A proposed apartment conversion in south London is being slammed by area residents for turning units into ârooming houses,â that will see tenants evicted from their homes.

Area residents are slamming a proposed south London apartment conversion they say will turn units into “rooming houses” and lead to current tenants being evicted from their homes.

The development at 145 Base Line Rd. W., just west of Wharncliffe Road, is home to five, one-storey buildings with three apartments each.

The proposal from a numbered Ontario company would add three more apartments to each building, for a total of six each, largely by adding three units to now-vacant basements, says a staff report to council’s planning and environment committee meeting.

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That raised the ire of a current tenant and a community activist, and prompted city staff to recommended rejecting the idea in the report, saying it is too much intensification. Staff support adding one unit to each building to create a total of 20 units on site.

“In real terms, the units are used as rooming houses. Developers are motivated to build these cramped spaces because they can charge more money for more bedrooms, but they limit people’s quality of life because . . . it is cramped shelter,” political activist Anna Maria Valastro said in a letter to the committee. “It is important to build good housing and not just housing.”

The proposal calls for four, two-bedrooms units of about 53 square metres (577 square feet) and two larger, three-bedroom units in each building.

proposed development on Baseline road — A proposed development at 145 Base Line Rd. W., west of Wharncliffe Road, seen in this rendering, would turn five existing triplexes into six-unit buildings, largely by adding three units in now-vacant basements, says a staff report going to London city council’s planning and environment committee. (Supplied)

Courtney Crossen, who lives in one of the existing apartments, fears tenants are being evicted to make way for renovations, she said in a letter to the committee. Some are being offered “cash for keys” to vacate, she said.

“We are experiencing a housing crisis in Canada. More importantly an affordable housing crisis,” Crossen says. “If this landlord is granted these permits, you are giving him the tools he needs to evict the remaining tenants . . . we will be fighting for a roof over our heads.”

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Six of the existing 15 units already have been vacated, she said.

Now, the vacant basements provide storage for the main-floor units.

The development would offer just 16 parking spaces for the 30 units.

The neighbourhood offers a mix of low- to high-density residential uses, including single-detached homes, cluster townhouses and highrise apartment buildings, all nearby.

“I have concerns about the density, but I like the staff suggestion (of a 20-unit) compromise,” said Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman, who chairs planning committee. The proposed 30 units would be “very intense. It will be crammed in there, putting a lot of people in a small space.”

ndebono@postmedia.com

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