The Town has released the staff report of heritage planner Denise Horne on the applications by the Marotta group to demolish/alter/relocate substantially all of the remaining cultural heritage assets on 200 John and 588 Charlotte Streets.
A link to the report, which runs to over 800 pages with numerous appendices, is provided on the Town’s website with the agenda for the April 12 Municipal Heritage Committee meeting.
The report recommends that almost all of the Marotta Heritage Act permit applications be REFUSED.
The report is overall very well done and we thank Ms. Horne for her diligent and important work on these applications.
The report concludes that much of the landscape on the subject properties is part of the Dunington-Grubb designed landscape. The report also notes the 2018 clear cutting by the Marotta companies which was the subject of a Heritage Act prosecution by the Town that was never heard on the merits due to delay in bringing the charges to trial and treats the removed landscape as heritage attributes. Ms. Horne recommends restoration of now missing elements of the designed landscape including the axial walk and the circular mound.
The report also notes that the current Marotta subdivision proposal involves alterations to be undertaken on 144 and 176 John St and that no Heritage Act (or Planning Act) applications have been made in respect of any of that work.
The SORE concept plan for a residential use of 200 John and 588 Charlotte illustrates how this could occur while respecting and conserving the important heritage attributes of the subject properties. The Horne report appears to embrace much of the approach embedded in the SORE concept plan.
Ms. Horne’s report forms the staff advice to the Town’s Municipal Heritage Committee, which is conducting a virtual public meeting at 5 pm on April 12, as well as to Council, which is holding a special public meeting at the Community Centre at 5 pm on April 24.
Delegations from the public are permitted at both meetings. Details on registering and links for the meetings are on the Town’s Join the Conversation site.
