Windows were boarded up Monday at 48 Weber Street West, just hours after city officials ordered that the downtown Kitchener apartment building be vacated.
“We’ve had dealings with this property for quite some time,” said Shayne Turner, the city’s director of bylaw enforcement.
“It got to the point where we felt that it was time to prohibit occupancy.”
For several weeks, security guards had been stationed at the building around the clock, to watch for fire.
According to Turner, developments in recent days caused concerns to escalate – prompting their 10 a.m. condemnation.
“We went door-to-door to talk to all the tenants we could find, to inform them that they have to leave by this afternoon,” he said.
Trish Cousins wasn’t one of those displaced tenants.
She says she moved out of the building earlier this year, having had enough of issues like a lack of running water and mouldy walls.
“It’s an old building. It would be nice to see it restored,” she said, saying the complex had “tons of potential … but extreme neglect.”
Work must now be done to bring 48 Weber – dubbed the Berlin Palace – into compliance with Kitchener’s property standards bylaw and Ontario’s fire code.
The day’s developments came as good news to Renzo Bernardini, who has lived next door for several years.
“It’s about time. It’s a relief,” he said.
Bernardini said he had seen tenants of the building behave “obnoxiously,” including entering and exiting the apartment via windows, and littering.
“They made a lot of noise,” he said.
Cousins also said she had seen behavioural issues at the Berlin Palace, including break-ins, violent encounters and “tons of drugs.”
Twelve people were living in the building along with one dog and “three or four” cats, Turner said.
All displaced residents have been set up with temporary shelter.
The animals were removed by Ontario SPCA agents.
