Correspondence with The Toronto Community Housing Corporation

Lerette Manor

January 18, 2007, from Jutta Mason to Derek Ballantyne, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Community Housing Corporation

I'm hoping you can help with a parking problem at the TCHC building on 12th Street in Etobicoke.

My 81-year-old mother lives there and my brother or I drive out from downtown every week, to help her out in various ways. There are only 4 public parking spots in front of this high rise and another 4 visitor parking spots in the little parking area beside. Around the corner there are only 5 more spots. All the rest of the streets near that building are marked "no parking." There's pay parking on the Lakeshore, a block and a half away.

Yesterday those few spots near the TCH building were all full and I was in a rush so I had to park beyond the no parking sign. So I got a $30 ticket for helping my old mother.

The strange parking restrictions in this housing area -- there are potentially many other parking spots on the seldom-traveled internal roads of this whole complex -- have been in effect from the time the building opened. The City Councillor at that time said they'd try to address this -- but after more than 10 years, it hasn't changed.

I think this is a legitimate concern of your Housing Company, since your building is for seniors and they depend on visitors for many kinds of help. The parking arrangements discourage social and physical support from visitors. Relatives' time is already very tight and we shouldn't have our visits made harder by inadequate parking.

Could you please tell me how this parking problem can be remedied? Through the City Councillor? The community council? Your office?

January 19, 2007, from Steve Floros, Director, Property Management, TCHC, to Jutta Mason

front entrance for residents and guests

Your e-mail dated January 18 to Toronto Community Housing CEO, Derek Ballantyne, has been forwarded to my attention for response.

Lerette Manor contains 178 apartment units for seniors. As you have noted, there is very limited surface parking and the compact size of our property does not permit additional spaces to be constructed on the surface.

Lerette Manor has an underground parking garage with approximately 58 spaces and all of the spaces are rented to tenants. As a matter of fact, we have a waiting list of tenants who have requested parking so we do not have an opportunity to create additional visitor parking on this property.

TCHC has a backlog of capital work that is worth many hundreds of millions of dollars for in-suite improvements, mechanical systems and structural repairs. We are struggling with our annual capital repair plan that is inadequate to even repair what we consider urgent work. I hope that you can appreciate that even if we had empty spaces in the underground, we would be hard pressed to spend capital dollars here ahead of the many projects we have identified as urgent work.

Street parking around Lerette Manor is limited and overnight parking is by permit only. TCHC has previously approached city officials to relax street parking restrictions. However, TTC buses use this community as a turn around and the bus turning radius may be preventing changes to street parking.

January 25 2007, from Jutta Mason to Steve Floros, Director, Property Management, TCHC

You will note that I have now started the process of addressing your tenants' shortage of normal on-street (visitor) parking with the councillor's office. Will you be able to attend a site meeting, or is there another staff person i should be contacting?

Also, I'd like to post the ongoing correspondence on behalf of my mother, to keep the residents informed. I note that TCHC's official bulletin board near the elevators at 250 Twelfth Street is kept locked. Is there a community bulletin board where this correspondence can be posted? Whom should I contact to get permission?

January 25, 2007, from Steve Floros, Director, Property Management, TCHC, to Jutta Mason

I can send a staff member when you have convened a meeting. As for the bulletin board, you can check with the superintendent, Alex Lemeza who can help you with access to posting a message.