The owners of a rent-controlled townhouse complex at 551 Riverdale Ave. want to build a four-storey residential building with 93 units.

The tenants of 23 rent-controlled townhomes tucked in a corner of Old Ottawa South are reeling after learning their tight-knit community could be demolished as early as next spring.

At the same time, their landlords say the property at 551 Riverdale Ave. is “aging and flood-vulnerable,” and in need of upgrades. They are also committed to assisting with what they call a “transition,” even as residents describe it as a “demoviction.”

“It was just a big shock,” said long-time tenant Linda Thom, the 82-year-old former Olympian and namesake of Linda Thom Park, one of the green spaces in the neighbourhood along the Rideau River.

She and the other residents found out about the redevelopment proposal in an Aug. 3 letter from the landlords, brothers Marcus and Thomas Saikaley. They’re planning to demolish the existing units to make way for a four-storey, 92-unit rental building.

Tenants say the letter advised them they might have to move out as soon as next spring, although the landlords say no official notice was given.

“We do not intend on asking residents to leave until we are prepared to move forward,” the Saikaleys said in an email to this newspaper. “There are still many months, potentially longer, before we expect to have greater certainty on the timing of redevelopment.”

Still, the news came as a shock. “We just felt like we’d been punched really hard in the stomach,” Thom said. “Quite a few of us have been here a number of years.”

Thom, for example, has lived in her unit for 51 years. Another couple moved into the community in 1967, the year it was constructed as a Centennial project to mark the 100th anniversary of Confederation. Others have been there for just a few years.

Each home has three bedrooms, two storeys, a basement, a ground-floor entrance and a parking spot. The population that would be evicted is multi-generational and diverse, ranging from health-care and service workers to musicians, students, volunteers and more. Two residents operate home-based daycares. Many tend gardens on the property.

They also support each other. “This is a community,” Thom said, listing her neighbours by their first names. “We really get along with each other. We look out for each other.”

The Saikaley family that owns the property has been part of the community for decades, too. Thom said they watched Marcus and Thomas, grandsons of the original owner, grow up, which is another reason the move feels like a betrayal.

For their part, the Saikaley brothers say they have not made the decision to redevelop lightly, noting their proposal is “well-conceived” and consistent with provincial and municipal housing policies.

“We are a small, family-run company, and our investment in this project is local and genuine,” they wrote. “We truly believe that redevelopment represents the best path forward to ensure the long-term sustainability and safety of the property, while also providing the added benefit of more housing within the community.”

But at a time when home prices in Old Ottawa South are well over $1 million and market rent on a three-bedroom can go up to $3,500 monthly, residents are anxious about finding similar places to live. The Riverdale townhomes were built before 2018, which makes them subject to Ontario rent-control guidelines limiting rent increases to about two per cent a year.

Units built after 2018 are exempt from rent-control guidelines. In older buildings, landlords can only raise rents beyond two per cent when there’s a change in tenancy.

That means newer tenants at 551 Riverdale Ave. likely pay close to market rent, while long-term tenants pay less. Thom opted not to disclose her monthly rent.

Another of the residents’ concerns is the proximity of the Rideau River. There has been flooding in the area over the years, and residents worry about the impacts of construction on drainage and infrastructure.

However, the Saikaleys’ application proposes raising the grade to reduce flood risk, a move that would require approval from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Residents also worry about the plan for parking, with just 38 parking spaces for 92 units (30 underground and eight on the surface), whether there will be units big enough for families, and if any of them will be affordable. Additionally, they say the site prep would require the removal of 53 trees, shrubs and hedges.

To help tenants, the Saikaleys say they are working with real estate agents to “identify suitable housing alternatives,” and with moving companies to reduce costs.

“We also remain committed to facilitating opportunities for current residents to return to the property once redevelopment is complete,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, Thom and her neighbours have organized to make their voices heard. They formed their first tenants’ association in September, introducing themselves with an opinion piece posted Oct. 2 on the Old Ottawa South Community Association Review’s website. It’s titled, “You can’t build a neighbourhood by displacing your neighbours.”

Politicians from all three levels of government are listening, including Capital Ward 17 incumbent councillor Shawn Menard, Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKenney and Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi.

In fact, a petition calling for council to adopt an anti-demoviction bylaw is posted on Menard’s campaign website.

In an interview, Menard said he hoped to “bring people together to try to have a better outcome for the well-being of the tenants that live there now.”

“We need to have the time it takes to make sure that people’s lives are sorted out,” Menard said. “Losing their homes after decades of living there is traumatic and the process needs a lot more consideration.”

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