As RidgeView Place residents scrambled to find beds for the night on Monday (April 24), Langford set up cots in Gordon United Church.
The City of Langford’s emergency program set up 25 beds for residents displaced by the building’s sudden closure in the church’s hall on Goldstream Avenue. Gordon United has been involved in the emergency program for several years, according to Ray Green, chairperson of the church council. The setup is practised in the hall a couple of times a year, but this was the first time Green’s seen it in action for real.
“Within an hour, they had everything set up,” Green said. “It was well-organized, which is another good thing to see that they’re ready to go when it needs to be for other things.”
Nobody ended up using the beds overnight, but the cots are staying set up overnight on Tuesday (April 25) in the event they’re needed.
On Monday (April 24), Langford revoked the occupancy permit for the troubled RidgeView Place apartment building – formerly known as Danbrook One – over safety concerns with residents forced to vacate their homes immediately.
The rental building located at 2770 Claude Rd. is owned by Centurion Apartment Properties Inc. and had the permit revoked “due to ongoing life safety concerns related to the structural design and performance of the building,” the city said in a news release.
This left residents scrambling, unsure where to go and spend the night or what possessions they should bring, or if they’d be able to get back into the building to recover possessions after Monday.
Centurion sent a letter to residents informing them their tenancy had been ended effective April 24.
“Our first priority is your safety. We ask residents to only pack essential items at this time and are working diligently to gather additional information and will provide an update by the end of the week,” reads the letter.
Justin Bergh came to Langford from Australia around a year ago, moving into the building with his wife and three kids, but they all spent Monday night in a hotel pic.twitter.com/hMjNH6p6UW
— bailey (@moreton_bailey) April 26, 2023
Justin Bergh came to Langford from Australia around a year ago, moving into the building with his wife and three kids. After receiving a knock on the door and being handed the letter informing them they had to leave the building, the family was left to pack and find a hotel room to book for the night.
“It’s kind of distraughting,” said Bergh. “We were just trying to live, trying to get kids to school, trying to get our jobs going. I’m going to have to take time off work and my wife’s taking time off work now. Yeah, it’s going to be painful but we’ll make it exciting for the kids and try and make the most of it.”
Bergh said they’d have to start looking for a new house now as he did not plan on moving back into RidgeView, even if the permit is re-approved.
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@moreton_bailey
bailey.moreton@goldstreamgazette.com
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