If you have been following this corner over the past couple of weeks, you know there is a divide in the ranks of the Alma College International Alumnae Association as to whether there is merit to replicating the facade of the main building at the former school for girls as part of proposed three-apartment complex.
At issue here is a 2008 Ontario Municipal Board decision that determined any new development on the Moore Street property must recreate the north façade of Alma to a depth of three metres.
The issue is on the agenda for Monday’s (Aug. 13) meeting of city council.
The developer, Michael Loewith of Patriot Properties, has submitted a letter to council outlining his vision for the Alma College property.
Loewith writes, he was intrigued by the OMB order and the opportunity it presented to pursue his two passions, history and development. Continue reading
A construction crew was at the site around 
Gino Reale of London stands outside the gate of the former Alma College with the music building and chapel still standing.
Reduced to a neglected jumble of bricks, rubble and a couple of crumbling structures, the former Alma College property has been sold to a London-based property manager.
The deal closed March 7 and Gino Reale, who deals in real estate development and land acquisitions, confirmed two days later he is acting on behalf of a group of investors.
The 11-acre site had previously been owned by the Zubick family of London who purchased it for approximately $900,000 in 1998.
Under the corporate name Alma Heritage Estates, several proposals were put forth by the Zubicks including a pitch to the city to locate a new Valleyview Home on the Moore St. property.
In 2005, Alma Heritage Estates applied to city for a demolition permit to level the former school for girls.
