 2021, the fund had a balance of $319,925. At the time, only a few property owners had applied due to the requirements being found to be too onerous.
It’s only been in the last year or so that the number of applications has seen an uptick, due to the city making a few changes to the program including increasing the maximum annual grants from $15,000 to $30,000.
The conditions remain that structures receiving funding be placed in Delta’s Heritage Register and that a covenant be signed to protect buildings from demolition for a period of 10 years.
