Good afternoon, neighbours,
Thank you for participating in the laneway discussions to date.
As you may have heard through CBC radio and television, this issue is now being considered by the public at large as it has implications for many citizens in our city living along untravelled lanes.
Yesterday was the suggested deadline for submitting your vote on whether to support the application to close the lane.
The vote is somewhat of a sensitive issue as the costs involved are substantial; first in closing the lane and then, if the application is successful, re-surveying and purchasing the land.
In light of this, I have made every attempt not to pressure owners to decide one way or the other. It is a decision each owner and their family has to make on their own. However, as a group in discussions with the City on this issue, we do need input from each abutting owner.
At this time, of the 24 abutting lots, I have votes from 18 owners (or co-owners):
14 have decided to support the application to close the lane, and
4 have decided not support the application at this time.
There are 6 pending or unknown votes (see the list below). I will be following up on these missing votes in the coming days.
Once all votes are tallied, I will then contact all neighbours again with the final tally. I hope to do this by the end of the week.
By that time, I hope to also have more information from the City's realty branch on a fair estimate of the current value of a strip of lane lane.
The City recently indicated to me that our initial estimate of $5000-$10000 was low, and that the estimate will likely be higher.
Once we have a final vote tally, and a better land purchase estimate, I will then send a last message to everyone as I will need to collect a share of the application fee before I visit City Hall to submit the application. The fee share would be calculated on the number of Yes votes.
For example, as it currently stands: $4608.66 fee divided by 14 Yes votes = $329.19 each.
Obviously, if more Yes votes come in with the 6 unknown votes, the share will be slightly less.
Note that once the application is submitted, it may or may not be supported by the planning department. If we disagree with the outcome, we may then request the file be heard before City Council.
If the application to close is successful, then each of the owners who wish to close the lane (and whose lots align in a reasonable continuous section of the lane), would then work with the City's realty branch to register a new land survey (at the owner's cost) of their revised lots, and work out final details on purchasing the land. If an owner (or owners) at that point declines to purchase the land, then the City's approval to close the lane would be revoked.
Thank you all for your patience in this matter, and I will contact you again at the end of this week.
Sincerely,
David Mennier, Chair, Block Residents' ad hoc Laneway Committee
87 Vaughan Street
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CURRENT VOTE AS OF 22 JANUARY 2013
Vaughan St. #
Yes 73
Yes 75
Pending 79 *I have contacted apt. owner, Mr. Kah
Yes 81 *Owner has requested further cost information
Yes 83
Yes 85
Yes 87
Pending 89
Yes 91
Yes 93
Not applicable 95 *Not abutting lane
Yes 97
Pending 99
Putman Ave. #
Not applicable 2 *Not abutting lane
Yes 4
Ivy Cres. #
Yes 131
Yes 133
Yes 135
Pending 139
Pending 145/147 *I have contacted (unsevered) duplex owners, the Mesnics
Yes 149
No 153 *Owners have requested option to reconsider based on vote and costs
No 159
No 165
No (assumed) 169 *Access to rear approved
Unknown 175 *I will try Nino Cappellazzi again; a relative says he is away at this time
