'Renoviction' claim refuted by landlord seeking to double units inside south London buildings
The proposed doubling of units within a south London rental property has sparked concern among existing tenants who fear they will be displaced.
The new owner of 145 Baseline Rd. W. wants to convert the five buildings that each contain three rental units on the main floor, into 30 total units by finishing the basements with three additional apartments.
"This is a renovation in real time," tenant Courtney Crossen told the Planning Environment Committee (PEC) on Tuesday.
"The tenants living there currently pay a very affordable rate compared to today's market," explained Coun. Skylar Franke. "It would be extremely difficult for them to find comparable housing."
However, a planning consultant for the landlord assured the committee that tenants would be temporarily moved into vacant units during the renovation and allowed to return at the same rent.
"We are committed to keeping all existing tenants on the property," stated Jerzy Smolarek of Siv-Ik Planning and Design. "There are seven [tenants] remaining."
Members of PEC were told the three main floor units in each building are relatively small for having two or three bedrooms, so the current tenants utilize the unfinished basement space.
Residential rental units at 145 Baseline Rd. W as seen in Nov,. 2024. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)"I have a single mother beside me who has six children," explained Crossen. “If 30 units are permitted, we lose half of our space. Could you imagine seven people living in 650 square feet?"
Coun. Steve Lehman echoed the tenants' concerns, stating, "I've heard from the tenants that losing that space that they use, even though we've heard from the consultant that it's deemed not livable space, it seems that a lot of people do a lot of living in it.”
Franke added, “From what I've heard, they're using the space below, probably for storage and other things.”
Ultimately, the committee voted 3-2 (Franke and Lehman opposed) to support doubling the number of units from 15 to 30, but on the condition that existing tenants be offered temporary rental accommodation agreements during the renovations.
London's Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis emphasized the potential consequences of rejecting the proposal — the new owner could evict everyone and construct a new development on the site.
“There are options that could see the tenants completely displaced,” he explained. “I think what the landlord's offering is an option that provides some intensification while at the same time accommodates allowing the folks who are currently there to stay living on the property.”
The final decision will be made by the council at its next meeting on Nov. 26.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Donald Trump picks Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
The Canadian border is an 'extreme vulnerability,' says Trump's pick; Miller predicts 'tough' talks
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he agrees with the incoming American border czar that there will be 'tough conversations' ahead.
Dave Coulier, 'Full House' star, has cancer
Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian who found fame as Uncle Joey on "Full House," has revealed he has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Republicans will retain House majority, CNN projects, completing GOP’s dominance of Washington
Republicans have secured their monopoly on power in Donald Trump’s new Washington, retaining their majority in the House of Representatives, CNN projected Wednesday, after picking up seats in California and Arizona and ushering in a dramatic new era of right-wing populist rule.
Overwhelmed families surrendering custody of their children to CAS
Overwhelmed families in Ontario are having to surrender their children to the Children's Aid Society, and according to the society, the residential crisis is part of the problem.
Testing confirms B.C. teen infected with Canada's first human case of avian flu
Federal health officials have confirmed that a B.C. teen who is currently in hospital has Canada's first human case of H5N1 avian flu.
Guns and drugs seized from organized crime group linked to Mexican cartel, RCMP say
Members of the RCMP’s federal police say they have arrested three men in B.C. for their alleged role in a “transnational organized crime group” connected to Mexican drug cartels plotting to import cocaine into Canada.