Sudbury council green lights Donovan rooming house

A rooming house that has existed illegally for nearly 40 years in Sudbury's Donovan area has finally become legal.

Owners Louise Buckingham and Raymond Goulet said they've cleaned up their Montague Avenue rooming house and screen tenants before allowing them to stay.

And they said they're working with police to prevent illegal activity.

"All it took was one not-so-good person to come in. There was a lot of police activity for almost a year,” Buckingham said.

Goulet said they've also worked with emergency services to improve the safety of the building.

"We have done extensive work at this location to clean it up. Paint. Carpeting. And make it most accommodating for the occupants."

During a Monday meeting, the city's planning committee recommended the six bedrooms and two apartments be approved as a legal residence.

Committee chair Dave Kilgour said letting buildings like this deteriorate, or tearing them down, is not the way to go.

"We have here an opportunity, I hope, that we have some people that want to make this thing a better place,” he said.

“But I will be watching it with eagle eyes too."

Bob Taylor, who lives across from the rooming house, said he's concerned about undesirable tenants and increased traffic.

Taylor was also worried about the mess tenants might create.

"In a lot of cases, garbage is thrown out on the streets, whether it be mattresses, chesterfields,” he said.

The owners hope to rent to students and short term workers.

Sudbury city council ratified the planning committee's decision on Tuesday afternoon.