The view from a couple of Mission apartments isn’t what it was last fall.
Last October, TD Bank set up shop in a commercial unit below an apartment complex at 19 Avenue and 4 Street S.W. That’s when a large green sign went up in front of the apartment, almost directly in front of the suites on the second and third floors of the building.
“It’s been a roller coaster of people trying to get out from the responsibility of dealing with this problem,” said Rae Shungur, who owns the second-floor unit.
“All of a sudden my tenant called me and said, ‘Did you know about this?'” Shungur said. “There’s no view whatsoever. It’s like… a giant green thing.”
“It was like close encounters of the third kind.”
Since the sign was installed, it has undergone some adjustments. The bank initially turned the sign to the side, parallel with the street, then turned it back again and toned down the lighting. But for at least a couple of owners, it’s still a giant eyesore.
“It’s been incredibly frustrating,” said Graydon Falls, who owns the third floor apartment. “I’ve complained to the condo board, directly to the condo president, I’ve complained to the condo management company. I have complained directly to the service developments, who are the ones who own the unit downstairs. I’ve been into the branch to talk to the manager… I’ve talked to 311.”
“No one wants to take any ownership of it. No one feels that it’s their issue.”
The city said because the building’s bottom floor has commercial space, as is the case all along 4 Street, installation of the sign doesn’t violate any city bylaws.
The condo management agency said the signs were approved by the condo board. The agency said it worked with owners and TD to try to come to a resolution, and will continue to address any ongoing concerns.
Longtime Calgary realtor Bev Clarke said it’s not the first conflict she’s seen between residential and commercial property owners.
“As we increase the density of the inner city, we’re going to see more of the commercial on the lower area and residential higher up. It would behoove anyone who is looking to purchase one of these residential or even commercial units to be sure that they totally understand the condominium documents,” Clarke said.
Falls, who works in the banking industry, said he understands the need for marketing, but isn’t satisfied with the solution. He’s struggling to sell his third-floor unit, with potential buyers echoing his sentiment.
“‘We like the location, we like the unit, it’s a quieter building… but you have a giant TD sign.'”
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