With change of ownership pending, locals are hopeful that the historically significant home at 7 Austin Terr. will be saved from demolition. The residence once belonged to John Maclean, founder of Maclean’s magazine.
In 2009, the Georgian Revival home was bought by John Todd, who intended to tear down the residence. A battle began between Todd and the locals, who wanted to preserve the cherished home in the Casa Loma neighbourhood.
Todd, president of 1626829 Ontario Ltd., initially applied to have the building demolished to make way for rental units, but the city rejected the idea. Todd later appealed the decision. Now, according to Mary MacDonald, manager with the City of Toronto Heritage Preservation Services, a new owner “has appeared on the horizon.”
Matt Garnet, of Renaissance Fine Homes, confirmed the company currently stands as the “contractual owner” of the property, but Todd is still listed as the title owner. Garnet said the company could gain full ownership of the property subject to the new restoration plans being approved by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
“It’s a heritage property, and we’ve always wanted to do heritage restoration,” said Garnet. He said they plan to convert the building, which is currently unoccupied, into single-family units, with an emphasis on preserving heritage features.
“It’s a bag of mixed emotions,” he said, of working with the high-profile location. “You’re excited, you’re nervous, but mostly we’re excited. We want to do this.”
He said they have met with the local ratepayers’ association and other community members in the past to discuss the issue. “We respect the neighbourhood; we respect residents; it’s a joint effort.”
MacDonald said the Renaissance Fine Homes scheme is “supportable from a variety of perspectives,” including heritage and conservation regulations.
Coun. Joe Mihevc echoed her statement. “The long and short of it is they’ve committed to high standards of repairing some of the damage,” he said.
An OMB meeting was scheduled for June 27.