Who Are We and Why was SORE Formed?
Save Our Rand Estate (SORE) is a large and energized community group organized during the lead up to and aftermath of the Jan. 25, 2018, public meeting to discuss the Marotta/Solmar proposal. In this short time, the group already boasts hundreds of supporters. A core team has been assembled to help co-ordinate SORE’s efforts and to deploy resources to support the vision most of us share, namely to respect and honour the unique and important physical and cultural heritage of Old Town NOTL. The core team are all Niagara-on-the-Lake residents — some of whom live proximate to the Rand Estate.
Our mission is to support responsible development within the Randwood Estate that respects the unique and significant historical and cultural heritage of the buildings and structures, and the nationally important Dunington-Grubb landscape, a key feature of the estate. Any development of this property must also respect the interests of the current and future residents of the residential areas that surround the site on three sides. The Marotta/Solmar proposal, as stated unequivocally by the Town’s Municipal Heritage Committee at its meeting on February 13, 2018, does none of this. It is an affront to the Town, to the Rand Estate and to the work of many dozens of people including our elected representatives who came together just six years ago to compromise on a sensitive and appropriate vision for the future of the Randwood.
SORE has retained and will continue to retain expert assistance, including one of the leading heritage planning experts in Ontario. We are well resourced, organized and ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that this ill-conceived proposal is given a swift ride out of town.
However we rely and count on your support. We welcome your skills, resources and energy for this team effort.
Follow us on this website and visit it regularly for updates. Sign up for email updates.
Email us with questions, interest and support at [email protected]
We are S O R E and we hope you are, too!
For a March 2019 update about SORE, please see SORE: Building Support to Save the Rand Estate.
For a January 2020 update about SORE, please see Update from SORE re Rand Estate.
You can view all updates.