Chatham-Kent (CK) council has voted against a zoning change that could result in the eviction of the current tenants in order to reconstruct the building they live in.
On Monday night, the owners of a four unit residence on Semenyn Avenue in Chatham hoped council would change a zoning by-law to allow them to change the current fourplex of three-bedroom apartments to six one-bedroom apartments.
Residents, including a 12-year-old girl, came to the meeting in hopes of explaining to council the importance of the current zoning and what changing the zoning could mean to the people living there.
"In my building alone, this proposal could make up to four people homeless," said Laura, a resident of the building.
The owners, Sarah Peternel and Derek Rumble, were represented at the meeting by David French, a planner from Storey Samways Planning LTD.
The plans included the conversion of two three-bedroom units, but residents pointed out there was no way to know which units would be converted and what would happen to them.
"We're simply asking for the ability to convert the building into six units so that they can make plans in order to do that conversion," said French.
Councillor Rhonda Jubenville pointed out that although six units is more than four, making the new units one-bedroom would actually lead to fewer bedrooms, meaning fewer people could be housed.
"We want more housing, and we want to allow individual owners to develop their properties, but while housing is also at a premium, so too is multi-bedroom rental units that are at a premium," said Councillor Melissa Harrigan. "Arguably, it's harder to find three-bedroom units than it is to find single-bedroom units in CK."
Several councillors voiced their opposition to the application, including Councillor Marjorie Crew, Brock McGregor, Lauren Anderson, Rhonda Jubenville, and Ryan Doyle.
"I think to potentially make two different families homeless because they can't afford going somewhere else isn't really the point of what we're trying to do either. So, just morally, I can't support something like this," said Doyle.
This comes after the residents of Terrace Forty were served renoviction notices in February.
The motion failed 15 to zero, with Councillor Alysson Storey unable to vote due to a conflict.
