Item - 2020.PH16.13

The Planning and Housing Committee submits the item to City Council without recommendations.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards report directly to the City Council meeting of September 30  and October 1, 2020 to confirm the existing zoning and the status of the Rooming House Licence at 28-30 Langley Avenue.

The property at 28-30 Langley Avenue contains a building that was first occupied in 1898 and converted into a rooming house in the 1950s. It has been operating as a rooming house within the proper zoning since 1985 with approximately 23 units. In the summer of 2018, the property changed ownership and the tenants received N13 eviction notices. At that time the building was home to about 20 low-income tenants.

Consequently, tenants in the building reached out to as they had deep concerns about finding comparable affordable accommodation. They decided  to challenge the eviction or 'renoviction'. The tenants who took the matter to the Landlord Tenant Board received the right to return.

In January 2020, there was a renewal hearing for the Rooming House License. The hearing is pending as the Rooming House Licencing Commissioner determined that the compliance inspection would have to wait until the building was tenanted. She wrote "the hearing is stayed pending the outcome of the inspections".

In September 2020, the current owner wrote the Mayor and members of the Planning and Housing Committee, referencing the HousingTOAction Plan, to suggest the City buy the property – noting:

I am writing to you because although we purchased this as an investment and have put significant work into the building, we are looking to potentially sell the property. I understand that the city is in need of properties such as this and I thought that it would be prudent to reach out regarding the matter. This would be a turn key operation with zoning and a license that the city or a non for profit organization could operate instantly. The building is vacant apart from one room. I believe this would fit nicely into the city's proposed fast tracking of 3,000 permanent residences.

In their report on Item PH 16.8, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration advise that they would like to obtain, as part of the City's Housing and People Action Plan, 1,000 new homes through acquisitions, renovations and "shovel ready" projects.

I understand that the zoning for this mid-block property would only allow a Rooming House and using the building for a hotel or student hostel. It would be helpful to understand this in the context of the letter from the owner.