Our supporters will be aware that the Marotta companies that own the historic Rand Estate have applied for Planning Act approval for a densely packed 172 unit subdivision on the back half of the Rand Estate.
Rather than giving Council a chance to consider that application, the Marotta companies took the matter directly to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). The OLT has scheduled a case management conference (CMC) on June 9 of this year and a hearing starting in March of 2024. The CMC is intended primarily to set the hearing and prehearing process and to identify issues for the hearing.
The Marotta subdivision proposal also requires a number of permits under the Heritage Act, given that numerous cultural heritage attributes of the Rand Estate have been designated under that Act. The applications for those permits have only recently been deemed complete by the Town and a 90-day clock is now ticking for Council to make a decision on those permits. Should Council not make a decision within that 90 day period, the Heritage Act permit applications are deemed to be approved. If Council denies those applications, they will be joined with the Marotta group Planning Act applications and the entirety will be decided by the OLT following the 2024 hearing.
Obviously SORE does not believe that Council should grant those Heritage Act permits. That would in effect be stepping into the shoes of the OLT and pre-deciding matters that should only be decided after the OLT hears all of the evidence to be led by the Town, SORE and the Marotta group.
Council has decided upon a process for making a decision about the Heritage Act permit applications. The Town’s advisory Municipal Heritage Committee (MHC) will be holding a virtual hearing starting at 5 pm on Wednesday, April 12. Council will be holding a public meeting, which can also be viewed virtually, starting at 5 pm on Monday, April 24.
Both the MHC and Council will hear oral presentations from the Town, SORE and the Marotta group. Both will also hear up to 10-minute delegations from any interested individual or party.
SORE and we are sure both the MHC and Council welcome public input at these meetings. SORE will be pleased to answer any questions about the process or appropriate delegation topics. Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
We will provide further information about registering to make delegations at either or both of these meetings in the next couple of weeks.
As always, we thank you for your continued support and encouragement. We could not do this without you.