Section 16 ARCHAEOLOGY and HERITAGE ASSESSMENT
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Section 16 ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE ASSESSMENT Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Environmental Assessment Certificate Application Section 16: Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment 16 Archaeological and Heritage Assessment Executive Summary An assessment of cultural heritage resources that may be affected by the construction and operation of the Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project (‘the Project’) was conducted. For the purposes of this study, cultural heritage resources represent one of the following: (1) paleontological sites; (2) archaeological sites; (3) traditional places or land use, and (4) historic sites or properties. In British Columbia, heritage resource assessments undertaken for a British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) Project review are conducted in compliance with the British Columbia Archaeological Impact Assessment Guidelines , prepared by the Archaeology Branch (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts), the government agency responsible for managing and protecting heritage resources in accordance with the Heritage Conservation Act . Based on the provincial Guidelines, this study report is equivalent to an Archaeological Impact Assessment. The study was conducted under Section 14 (Heritage Inspection) Permit # 2009-0242, issued on July 24, 2009 by the Provincial Archaeology Branch. Methods The heritage resource impact assessment for the Project involved the following research tasks: • review of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical literature pertaining to the Project locale; • review of biophysical and topographic information pertaining to the study area in order to assess past land use in the study area; • review of information about recorded archaeological sites within the study area; • communications with First Nations’ communities and other institutions with relevant knowledge about cultural heritage resources within, or near, the Project locale; • archaeological field survey of the Project corridor to identify and record heritage resources; and • preparation of a report based on the results of the impact assessment. The fieldwork involved a pedestrian survey of the entire Project corridor, with subsurface testing in situations where potential buried cultural deposits were suspected to be present. Testing was done with shovels and/or trowels, at intervals of 2-5 m in restricted locations or 10-20 m in larger test areas. A total of 58 subsurface shovel tests were excavated during the field survey. 16-1 Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Environmental Assessment Certificate Application Section 16: Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment Paleontological Results An assessment of potential paleontological concerns within the Project locale was undertaken to: (1) determine the geological setting and regional paleontological potential of the Project corridor; (2) determine if any fossil occurrences have been reported from the project locality; and (3) evaluate the potential for encountering paleontological resources during construction for the Project. The Burnaby-Port Moody-Coquitlam area has been thoroughly mapped geologically, and several reports address issues of stratigraphy and, where relevant, paleontology. Such reports and their accompanying maps were examined in terms of the Project objectives. It appears that only sediments of Pleistocene and Holocene age will be affected by the Project. For this reason, there is virtually no possibility of finding Quaternary-aged fossil organisms associated with surficial sediments within the Project footprint. In addition, there is little likelihood that paleontological resources will be affected by the Project. Archaeological Results No prehistoric archaeological sites were identified during the field survey for the Project. For this reason, no impacts to archaeological resources are anticipated. However, follow-up archaeological field survey work is recommended for three separate locations along the corridor that were inaccessible to the field-crew during the 2009 fieldwork. Historic Heritage Results Three historic heritage sites are present within lands that will be affected by the Project: • The present-day thoroughfare of North Road, extending from the Project intersection with North Road east of Lougheed Town Centre Station to Clarke Road (514+480 to 515+720). North Road is the oldest road in the Lower Mainland and holds a heritage designation. It was originally constructed in 1859 (see Section 16.4.3 below) to connect New Westminster with the head of Burrard Inlet, and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) west coast terminus in Port Moody. It has undergone several alterations and improvements ever since. North Road is identified as a heritage site on several City of Burnaby traffic-signal control boxes along the Reference Alignment, but is not listed in the City’s Heritage Register. • The Royal Bank Building at 2346 Clarke Street in Port Moody (BC Site Inventory # DhRr- 186; Port Moody Heritage Property # 12). The City of Port Moody classifies this commercial building as a historic place and it is shown on their Moody Centre Heritage Properties map. The Royal Bank’s heritage value is based on its association with the early 20th century development of Port Moody and the bank’s distinctive 16-2 Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Environmental Assessment Certificate Application Section 16: Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment built form. The building dates from A.D. 1914, when Clarke Street was the commercial centre of Port Moody. • The Appleyard Residence located at 2714 Clarke Street, Port Moody (B.C. Site Inventory # DhRr-126; Port Moody Heritage Property # 15). The structure is protected by a Heritage Restrictive Covenant, and is a Foursquare-style Edwardian residential building dating to A.D. 1910. The Appleyard Residence was originally located on the opposite side of the street, at 2717 Clarke, but was moved to its current location in 2006 and currently houses Heritage House Pizza. The historic heritage sites identified during the heritage resource impact assessment conflict with preliminary designs for the Project. The Project will directly impact the footprint of North Road, which is classified as the oldest road in the region. However, after 140 years of improvements and other modifications to the road, its heritage value is low. The proposed use of North Road as the Project corridor just represents a further iteration of its ongoing use as a major, highly impacted inner urban transportation corridor. The Reference Alignment is in conflict with the Royal Bank Building in Port Moody. At this location, the Reference Alignment is at grade in this part of Port Moody. Construction of the Alignment as planned will directly impact the building. Lastly, construction of the Project as presently designed will conflict with the Appleyard Residence in Port Moody. Given that the Alignment is at grade in this location, construction will directly impact the structure. Site-specific recommendations are provided for the historic heritage sites, as follows: (1) The preferred option for the buildings in Port Moody is site avoidance through project redesign. Thus, it is recommended that development of the Project avoid the Royal Bank (DhRr-186) and Appleyard Residence (DhRr-126). Current development plans indicate that neither heritage building can be avoided by the Project as presently designed, and therefore it is recommended that: (2) Given that both heritage buildings have high historic importance to the City of Port Moody, preservation in the form of conservation and/or relocation. (3) No further action is recommended for North Road. 16.1 Introduction The Project study area is shown in Figure 16.1 . Various segments of the Project will be located within the cities of Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Port Moody, as follows: (1) the City of Burnaby and the City of Coquitlam (Lougheed Town Centre Station to the South Tunnel Portal, west of Clarke Road near Westley Avenue), (2) the City of Coquitlam (South Tunnel Portal to the North Tunnel Portal at Barnet Highway); (3) the City of Port Moody (North Tunnel Portal to Ioco Road); and (4) the City of Coquitlam (Ioco Road to 16-3 Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Environmental Assessment Certificate Application Section 16: Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment the Evergreen Rapid Transit Line terminus at Pinetree Way and Town Centre Boulevard). The Project Alignment proceeds from Lougheed Town Centre Station northward along North Road ( Photo 16.1 ), then Clarke Road. North of the intersection of Clarke Road and Como Lake Avenue ( Photo 16.2 ), the line will enter a tunnel and follow underground to Barnet Highway, where it emerges and parallels the CPR right-of-way. It then proceeds through Port Moody along the south side of the CPR tracks ( Photos 16.3, 16.4 and 16.5 ), crossing to the north side of the tracks immediately east of Moray Street to the proposed Ioco station at Ioco Road. The line then continues eastward along the north side of the CPR tracks ( Photos 16.6 and 16.7 ) to the proposed Coquitlam Central station. From there, the Evergreen Rapid Transit Line proceeds northward along the west side of Pinetree Way until the Alignment crosses to the east side of Pinetree Way north of Northern Avenue. The Alignment then continues north along Pinetree Way to its terminus at Douglas College Station north of the intersection of Pinetree Way and Guildford Way ( Photo 16.8 ). 16.1.1 Scope of the Assessment This assessment is intended to identify cultural heritage