Neighborhood News – May 2014

Sherwood Forest School Site – Community Planning Meeting

Please be sure to come out to the second community planning exercise for the Sherwood Forest School site. The session will be held Wednesday, May 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Brescia University College, in the new Clare Hall, Mercato Room. If you can’t make the meeting, comments can be sent to the City of London attention Brian Turcotte at bturcott@london.ca

Medway Valley ESA

Join us on our introductory walk-through of the Medway ESA {Environmentally Significant Area} that we have adopted!

A city of London Ecologist, Ms. Linda McDougall, will accompany us to point out areas of interest and answer your questions. We are planning a ‘Buckthorn Busting’ event for June too. Come along and learn how to be good stewards of our beautiful valley.

When: Saturday, May 10 at 9 am sharp!
Where: meet at the Doncaster Gate entrance {the wooden gate}. Doncaster Gate is off Doncaster Ave. and is at the extreme north-western end of our adopted area.

We will walk the length of our whole area which extends up to the fields near Brescia College area so wear suitable walking clothing and footwear. Bring a snack and water and even gloves in case we pick up litter along the way.

contact persons:
Ruth Walton jrwalton@sympatico.ca
Patti Prieur plprieur@hotmal.com

Student Housing Issues

If you see a for rent sign on a house, you can check to see if it is licensed. Go to the City’s Property Inquiry system to find out.

If it is not licensed, you can report it to the city at rentallicensing@london.ca with a copy to Sandy Levin and Councillor Branscombe. If you prefer not to send it yourself, send it to Sandy and he would be happy to do so on your behalf.

Rollingwood Circle Erosion Rehab project

This remedial project involves replacing a deficient storm sewer outlet system and addressing some erosion issues down the slope of the ravine from the storm sewer outlet. There will also be some remedial work to improve the management of major storm flows from the City right of way near 133 Bloomfield. Here is a diagram showing the approximate limits of the work. Given the location of the storm outlet at the headwater of this tributary of Medway Creek, there will be some disturbance to the tributary at its most upstream point. The city will be requesting quotation shortly.

For more information, contact the following city staff member:

Billy Haklander, P.Eng.
Environmental Services Engineer
Stormwater Management Unit
City of London
519.661.2500×5862

Town and Gown meeting on Thursday, May 8th at City Hall, Council Chambers, at 7 pm.

The London North Community Association (LNCA) is leading the charge to have City Council follow a decision in Oshawa that ruled that homes with more than three unrelated people with separate housing agreements are rooming houses, and not permitted in our neighbourhoods.

If you can’t make the meeting at which everyone is welcome to speak, please consider signing the petition below, forwarded from LNCA.

——– Original Message ——-
Hello everyone,

Over 300 people have signed the Change.org petition. If you have already signed it, thank you – if you haven’t, please do so, we need your support. You are also welcome to forward this email.

Please sign this electronic petition: http://chn.ge/1eCcadg

Change.org captures the Postal Code that the LNCA can access; note as well that while filling the petition, if asked for a donation, it is being asked by Change.org, not by the LNCA.

OVERVIEW

The London Neighbourhood Community Association Inc. (LNCA) seeks to have London more tightly define the permitted uses of R1 (single detached house) rental houses by eliminating the financial incentive to investor landlords. These investor landlords continue to buy up R1 housing stock and rent to many tenants, to the detriment of people living in R1 owner-occupied houses.

This petition will be used to support LNCA’s initiative by asking City Council to replace the current 5 bedroom maximum with a 3 person maximum. This initiative corresponds to the findings of Mr. Justice Howden in his 2008 decision. (Maximum 3 unrelated people can rent an R1 house). J. Howden was a Planning Lawyer for 20 years before being appointed to the bench. His analysis applies the significance and philosophy of why cities create Zones:

A home rented to more than 3 unrelated people, none of whom is the owner, and whose only common bond is the need for shared temporary rental accommodation is considered a Class 2 Lodging House and therefore not a permitted use in an R1 Zone Single Detached Dwelling.

Class 2 Lodging House A residential building which is used to provide lodging units for hire or gain directly or indirectly to more than three persons, with or without meals and only permitted in R8, R9, R10 and R11 Zones.

R1 Zone Single Detached Dwelling A single dwelling which is freestanding, separate and detached from other main buildings or main structures. The R1 Zone is the most restrictive zone in London and only permits single detached dwellings.

Investor landlord rental properties are ruining the integrity and harmony of residential neighbours in London and the existing By-laws are contradictory, ineffective and unenforceable.