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Anxiousrentersawaitmayor’spledge With the sale of four Metrotown rental buildings, the tenants are nervous election promises won’t be kept
Kelvin Gawley
kgawley@burnabynow.com
Iryn Sarmiento doesn’t want to move. She likes the size of the twobedroom apartment she shares with her family. She likes that her four kids only have to walk a block to school in the morning. And she likes the relatively affordable $1,000 rent. That’s why she voted for Burnaby’s new mayor, Mike Hurley, a political newcomer who vowed during the campaign to protect Sarmiento and her neighbours from forced displacement. Hurley, who was sworn into office Nov. 5, has promised a moratorium on redevelopment approvals in Metrotown until the city has a comprehensive plan to better accommodate tenants affected by demovictions – evictions for the purpose of demolishing a building, often to make way for a new condo tower. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Burnaby saw a net loss of 889 rental units between 2010 and 2018. Much of that loss has come from Metrotown, where low-rise apartment buildings have been razed and replaced by gleaming steel and glass towers. Sarmiento knows what Hurley has promised but still feels anxious about the future. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m still worried.” Her apartment building, 6645 Dow Ave., sold this summer as part of a multimillion-dollar fourlot land assembly. It’s not clear how much Sarmiento’s building sold for in a bidding process that did not include a publicly listed asking price. The property was valued at $17.2 million in 2016 and $36.9 million in 2017. The building was marketed as a great investment opportunity for anyone looking to “capitalize on strong demand for condos in Burnaby and the Metrotown area as shown by the recent success of
UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Nathan Cunan fears for the future now that his Dow Avenue apartment has been sold to a developer. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER several projects including Townline’s The Sussex, Polygon’s Vittorio and Transca’s Polaris.” The listing mentions Sarmiento’s 40-unit rental building as providing “steady holding income” for a potential buyer during the rezoning process. Sarmiento says some of her neighbours have already moved out, not waiting for an eviction notice they believe is imminent. But the mother of four plans to stay in her home of eight years until she has no other choice. “If possible, I have to fight for it,” she said.
MAYOR REASSURES TENANTS Asked about the future of the recently sold properties, Hurley recommitted to his promise. “I don’t blame them for feeling nervous,” he said. “Of course, I would be in the same position if I was them, but what I can say to them is that none of these buildings will move forward through any process until everyone in those buildings are taken care of.” Hurley said the moratorium on redevelopment in Metrotown will remain in place until his housing task force completes its final report, expected in June.
One solution could involve guaranteeing displaced tenants a place in any new development that replaces their old home and arranging temporary housing during construction, Hurley said. And, he said, it will include implementing new rental zoning, which the City of Burnaby recently became the first to add to its bylaws after the province granted such powers earlier this year. “Rest assured that any buildings that get rebuilt will include affordable rentals as part of their process,” Hurley said. But some residents of the re-
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cently sold properties aren’t ready to trust politicians. Derek lives two doors down from Sarmiento at 6675 Dow Ave. He too voted for Hurley – “because I know the old mayor tried to just destroy everything” – but has his doubts. “The developers keep destroying, and I don’t think (Hurley) can do it,” said Derek, who did not give his last name. “My hope was for the new mayor to do something but, as you know, we don’t live in a perfect world.” Continued on page 3
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