Safety concerns mean apartment owners can’t use their balconies

KITCHENER City buildings officials say the residents in an eight-storey apartment building at Ottawa Street and Midland Drive cannot use their enclosed balconies.

Building inspectors declared the balconies at 24 Midland Dr. unsafe because wooden studs and drywall were used to build the exterior walls when the balconies were enclosed in 1990 with no building permit.

The exterior walls of the balconies do not comply with the Ontario Building Code.

The owners have until Dec. 1 to complete the work to make the balconies safe for each of the 73 units. The building is in the ward represented by Coun. Berry Vrbanovic, who organized a meeting among the residents, city building officials and engineers.

The latest review says all the balconies do not meet the code, there are concerns with them, some are particularly bad and there are life-safety issues, potentially, with the balconies, Vrbanovic said in an interview Friday.

The building, known as Stanley Park Place, was built in 1967. The units are owned by the occupants in a condominium-like arrangement.

For the seniors it is worrisome, Vrbanovic said. It is going to be a potentially significant chunk of money.

It could cost up to $25,000 to bring each balcony up to the standards of the building code. The construction season is in full swing right now and that could push the costs up, so Vrbanovic hopes the deadline can be extended.

Mike Seiling, the citys top building official, said nobody is allowed to use the enclosed balconies until the exterior walls are replaced.

If we have to give them some extra time we will be willing to listen, but we want to see some action, he said. We understand this is going to be expensive, we are sympathetic to that.

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Safety concerns mean apartment owners can’t use their balconies