Residents worry as city orders repairs to Proudfoot Lane parking garage

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 4:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The proprietor of a ample flat analyzable successful westbound London has installed impermanent shoring successful its parking store successful effect to a metropolis bid citing information concerns.

On May 6, the metropolis posted an "order to marque safe" announcement successful the lobbies of each of the 4 14-storey flat buildings astatine 575-605 Proudfoot Ln. The city's announcement said the two-storey parking store astatine the centre of the buildings "contains conditions that could beryllium hazardous to the wellness and information of persons successful the mean usage of the building."

The announcement points to "deteriorated factual and exposed rebar," which metropolis inspectors considered to beryllium successful an unsafe condition.

The announcement says nether the Ontario Building Code, proprietor Old Oak Properties is required to spell retired their plans to make the parking store harmless capable for continued usage successful an engineer's study submitted to the metropolis by May 7.

The metropolis confirmed that Old Oak has present submitted that study and has installed impermanent shoring to marque the store harmless capable for usage portion much extended repairs are carried out.

"The unsafe bid was to get contiguous enactment from the gathering owner," said a connection from Alan Shaw, the city's main gathering official. "In this case, the proprietor has been responsive, and we received the engineering study connected Thursday stating the operation remains harmless to usage astatine this time. Hence, the removal of the unsafe bid today."

In a connection to CBC News, Old Oak Properties said the parking store is harmless for usage and that they proactively began to repair it past year.

"Old Oak takes the information of our residents and guests arsenic our apical priority," the institution said.

CBC News went to the parking store connected Friday. Some sections of the little level person vertical metallic supports placed nether the factual beams. In a fewer places, the garage's metallic enactment operation is visible where the factual has fallen away.

Meanwhile, residents accidental they're frustrated that they were not fixed immoderate accusation by the owner, and were alternatively near to construe the city's posted connection with its header "Unsafe Building - Order to Make Safe."

"It's truly nerve-wracking," said Anastacia Dyck, who's lived astatine the gathering since 2019. "I would similar immoderate study saying the gathering is structurally sound, that the gathering is not going to collapse."

Margaret Schwartz has lived astatine 575 Proudfood Ln. for 10 years.

"They haven't communicated thing to the tenants," she said. "A batch of tenants are disquieted astir the information of radical utilizing the garage."

Jen Watson pays $100 a period connected apical of her rent to parkland successful the garage.

"It doesn't consciousness safe," she said. "The beams person been crumbling for rather immoderate time."

On apical of the parking store is simply a grassy courtyard with a swimming pool. Old Oak Properties said they volition pass residents astir aboriginal repairs.

"We volition proceed to update residents and the City of London connected immoderate adjacent steps arsenic the rehabilitation program is finalized, maintaining information for our residents arsenic our highest priority," their connection said.

In summation to installing the impermanent shoring, Old Oak is required to supply monthly engineering monitoring reports. 
Shaw said the metropolis volition proceed to oversee however the repairs are carried out.

"We volition proceed to enactment with the owner's technologist to place the repairs needed and supply a timeline for the repair to beryllium completed," said Shaw. "This volition apt effect successful further orders successful the coming days to guarantee the repairs commence successful a timely fashion."