Matt Titheridge was surprised to find his new garage on 1958 Second Ave. branded as an unlawful encroachment by Coun. Laurie Charlton’s letter to the editor in the Jan. 6 edition of the Rossland News.
“It’s exciting to be his most recent slander candidate of the week,” Titheridge laughed. “What kills me the most is that this guy, [Charlton,] can take just a shard of information and twist a pioneering step to improve our community into an eyesore and property theft.”
Charlton wrote: “The problem is the garage is being built so that ... it encroaches about seven feet onto the city’s road allowance.”
But Titheridge noted that his garage replaced a rotten retaining wall that was not only a recognized hazard and was not only taller than the new garage wall, but also extended 11 feet onto city property.
Titheridge also noted that he obtained a building permit in October 2010 and has built a sturdy, highly insulated room into the bank. It uses efficient heat-pump technology for in-floor heating and cooling, plus a water re-capture system. He said he will add a green roof in the spring, complete with an edible garden to take advantage of the southern exposure.
“We’re here for the long haul,” Titheridge said about himself and his partner. “We want to make a positive impact. It was an awesome project and great to feel I was working with the city.”
When Coun. Charlton raised the issue yet again at council on Monday night, CAO Victor Kumar was clear: It’s not an encroachment when the new wall actually reduces the pre-existing encroachment. Explicit council approval was not necessary by any stretch of the law, Kumar said.
“I’ve been working with the city for three years on this one,” Titheridge said. “Since then I’ve been banking away to make it possible. Something had to be done about [the rotten wall].”
“He contacted me worrying about it,” said Rossland’s building inspector, Jason Ward. “He asked what he could do. He consulted with all of staff and the OCP.”
“You couldn’t get to his house [from Second Ave.] before,” Ward added. “You had to go through the alley. By local government act, if you have a buildable lot, you have to have access from the street you’re facing.”
Titheridge explained, “We wanted to work with the city and we tried to collaborate on the most ethical and responsible solution. We talked about moving [the wall] completely back into the property, but that would have made the garage too small to hold a truck. The city has taken back as much property as it could.”
“It provided him access from the frontage,” Ward said. “We’re righting wrongs as much as we can, without throwing out the baby with the bathwater.”
While he hopes to set the record straight on this issue, Titheridge expressed concern that Charlton’s general approach has a negative impact on Rossland.
“I have a hard time thinking he can’t play on the same team as city staff. There’s a lot of good ideas here, but if you’re jumping on all the ambitious people, you’re going to end up with a rotting town. He’s a stick in the spokes of progress.”