Your landlord is turning a guest suite into a new apartment
Bonjour, bon matin! Simone Okafor-Bouchard here, reporting live from just off the Hill, where the real stories are always happening.
City Hall has been busy processing a mix of permits, but one residential permit caught my eye because, honestly, we are seeing so many of these across the city. Permit #BP 3ALT 25-9699 was issued for 2770 Aquitaine Avenue in Ward 9, a project with a reported value of $48,750. This isn't for a new build, non. This is for an "interior alteration to convert existing guest suite into (1) residential suite on the first floor."
Now, on the surface, this sounds like a small change, like someone making an in-law suite, but we're seeing more and more of these conversions in established buildings. It’s part of the city’s drive for gentle density, turning every possible corner into a rentable unit. Is it good for renters? For landlords? For the existing tenants? These are the questions that go through three levels of review in my head, I tell you.
* Permit #BP 3ALT 25-9699 issued. * Located at 2770 Aquitaine Avenue, Ward 9. * Project value: $48,750. * Purpose: Convert existing guest suite into one residential suite.
It means more people living in existing buildings, which, theoretically, helps with the housing shortage. But it also means fewer shared amenities, and often, more strain on older infrastructure. We need to watch how these small alterations aggregate into big changes for our neighbourhoods. The real story is never on the Hill — it’s always just off it.
Simone Okafor-Bouchard, out.
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