[URBAN NOTE] "Rental property built in residential North York neighbourhood leads to 5-year fight"

[rfmcdonald]

Peter Goffins of the Toronto Star writes about a baffling decision by two builders to build a home in North York in direct violation of city regulations, and their subsequent fight.

First, they started building a four-bedroom house without a permit.

But what two brothers ended up building wasn’t the single-family home they’d promised — it was a 21-room student residence, also without a permit.

Now the building sits empty because the City of Toronto refuses to let anyone occupy it. And last week a court ruled against the brothers, who wanted a permit for the now-completed building.

For five years, Steve and Luke Williamson have been embroiled in a dispute with the city over the construction on Victoria Park Ave. near Finch Ave.

“It’s a witch hunt,” said Steve Williamson, who admits he made a mistake but doesn’t feel the city is helping reach a resolution.

“They built without a permit,” said Tim Carre, a lawyer for the city. “Then once they got a permit they did not build within accordance of that permit. They’ve had people in the building occupying it in a manner that was contrary to the building code, contrary to the fire code.

“They’ve had every opportunity to bring it into compliance and they’ve chosen thus far not to.”