Neighbours object to home demolition request
Property owner Gabriel Lemmo is both frustrated and discouraged.
“I did every single thing they asked me to and now they turn me down,” he said.
Lemmo was under the impression that the Pointe-Claire demolition committee would grant his request to demolish a brick bungalow he owns on Bras D’Or Avenue. He purchased the property five years ago with the plan to raze the bungalow and build two cottages.
Bras D’Or Avenue is part of a swath of neighbourhood of modest, brick bungalows built for Second World War veterans in the 1940s and ’50s. Residents opposed to Lemmo’s plan say it is exactly that vintage charm, coupled with big backyards and mature trees, that give the neighbourhood its special feel.
Susan Weaver, who lives on Bras D’Or and has spearheaded the opposition, was concerned that if the demolition was approved and two cottages built, it would perpetuate what she sees as an unfortunate trend — building big homes on small lots. She said it’s already happening in other parts of PointeClaire, citing Duke of Kent and Dieppe avenues as examples.
Weaver was pleased the committee turned down Lemmo’s request, but she is also aware that demolition committee refusals have been reversed by city council on appeal. “If the decision is reversed on appeal, it will set a precedent for the neighbourhood,” Weaver said.
In 2014, a postwar bungalow on 5th Avenue was demolished even though residents had tried to appeal the approval. The lot was subdivided and two homes built.
Mayor Morris Trudeau said at the time that people wanting to move to Pointe-Claire were having a difficult time finding lots to build on and that the 5th Avenue project aligned with the city’s master plan. In 2011, city council adopted a master plan, which reduced the minimum lot size to 7,000 square feet from 10,800 square feet. Later that year, one lot on Broadway Avenue was divided into three lots.
“The home on 5th Avenue was worn down,” Weaver said. “But this bungalow is in good shape even if it hasn’t been cared for over the last five years.”
When considering a request for a permit, the Pointe-Claire demolition committee takes under advisement two appraisals done by independent firms. It does not rule on post-demolition plans for the property. One company appraises the value of the home. The other appraises the architectural integrity of the building, what needs to be repaired and how much the repairs would cost. The committee also takes into consideration citizen opposition, submitted in writing. In the case of Bras D’Or, the committee received 16 letters.
The appraisals deemed the house in “medium” shape citing a long list of problems including drainage issues, the degradation of the joints, and the need to redo the wiring and renovate the kitchen. The estimated cost of addressing the longlist of repairs was $200,000. The estimated cost of razing and rebuilding was $228,700.
The municipal evaluation of the building is $95,600 while the 18,800-square-foot lot is listed on the taxation roll at $283,200, for a total of $378,000.
During the demolition-committee meeting two weeks ago, residents opposing the request — some with marketing, engineering and construction expertise — questioned the accuracy of the two independent reports.
Demolition committee president, Coun. Aldo Iermieri said the committee does not take decisions lightly and that the city had been using the same independent appraisers for two years.
That said, he also noted following the committee’s rejection of the request, that the citizens came to the meeting prepared to argue their case. He said Lemmo, who also attended the meeting, did not add anything new to the conversation. “We took into consideration the citizens’ concerns about the face of the neighbourhood changing,” Iermieri said.
Over the last 12 months, the city received 12 applications for demolition permits. The request for the house on Bras D’Or was the only one to be rejected.
Lemmo has not yet decided if he will appeal. He has until Sept. 8 to make the decision.