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Developer ordered to fix up or demolish derelict David Street homes
January 30, 2014 | Brent Davis | The Record | LINK

KITCHENER — The City of Kitchener has given the owner of a pair of derelict homes overlooking Victoria Park two options — fix them up, or tear them down.

Director of Enforcement Shayne Turner delivered a property standards order Tuesday to the developer who purchased 51 and 53 David St. in 2012.

Complaints from area residents, and a number of instances in recent months in which people have broken into the boarded-up buildings, prompted the move, Turner said.

Now, the company has been given two months to do the required work or apply for a demolition permit for the two homes and a garage on the site.

"If you're going to keep the buildings there, have them fixed up to a standard that's more compatible to the neighbourhood," Turner said.

Some of the required exterior work would include replacing broken windows, repairing holes in the roof and replacing exterior surfaces that have rotted away or are missing. The two-month time frame takes into account such factors as the amount of work that would need to be done and weather conditions, Turner said.

A property standards order can be appealed within 14 days of its receipt.

Developer Stephen Litt said Wednesday his focus remains on finalizing a development application for a new condominium building on the site.

"We really do want to work with the City of Kitchener," he said. "We're very excited to set a new precedent for what condominiums are like in the city."

Litt said he couldn't comment on how his firm will respond to the property standards order in the short term, but said their intentions are to clear the site once they have the approvals they need.

"We will definitely tear everything down and clean it up," he said. "We are eager to get going on David Street, without a doubt."

When The Madison Group, now Revel Development Corporation, took possession of the homes, the move was cheered by area residents and city officials alike.

For years, police, fire and bylaw staff had fought what seemed to be a losing battle to rid the buildings of the drug dealers and prostitutes who'd taken up residence. In buying the homes, Litt said his company helped tenants escape unsafe conditions and get the help they needed.

Their initial concept called for a 60-unit, ten-storey building with six floors fronting onto David Street, rising to ten floors at the back.

Now, Litt said they'd like the Precedent on the Parc project to have eight storeys at the front, rising to 12 floors at the back, with a total of 80 units.

In October, 2012, a Record story on the initial proposal said there were outstanding planning issues surrounding height and number of units that needed to be resolved. Litt said he's hopeful the new vision won't be met with resistance from the city.

"There are ways of designing buildings so they fit in with the neighbours." At least three multi-storey buildings already stand nearby.

Litt said their "lightweight and slender" building overlooking the Victoria Park Commons would put its residents within easy walking distance of the downtown core and the new light rail transit line.

"I just want to build a good building," said Litt, whose company has completed a number of restorations and new builds in the region, including the Cedar Brownstones and Doon Village Brownstones in Kitchener and the Silver Thread Lofts in Waterloo.

To date, city planning staff have simply had an initial consultation with the developer, said director of planning Alain Pinard. The next step would be for Revel to submit an application.

"We welcome an opportunity to redevelop that property," Pinard said. "We welcome a change that's going to add value."

Meanwhile, Turner said city staff have encouraged the developers to begin the demolition process on several occasions, to no avail. And in the months since the properties changed hands, they've just deteriorated further — along with the patience of area residents.

"They're something reminiscent of the streets of Detroit," said Tim Willcox.

"They detract from the esthetics of the neighbourhood," he said. "A maintained grass lot will be more esthetically pleasing than the state of the building that's there."

Willcox said the property standards order is a step in the right direction, especially considering the amount of money the city has spent on Victoria Park improvements in recent years.

"I am glad to see that there is movement, finally," he said. "We've waited 15 months now …. I think two months is a very reasonable time frame."

Ward Coun. Frank Etherington said he understands why people have been frustrated.

"These properties are a blight on the heritage area," he said, adding it's disappointing the city has had to act.

"We don't issue that many of this kind of order," Etherington said. "They should be demolished and the site tidied up."

He's still hopeful a high-end condo project will rise on the site.

"It's a great location … I'd love to see it there."