Residents of a Fairfield house conversion B次元官网网址� people with disabilities, living on income assistance, and seniors B次元官网网址� could soon find themselves looking for new homes if the property ownerB次元官网网址檚 rezoning application is accepted.
The 1122 Collinson St. rezoning and renovation proposal caused a stir in council Thursday . Council seemed conflicted on the application, but sent it forward for public comment. The owner is proposing converting the eight-unit structure B次元官网网址� one self-contained and seven housekeeping units B次元官网网址� into six self-contained apartments, each with a separate bathroom.
Currently the five remaining occupants in the building pay rents as low as $450 a month.
Soon, there will be four tenants in the character home.
Dianna Claus, 60, gave notice and is on her way out of the building, the city and the province. The retired law clerk lived in Victoria the last four years, two at her current place. She is heading back to Ontario hoping to find somewhere affordable.
B次元官网网址淭hings [here] are really tense and troublesome.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very difficult to live day-by-day, week-to-week, month-to-month not knowing when youB次元官网网址檙e going to be homeless,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e tense. WeB次元官网网址檙e nervous. We become snappy, short-tempered. That would happen with any family unit.B次元官网网址�
She and the other low-income women living in the buildingB次元官网网址檚 housekeeping units have seen themselves as a family, she said, and have found support in the surrounding community. When the landlord attempted to evict the women last year, the neighbours threw them an B次元官网网址渁nti-eviction partyB次元官网网址� to help them brainstorm ways to stay in the neighbourhood. They fought at the residential tenancy board and won, for a time.
Claus said sheB次元官网网址檚 worried for the other tenants, particularly those with disabilities, and one in particular who, she said, has found this experience so difficult sheB次元官网网址檚 become suicidal.
The 1912 home was previously owned by a Ms. Eckle, an elderly woman who sold the property in September 2016 and died two months later. Claus believes that Eckle and her family knew that they served low-income tenants and B次元官网网址済ave people a chance,B次元官网网址� she said.
But she has other words for current landlord, Cameron Stewart.
B次元官网网址淗e wants the poor people out, out of the building, out of the community,B次元官网网址� she said, calling it B次元官网网址減oor bashing.B次元官网网址�
In a report to the City, the Fairfield Gonzales Neighbourhood Association sent a follow up report after a meeting about the proposal, saying Stewart made reference to a B次元官网网址渢enant relocation programB次元官网网址� and securing alternative housing. Claus, however, tells another story.
One of the two tenants who left the home has died, she said, while the second moved into an Oak Bay seniors home after she and the others worked together to find her a new place to live.
Coun. Geoff Young seemed conflicted about the application. He said council is concerned about the tenants losing their affordable housing, but from a policy perspective, he is unsure what should be done.
B次元官网网址淭he tenants are obviously in a tough spot. They have set their budgets on the basis of having quite low rents and living in a situation that is not very common B次元官网网址� Partly that situation has arisen because they had a good landlord who was sympathetic to their situations and wanted to help by providing lower rents and not raising the rents constantly,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淥nce the circumstances change and landlords have to sell their house and get sick or retire or move away or die, does that mean because theyB次元官网网址檝e been providing low rents that the house is going to be continued to provide those low rents indefinitely? That seems a little unfair and will discourage people from providing those low rents.B次元官网网址�
Mayor Lisa Helps said the City is working on a rental plan to address situations like this. She said there needs to be an incentive for landlords to keep rents affordable while also ensuring renters are protected.
B次元官网网址漌e need a diversity of housing stock, and [this] represents a rare form,B次元官网网址� she said at committe of the whole Oct. 5. B次元官网网址淎s we see buildings that have lower end of market, or lower than market rents, we do need a tenant protection plan, and thats something our staff are working on.B次元官网网址�
She said in this case, the renovations will not result in new units being added to VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 already tight rental market: B次元官网网址淭here is no net new, in fact there is a net loss, which is very much a planning issue,B次元官网网址� Helps said.
Stewart did not return calls from the B次元官网网址 by press deadline. In his rezoning application, he wrote:
B次元官网网址淚 am gravely concerned that protectionist recommendations encountered mid-application have created undue financial hardship on this project that simply cannot absorb further costs as a rental proposal,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淥ur proposal mustnB次元官网网址檛 be leveraged for controlling future large-scale and purpose-built rentals or used against smaller strata conversion applications that deplete primary rental stock.B次元官网网址�
A date will be determined for the next stage of public input.
