TCHC fire sale?

[js97]

Still thinking the city should NOT sell these homes?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-tchcs-controversial-selloffs/article2075095/

When city council voted last week to sell 22 single-family homes owned by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, bringing in an estimated $15.7-million in revenue for the beleaguered agency, it sparked a debate about the future of social housing in the city. But when the properties actually hit the market, likely some time next year, prospective home owners may forget about politics and call up their mortgage brokers. Because these houses aren’t what or where you’d expect them to be.


PHOTOS
In pictures: Some of the TCHC's reclaimed properties
QUEEN WEST

229 Crawford St.

Assessed value (as of Jan. 2008): $800,000

Backing on to Queen West’s idyllic Trinity Bellwoods Park, this monster of a house could definitely use some TLC. But on a street where Victorian semis go for over a million, the eight-bedroom house is one of the biggest on the block, and boasts sizeable front and back yards and parking. Although it’s in need of a new roof, an extension at the back appears to be relatively new and Darryl Quinn, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Unique, said the property could easily be transformed into an awe-inspiring private home. “It’s definitely worth more than a million renovated, but even without any work I wouldn’t be surprised if it went for that much,†he said.

LEASIDE

406 Davisville Ave.

Assessed value: $461,000

This modest three-bedroom sits on the western edge of Leaside, the leafy uptown family neighbourhood. A similar house nearby sold for $589,000 earlier this year, and another around the corner went for $605,000. This house is small, but has hardwood floors, a fireplace, a shared drive and parking. According to a neighbour who has lived in the neighbourhood for 50 years, it has sat empty for more than two years, but has a brand-new roof. “They’re not great houses, but location, location, location!†she said. “This sounds awful, but I think [the TCHC] thought they would put them in with a better class of people,†she added of the previous tenants. “We were sort of an experiment, I think.â€

CABBAGETOWN

19 Geneva Ave.

Assessed value: $598,000

This impossibly picturesque street overlooks Riverdale Farm, and the rows of semi-detached Victorian cottages could not be more Cabbagetown if they tried. A renovated property down the street sold for $640,000 last year and a neighbouring home, still under construction, is now privately listed for $900,000. Still occupied, the TCHC home recently received a new front porch, reportedly after a drive-by by Mayor Rob Ford himself. With nine-foot ceilings, an ivy-covered roof and rear parking, this 20-foot-wide lot could be a perfect little dream home, and the other half of the semi has already been beautifully restored. “It’s one of the worst houses on a really nice street,†said Mr. Quinn. “And to find a place like this with parking...â€

DANFORTH

15 Milverton Blvd.

Assessed value: $391,000

The cheapest house on the list, this unoccupied three-bedroom semi sits on a quiet street just north of the Danforth and east of Pape. The red-brick home with a covered porch and tree in the front yard is surrounded by nicely maintained properties, but lacks private parking. A three-bedroom home down the street is currently listed for $449,900 and another sold in April for $489,000. The neighbourhood is highly in demand and larger houses in the neighbourhood are selling for more than $600,000. “It’s a row house, so no windows on either side, but it’s just steps to the Danforth,†said Mr. Quinn. “No way it’s going for less than $500,000.â€

THE BEACH

3 Hubbard Blvd.

Assessed value: $970,000

How many Toronto homeowners can walk out of their front door and onto the beach? The grassy lawns of this duplex end at the boardwalk and enjoy an unimpeded view of the lake. A neighbour, who bought her property in 1999 (the last time the city unloaded its social housing assets), just refinanced for $1.2-million. There are seven TCHC properties coming up for grabs in the Beach – four side by side on Hubbard and three on neighbouring Wineva Avenue – and several of them have been empty for almost a decade. Only five people are currently living in the properties’ 14 units and one TCHC tenant with a beachfront home has reportedly been renting out the unoccupied units in her building herself, via Craigslist, and pocketing the profits. On Hubbard, each house has its own garage, while the waterfront property on Wineva boasts two. “Parkinis golden down here,†said Mr. Quinn. “These are killer properties.â€

 

[SimonP]

229 Crawford St.

Assessed value (as of Jan. 2008): $800,000

Backing on to Queen West’s idyllic Trinity Bellwoods Park, this monster of a house could definitely use some TLC. But on a street where Victorian semis go for over a million, the eight-bedroom house is one of the biggest on the block, and boasts sizeable front and back yards and parking.

Eight bedrooms for $800,000. How much do you think it would cost for the city to replace these eight bedrooms in one of its new buildings? Certainly more than $100,000 each. This place seems like a bargain for tax payers.

 

[js97]

Eight bedrooms for $800,000. How much do you think it would cost for the city to replace these eight bedrooms in one of its new buildings? Certainly more than $100,000 each. This place seems like a bargain for tax payers.

slightly dishonest.

It won't house '8' families, nor 8 individuals because of rooming house rules on residential streets.

At the end of the day, it will be considered 1 unit (1 family) with 8 bedrooms. I'm not sure how many families will need 8 bedrooms. If anything, it's symbolic of what social housing should NOT be: Extravagant mansions(backing on one of the most desired parks in the city) funded by the many, to benefit a very few.

 

[SimonP]

Some TCHC houses have one or two people in each room, run on communal housing models. There could thus be well more than eight people living there.

Houses like that are exactly what the city should be promoting. They create low rise, high density, mixed income neighbourhoods. A type of structure the private sector completely fails to deliver in Toronto.

 

[js97]

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1026874--200-wellesley-fire-lawsuit-gets-green-light

Some victims of the six-alarm apartment fire at 200 Wellesley St. E. last September could be step closer to getting compensation.

Their $80 million class-action lawsuit will proceed against Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Greenwin Property Management Inc., after Justice Paul Perell certified the bid on Monday.

“This certification is a great victory for the residents of 200 Wellesley and a testament to the resilience and patience of about 50 per cent of the residents who are hoping that this process will result in a fair treatment in the losses they have had since Sept 24th,” said lawyer Brian Shell.

The class-action representative Jo-Anne Blair lived on the 24th floor of the 29-storey building, opposite an apartment where she says a man was hoarding paper. That apartment became the site of a ferocious six-alarm fire that took firefighters 12 hours to quell and forced 1,200 tenants out of their homes, and 200 into makeshift shelters.

Many residents weren’t able to return to their homes for months.

Seventeen people — including five children and three firefighters — were injured in the blaze.

The judge ruled that Blair qualifies to lead the lawsuit, though the defendants argued her anger and personal claim made her unfit to represent her fellow residents.

TCHC offered residents of 200 Wellesley base amounts of $3,300 if they live in a bachelor suite and $5,300 for a two-bedroom apartment. If they accepted, residents had to agree not to go ahead with the class action or take further legal action.

This prompted a free legal clinic for Wellesley residents to shut down in protest in December, calling the compensation offer unfair because it put too much pressure on the residents to sign.

With the lawsuit, residents may get $25,000 per one-bedroom apartment, which minus legal fees, is about $17,000 according to National Fire Adjustment Co., a company working with Shell on the lawsuit.

Maybe TCHC can sell the building, pay these guys individually, and let them find their own housing...

 

[js97]

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1026874--200-wellesley-fire-lawsuit-gets-green-light

Some victims of the six-alarm apartment fire at 200 Wellesley St. E. last September could be step closer to getting compensation.

Their $80 million class-action lawsuit will proceed against Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Greenwin Property Management Inc., after Justice Paul Perell certified the bid on Monday.

“This certification is a great victory for the residents of 200 Wellesley and a testament to the resilience and patience of about 50 per cent of the residents who are hoping that this process will result in a fair treatment in the losses they have had since Sept 24th,†said lawyer Brian Shell.

The class-action representative Jo-Anne Blair lived on the 24th floor of the 29-storey building, opposite an apartment where she says a man was hoarding paper. That apartment became the site of a ferocious six-alarm fire that took firefighters 12 hours to quell and forced 1,200 tenants out of their homes, and 200 into makeshift shelters.

Many residents weren’t able to return to their homes for months.

Seventeen people — including five children and three firefighters — were injured in the blaze.

The judge ruled that Blair qualifies to lead the lawsuit, though the defendants argued her anger and personal claim made her unfit to represent her fellow residents.

TCHC offered residents of 200 Wellesley base amounts of $3,300 if they live in a bachelor suite and $5,300 for a two-bedroom apartment. If they accepted, residents had to agree not to go ahead with the class action or take further legal action.

This prompted a free legal clinic for Wellesley residents to shut down in protest in December, calling the compensation offer unfair because it put too much pressure on the residents to sign.

With the lawsuit, residents may get $25,000 per one-bedroom apartment, which minus legal fees, is about $17,000 according to National Fire Adjustment Co., a company working with Shell on the lawsuit.

Maybe TCHC can sell the building, pay these guys individually, and let them find their own housing...