City of Burlington Granted Permanent Injunction for 'Party House' on Lakeshore Road
*Please see the media release below issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont. — Feb. 4, 2020 — Based on recent court actions undertaken by the City’s Legal Services department, the City of Burlington was successful in seeking a permanent injunction against homeowners operating a commercial ‘party house’ in a residential area on Lakeshore Road near Goodram Drive in contravention of the City’s zoning bylaw.The City received numerous complaints about the property being rented for parties, weddings and other events. These events caused residents in the area great amounts of stress and denied them the normal enjoyment of their neighbourhood.The order obtained by the City prohibits the use of the property for commercial purposes or otherwise in a manner not permitted by City’s zoning bylaw. The City was also awarded costs in favour of $9,500.The order is subject to a 30-day appeal period.
"We are very pleased with the outcome of the hearing. Residents can rest assured that the City will act when homeowners use their residences for commercial purposes such as banquets and other events that are not permitted under the City’s Zoning By-Law. Such uses consequently have a severe impact on residents and their neighbourhoods and it’s our responsibility to prevent that from occurring. City staff in Legal Services and our By-Law enforcement team worked closely with the Ward Councillor Shawna Stolte and residents to help bring about this successful outcome." — Nick Anastasopoulos, Director of Building and Bylaw, City of Burlington
Quick Facts
- When the City receives bylaw enforcement related complaints, City staff review and investigate the complaint.
- If it is determined that a bylaw infraction has occurred, then City staff begin by working with the property owner to gain compliance, educate the property owner and to ensure it doesn’t occur again.
- The vast majority of complaints are dealt with in this manner
- In instances where an agreement can’t be reached with the property owner(s) to gain compliance or there are repeat violations, the City may lay charges under the appropriate bylaw or seek to obtain compliance through other means, which may involve Superior Court proceedings, where appropriate.
- The City receives over 4000 bylaw related complaints a year.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:I credit Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte and all the residents in this area for their diligence and persistence in addressing the abuse of short-term rentals in their community. Their efforts send the message across Burlington that our City is no place for unsanctioned “party houses.” We welcome Airbnbs or other short-term rentals that operate as they are intended. But short-term rentals are not intended to replace conference centres or large event venues and when they do, the result has been noise, fire and safety hazards. The City of Burlington is working towards a more permanent solution towards this issue and short-term rentals, in general, with options coming back to council later this year.--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist