A west-end 海角社区官网public housing site, emptied of its tenants after a ceiling collapse last summer, is costing approximately $326,000 every month to maintain 鈥 a price-tag the public housing agency is now citing in its efforts to tear the Swansea Mews complex down.
海角社区官网Community Housing Corp., operator of the more than 100 townhomes that have existed beside High Park since the 1970s, says that spending is going toward security for the empty homes, as well as shoring 鈥 steel supports put in place to ensure the units鈥 concrete ceilings don鈥檛 fall down. That ongoing cost adds to the nearly $13 million TCHC had spent on its emergency response as of early fall.
The shoring was put up after a ceiling fell last May, which hospitalized one tenant and revealed a fault in the ceiling that, later, could not be ruled out in other units across the complex.
滨迟鈥檚 a reckoning that forced out roughly 400 residents, first into spaces like college dormitories, hotels and motels, and later into longer-term public housing units elsewhere in the city. In the roughly 10 months post-collapse, TCHC has been mum about plans for Swansea鈥檚 future.
Now it鈥檚 asking permission from its board 鈥 which meets Friday 鈥 to apply to city hall for a demolition permit. 鈥淒ue to safety concerns with respect to the structural failure 鈥 and the future risks of structural failures consistent with the findings of TCHC Staff and external consultant reports, it has been determined that demolition is the only option to comply with the City Orders,鈥 the staff report reads.
If TCHC does not proceed with demolition, it warns that evacuated residents will simply be waiting longer without answers 鈥 they鈥檇 been promised the right to return to Swansea once it鈥檚 safe, though TCHC鈥檚 CEO has previously warned that would certainly take years, whether the solution was a repair or full rebuild. It also warned of the financial toll, with an anticipated months-long wait for a demolition permit, spilling into years if rezoning is required.
The Star requested a more detailed breakdown of the ongoing costs on Friday afternoon, which TCHC was not able to provide by the end of the day Tuesday. A spokesperson confirmed the shoring was rented, and said the cost also included inspections and any needed maintenance. Right now, the security and shoring costs are coming out of an emergency containment budget.
While the report doesn鈥檛 offer any detail about what a new, rebuilt Swansea Mews could look like, or an estimated cost for the project, 海角社区官网has a rental replacement policy that means when more than six rental units are demolished, the same number and size must be rebuilt.
Under that policy, existing tenants are also guaranteed a right to return, should they choose.
While the recommendation to the TCHC Board was only released in recent days, the agency was told a teardown was needed eight months ago. In its latest report, TCHC cites a June 16 finding from CS&P architects, which stated that 鈥渢here is no choice, the existing buildings must be demolished and a new Swansea Mews community must be built.鈥
The report said Toronto鈥檚 Chief Building Officer then retained an engineering firm to perform a due diligence review of that advice. Asked about the months that elapsed before the demolition recommendation was advanced to TCHC鈥檚 board, the housing agency told the Star in a statement on Tuesday that the safety and needs of tenants had been its 鈥渢op focus.鈥
鈥淥ur priority has been clearing and securing the buildings, supporting over a hundred households through the temporary accommodation and relocation process, and moving tenants鈥 belongings that still remain,鈥 it said, adding that 海角社区官网Building鈥檚 due diligence process 鈥渞ecently concluded.鈥
The Swansea crisis has, for some families, been slow-moving. While a number of tenants moved into longer-term units last summer, others remained in the relocation process months longer 鈥 living in the meantime in homes formerly scheduled for demolition in Regent Park.
By January, TCHC warned the 14 remaining families that time was up, and that if they weren鈥檛 matched with a unit by Jan. 26, they would be folded into the relocation process for the Regent Park revitalization, and given second priority behind regular tenants of the neighbourhood.
While the ceiling issue is believed by TCHC to date back to the community鈥檚 construction, Swansea had also languished for years in critical disrepair. In 2015, it was picked as a pilot site for a repair project, but that was later scrapped for lack of funding.
In an email to tenants on Friday, TCHC also cited the 鈥渄aily costs鈥 of maintaining the condemned complex in its vacant state, arguing those funds could be used instead for a rebuild.
There was no timeline yet for a rebuild, the report said, but it reiterated TCHC鈥檚 promise to replace the torn-down homes. 鈥淪wansea Mews tenants that successfully completed the Swansea Mews relocation process tenants have the right to return when rebuilding is complete.鈥
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