For more than two years, it’s been a boarded-up eyesore to its neighbours.
That won’t be the case for much longer.
In November 2011, a house at the corner of Bridgeport Road and Regina Street was hit by a kitchen fire.
The one person inside at the time was able to escape, but the house was gutted.
Windows were boarded up and the property sat vacant as its owner sorted through insurance issues.
More than two years later, it remains empty – prompting neighbours to wonder when things will change.
“It’s not the nicest appearance or first impression,” says Donna-Marie Pye, who owns Relish Cooking Studio, which had just opened its doors the week of the fire.
Pye says she’s concerned shoppers walking up Regina from the uptown core get to the boarded-up building and turn around without realizing her business and others are just on the other side.
City officials say one way or another, something’s likely to happen to the building soon – the owner has been ordered to either rebuilt or demolish the house.
“We want the property to be maintained,” says Jim Barry, Waterloo’s director of enforcement services.
The city’s decision was appealed, and the matter has since made its way through the courts.
“We certainly try not to go that way. We would rather come to an agreement and get the work done,” says Barry.
Last week, frustrated with the process, the owner sold the building.
The new owner doesn’t have to abide by the court-mandated five-month timeline, but city officials say they hope something will be done with the site before long.
