Land dispute between a builder and the Town of West Lincoln leaves condo residents paying the price

An ongoing land dispute between a builder and the Town of West Lincoln has left residents of a condo development paying the price.

A vacant piece of land attached to a condo development on Carter Drive in Smithville is at the centre of a growing issue. The builder, DeHaan Homes, owns it but wants to transfer ownership to the Town of West Lincoln.

Until that transaction takes place, the residents who live in the complex have to pay rent or interim occupancy. That fee is more than one thousand dollars a month.

Only when a condominium is “registered” the residents are granted ownership. Some people have been paying this occupancy fee for close to two years.

The town has a park that backs onto the development and one of the most recent proposals by the builder would be to connect the soccer field with a path to the vacant land that’s on the development. That way the vacant land would then belong to the town.

In a letter to condo residents, DeHaan Homes says they provided the township with a cost and a proposal, which they are discussing now and plan to bring to council today for approval. They declined an interview with us today.

The Town of West Lincoln also declined an interview saying they want to discuss the matter with their lawyers first.