Milroy tenants withdraw appeal
More than 50 tenants who backed appeal have new agreement with development company
Lori Coolican, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Friday, May 09, 2008
Tenants of the Milroy Apartments in downtown Saskatoon are withdrawing their appeal of a Court of Queen's Bench decision that upheld city council's approval of a plan to convert the building into condos.
More than 50 tenants who backed the appeal have reached a new agreement with the development company which owns the building, guaranteeing that at least 40 suites will remain as rentals, with annually-renewable leases available for a lifetime to long-term Milroy residents at rents comparable to other downtown apartments.
Residents currently living in a dozen other suites at the Milroy will also be allowed to sign annual one-year leases for their homes until 2012.
Tenants of the Milroy Apartments in downtown Saskatoon are withdrawing their appeal of a Court of Queen's Bench decision that upheld city council's approval of a plan to convert the building into condos.
If any of the 40 "long-term" suites becomes vacant during the next four years, those 12 tenants will also have the option of moving into the newly-vacant apartment - and the right to stay in the building for life.
The agreement with Viking Developments Corporation covers every tenant who helped fund the legal appeal against city council's decision, as well as tenants who actively took part in the months-long battle with City Hall by attending council and committee meetings, writing letters and gathering information.
Viking has the right to move them from one suite to another in the building, as long as it gives them 45 days notice and pays the tenants' incidental moving costs.
It's not the ideal outcome, since many tenants still think city council should not have allowed the conversion of the 156-unit highrise in the first place while the vacancy rate is at an all-time low. But at least the agreement gives some security to people who had been anxious about the future, said Martin Been, a Milroy resident who spearheaded the effort.
"There's a sense of relief in the building that it's over, because it's been a worry," he said.
"We're 11 months in, and people are just breathing a sigh of relief now."
The apartment building on Fifth Avenue North has long been home to a high population of seniors, some of whom have lived there for decades and never expected to move again. Been moved in several years ago to be near his elderly parents, who are long-term residents.
City council's approval of the conversion in January stipulated that existing tenants would have the right to remain in the building for two years from the date of the developer's application. The long-term residents' new agreement with Viking covers a much longer period of time, Been noted.
"It's more than we had at the beginning. Now at least we're protecting some people for life, and some others don't have to move for four years."
The tenants' disagreement was always with the city, not Viking Developments - and city council "still has a lot to do" to address the needs of Saskatoon renters, he said.
"If we don't like it, I guess we'll go to the polls (in the next civic election)."
[email protected]
Source
Prev
and for the foundation i am sure it can hold, it is called the sturdy stone building. but who knows
Just one week to go.
This is really exciting to see a second ukranian museum being developed!
Linear Mode
