Regional government buys another home in the Beachway for $405,000 - they have scooped up six so far

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

December 15th, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It is a little like bowling pins – this great big ball comes rolling down on the pins that are standing there unable to get out of the way. Every time the ball comes rolling – some of the pins take a whack and disappear.

Another pin took a hit – the pin was one of the houses on Willow Street in the Beachway.

Beachway - Willow Street residences

The house in the centre was sold to the |Region for a reported $405,000 with the owner becoming a rent free tenant for two years.

Another house was reportedly purchased by the Regional government which basically puts an end to housing on that street.

The house is reported to have been sold for $405,000 with the owner having the right to remain in the building for two years rent free.

Beachway 1011 sold for $600k

This house was sold to the Region for a price in the $600,000 plus range.

This latest sale brings the total to six out of the 28 homes that are in the community.

While the Regional real estate people pick off the homes one by one people in the Regional Planning department toil away at completing the design of the Beachway Park.

Beachway - Full park

Regional planners are working up a plan that will turn what was once a community that had its own newspaper and was home to hundreds of people. The plan for the park is a splendid piece of planning – but will it meet the longer terms needs of the city – and will it b a safe place?

The park design, at least what the public has seen to date, is splendid. The intention is to purchase the homes in the Beachway, on a willing buyer – willing seller basis – which is a bit of a canard and they do seem to be grinding away.

Quite why some of the homes could not be left in the park making it a safer place when the public gets to use it has never been made clear.

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12 comments to Regional government buys another home in the Beachway for $405,000 – they have scooped up six so far

  • helene skinner

    Dear Burlington Local,

    Let me inform you. You know what they say…”knowledge is power”. So with this knowledge you will have your facts right and will be at the top of your game when speaking to the subject. Did you know that many of the Beachway homes including mine have been completely renovated and or newly built. Homes built in the 50’s had NO R-value insulation. Quite a few homes on the Beachway have top of the line insulation (I say that factually as we are in the business and know the homes well). Bank appraisals have increased in value and in no way are they considered seasonal cottages. The Beachway homes are on municipal water and some septic systems are top of the line Federally and municipally approved and to code and have been inspected. Mine sir, cost me $18,000 and quite frankly, I and many who I know who live in million dollar homes in Halton love being on independant septic systems as we don’t worry about back-ups. All that being said…before you generalize (just like The Donald)…why don’t you drop by…your jaw might drop as our home and many others on the Beachway are renovated and have high end upgrades inside. Put your money where your mouth is Mr. Burlington Local!!

  • helene skinner

    Dear Burlington Local,

    Interesting name to hide behind. Your home must be the envy of all!! Now stop and think…how many homes in Burlington neighbour our highways…exactly, I know you have the right answer. MANY!!!!! Suggest that you live with the glass half full…much more pleasant that way!!

    • C Jester

      Here, here! Burlington Beach Community may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but then it’s not meant to be nor ever could be. There just aren’t that many houses available and those that are are dwindling. It is certainly the preferred cup of tea for those that live there. The tea czars at the region decided that they should have no tea there at all. Only in Canada, eh? Pity!

  • G. Stevenson

    Ahhh, Burlington Local, beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder isn’t it??? While you say “ramshackle housing” others say “unique and eclectic”, “an area that represents part of the City’s history”.

    Beauty some say are multi million dollar homes along the Bayfront with views of smoke stacks, or row upon row of cookie cutter brick houses where you open a window and shake hands with your neighbour. Others like those neighbourhoods where roads are lined with illegally parked cars because there is not enough room in their driveways. Then there are the glass towers…. oh we could go on!!!

    But it is just an opinion after all.

    So lets be fair here, invite the residents of the Beachway to your neighbourhood, let them have a chance to judge beauty and report back. The Beachway residents have had to endure the “spotlight” for far too long. Let them have a chance to critique what you consider to be beautiful as opposed to “ramshackle”.

    They deserve better.

    • I live in Central or Downtown Burlington. It’s mostly brick houses from the 50’s or earlier, all homes, to my knowledge, have access to the municipal water system. None of my neighbours live in pre-war one or two bedroom summer cottages, retrofitted with insulation, and serviced by a septic system. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with those houses, I’m sure they are lovely from May to September. What I’m saying is, if you are holding out in 10-15 years when the region is trying to finish the park, they are going to expropriate your lot and cut you a cheque, regardless of your desire to stay put and be “unique and eclectic”.

  • Chris Collier

    To Burlington Local with regards to “ramshackle houses” I live in one of those homes and have been for 45 yrs. I suggest next time you drive down through the strip try opening your eyes.

  • Ahhh, that Muskoka feeling you get when you are directly beneath and beside one of Canada’s busiest highways, and right next door to the regional water treatment plant. What a great thing to bequeath to your grandchildren. I’m sure that will be preferred to hundreds of thousand of dollars in cash.

    I recommend you sell now while the going is good! Let our community develop a landmark Beachway Park for the generations to come, without ramshackle housing punctuating the landscape. Or hold out, and watch the offers get smaller and smaller, before someone at the region offices decides enough is enough and googles “eminent domain”.

  • JQ Public

    As predicted by many, the cost to buy all of the houses will be $15 – $20 million if the average so far holds. This is far from the $10 million dreamed up in the Regional “estimates”. Then of course the land rehabilitation costs will have to be added on top. Should taxpayers be applauding?

  • Helene Skinner

    Be it The Donald who uses fear mongering to segregate (CNN fact – not opinion), the media or Burlington’s politicians who also use fear mongering in hopes to wear the completed Park ‘badge’…it is the responsibility of the tax payers to keep informed. When a bowling ball releases itself from the holder it’s intent is to knock down all the pins…but this can only be done by proper alignment and agreement. Interested WILLING Seller/Willing Buyer. Hence, the Region’s Real Estate department has contacted the Beachway homeowners ONCE to ASK if they are INTERESTED in selling to the Region. If the homeowner is…then and ONLY then is there further contact with the Region to continue discussions followed by appraisals and negotiations. Under absolutely NO circumstance is anyone on Lakeshore Road a.k.a. Beachway being “forced” to sell now or in the future. We are not even “forced” to reply to the Region. Those who have sold have personal reasons such as: opportunity to relocate; estate sale (2 of the homes). These sellers were WILING sellers with the most recent sale price being dictated by the homeowner which was above the usual methodology. Let me put this in easy form “this is the price…Deal or NO deal!!”! As the majority of the residents are not going to sell to the Region now or in any forseable future as many will hand their homes down to their children and grand children – the fear mongering has turned sides. It is the Beachway homeowners who hold the cards and the bargaining power!! The Region’s Real Estate department is not finding this mandate an easy one and will never be!! The entire world focus today is about human rights…Burlington’s Lakeshore a.k.a. Beachway residents assume their rights like all other residential home owners of living in their homes till the end. The ‘end’ is defined by the homeowners NOT the government!! Contrary to misinformation / lack of or presumptions…based on fear of the bowling ball apocolipse…Beachway appraisals are taking on significant value and banks are lending. It’s business as usual as there is NO expropriation. We live steps to the beach…have water access…trail access…highway access…minutes from GO station…walking distance to downtown Burlington all while enjoying the Muskoka feel…NO we’re not going anywhere. This is Paradise!!

    • Tom Muir

      Good explanation Helene!

      As long as there is no expropriation, live the dream.

      Who would want to sell for no other reason than have to, or take the money and run.

      Very nice place to live, as told here.

    • I realize residents are not at the moment “forced” into selling. However, There is a map of the future with no houses in the area – and this remains the regions “goal”. I’d preferrer that the region and city worked with residents to see who was interested in staying and form a plan with those residents incorporated.

  • Expanding the park is a fine idea, but I’ve never been in support of the way the city/region is going about this. To just define an area and say “we are going to remove everyone living there” in this grinding way without public support seems very undemocratic.

    Creating a massive dark area that is going to have no one naturally around late at night seems short sited. The staff seem obsessed with having no one in this strip – as many people as they can jam in along Plains / Fairview and every business up at highway 5. This is a recipe for a transit disaster that city has not one single idea on how to solve.

    People are going to have to start demanding that the city and region start responding to the needs of residents and not the utopian dreams of a couple of special interest groups.