would be a prime example of where that type of expedited demolition makes sense. Gilroy said the property at 51 Roslyn Rd. Cindy Gilroy has called for a report on the issue of granting Winnipeg’s property and development director the power to approve demolition permits for residential buildings without a public hearing, which is currently required. The city is currently monitoring 665 vacant properties, including 157 commercial and 508 residential ones, under its vacant building bylaw. A recent city report notes Winnipeg fire crews responded to 39 fires at vacant buildings they monitor in each of 20, followed by 40 such blazes in 2021. The next thing you know, they could be starting fires in there to keep warm,” he said.Ĭoncerns about vacant buildings being set on fire have increased over recent years. “We want to avoid the potential for bigger issues, like the building going up in flames, or, eventually, other security (issues for) the neighbourhood … our fear is that as people (continue) to move in there, obviously with cold weather, they need to stay warm. While the land’s owner hired private security to help monitor the site, a later demolition date would leave it at risk, he said.

Rodrigues said it will take months to complete that work. The city has approved rezoning and variance applications for a six-storey, 66-unit apartment building at the site, though final drawings are still being completed. On Thursday, council’s city centre community committee granted a request to demolish the building before a new building permit is issued, something city rules typically require before a building is torn down. “As soon as the fence went up and the windows and doors got boarded, it was almost like an invitation for people to move in… it seems (the barriers) had the opposite effect (of what was intended),” said Rodrigues, a principal architect with h5 architecture, in an interview with the Free Press. The three-storey, 25-unit Saigon apartment building at 51 Roslyn Rd. While it was boarded up soon after, people began breaking in to stay inside the structure less than a month later, said Helio Rodrigues, an architect who is working to redevelop the land. The three-storey, 25-unit apartment building at 51 Roslyn Rd. This article was published (273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.Ī former apartment building is set for an early demolition after repeated break-ins sparked fears it could be set on fire or vandalized. Free Press 101: How we practise journalism.

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