Cambridge man may need to tear down retaining wall city made him build

A Cambridge homeowner is sharing his frustration after the city ordered him to rebuild a retaining wall along his property on Edward Street.

Constantin Vasilescu paid around $40,000 to have the wall rebuilt after the city filed two minimum standards orders in 2021 and 2022.

Now that the work is complete, there’s a new complication.

A recent sidewalk proposal would mean he’d have to change a section of the newly rebuilt wall.

“It makes no sense, really, to put a sidewalk,” argues Vasilescu.

The City of Cambridge told CTV News that stretch of Edward Street was identified as a priority area for a potential sidewalk and research has begun to determine if the move is necessary.

“We’re not asking to have [the retaining wall] removed or torn down,” said Alana Russell with the City of Cambridge. “What it does is it impedes on the walkway where the sidewalk would potentially go. That portion would have to be adjusted.”

Vasilescu said he’s frustrated because the city told him the wall met all required dimensions when it was being built. 

“I had the bylaw inspector inspecting the wall at the end of the project and he said there was no concern,” Vasilescu explained.

The city hosted a public meeting for residents to discuss the sidewalk proposal on Wednesday and reaction seemed to be split. Some of the area residents who spoke with CTV New supported the idea while others were against it. Even though there’s interest in the walkway, the city said it doesn’t mean the project will get the green light.

“I would say it’s too soon to jump to any conclusions as to an outcome, or even whether or not a sidewalk would be implemented in that location,” Russell said. “Really the purpose of public consultation is to identify issues that may come forward.”

Residents can still give their input on the sidewalk proposal.

Vasilescu doesn’t know how much it will cost to remove a portion of his retaining wall, but said he’s willing to fight if the city wants him to foot the bill.