Heritage planner agrees to some alterations on Randwood Estate

The town’s heritage planner has recommended allowing two properties next to the Randwood Estate to be demolished, while opposing a large bundle of requests to alter or remove other parts of the historic property, in connection with plans for a subdivision next door.

Solmar Development and Two Sisters Resorts submitted heritage permit applications to the town this winter for proposed alterations and demolitions at 200 John Street East and 588 Charlotte Street.

This is part of owner Benny Marotta’s long-standing plan to build a subdivision on these properties: they will be presenting their subdivision plans to the town in two public meetings on Wednesday, April 12 and Monday, April 24.

In heritage planner Denise Horne’s report on the applications, published March 29, she recommends approval of eight alterations the Solmar group proposed, and refusal of 15 others.

This includes demolition of the Calvin Rand summer house on John Street East and the main residence on Charlotte Street, former stables and barns.

For John Street East, approval was given to remove a white ash tree on the property, restore the swimming pool garden according to the original Dunington-Grubb drawings, remove the concrete swimming pool structure, restore the Tea House and the Whistle Stop structure, and install interpretive signage within the Whistle Stop.

For Charlotte Street, they received approval to relocate the property’s one-story outbuilding. Horne wrote in her report that both properties require archeological assessments be completed before any demolition or other disturbances take place on the property, along with salvaging of demolished structure materials.

However, Horne recommended the town refuse the request to demolish the carriage house on John Street East and two smaller sheds on Charlotte Street, and does not recommend removing the following: the circular Mound Garden, the Dunington-Grubb-designed swimming pool garden and the footings from the original pergola in that garden.

This proposal has been the subject of debate and litigation for nearly five years, since the public first learned of plans to build a hotel and conference centre on the estate, and a subdivision beside it, in 2018.

Save Our Rand Estate (SORE), the community group opposed to the plans, has been involved in legal challenges against them. They responded to Horne’s report in an article posted on their website on April 3, calling it “very well done” and thanking Horne for “her diligent and important work.”

In November 2021, the group published a concept plan for what they believe residential use of the two properties in question should look like, while “respecting and conserving the important heritage attributes of the subject properties.

Horne’s report, they wrote, “appears to embrace much of the approach embedded in the SORE concept plan.”

As a party in associated litigations on the development, SORE will give a presentation following Solmar at both the April 12 and 24 meetings. Members of the public are also allowed to apply to deliver delegations.

After these meetings, council is expected to make its decision on the subdivision plans.