Condo developer begins offering refunds in long-delayed project
Posted May 26, 2021 6:14 pm.
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The developers behind a long-delayed condo project – advertised to seniors of the Christian faith – have begun refunding deposits after a CityNews investigation found several complaints about the development.
The proposed Trinity Ravine Towers project on Markham Road in Scarborough was advertised as a large senior living development. It was first unveiled in 2016 and several people paid tens of thousands of dollars to secure condos there.
The project was supposed to be completed no later than March 2019. But still to this day, nothing has been built.
Many people like James Azizieh, whose parents paid a $70,000 deposit, say they tried to get their money back for years but could not get any answers.
Frustrated, Azizieh reached out to CityNews back in March.
“It was really amazing, the very next day, we got a phone call from them and we signed the release forms and got our money back,” Azizieh said this week.
Several other purchasers, who reached out to us after our initial report, were also contacted and were either issued refunds with interest or are scheduled to in the coming weeks.
“It’s just been so much relief. We no longer feel like the past keeps coming back and haunting us,” Azizieh said.
Trinity Ravine Towers was the brainchild of Global Kingdom Ministries, a Christian church which owns the parking lot where this development was supposed to be built.
RELATED: Speakers Corner: People want answers after condo development they paid for is never built
In our initial report, CityNews uncovered that not only has nothing been constructed, proper permits for the site still have not been issued.
In a follow-up statement, the Trinity Ravine Community Board said, “Trinity Ravine is refunding deposits, with interest, to purchasers. This is proceeding while adhering to the current pandemic restrictions with mandatory safety protocols in place.”
Despite having to refund deposits the planned development may still move forward.
“We expect to announce go-forward plans for Trinity Ravine Community in July 2021 or earlier, as we work to finalize the details. We appreciate our purchasers’ continued patience and understanding as we work through this process.”
But for Azizieh’s parents, time had run out long ago. They’re now at an age where moving is not possible.
“It really did upset the plan for their golden years. While I feel that we were wronged and that the whole experience was a negative one, we can’t dwell on it we just have to move forward,” Azizieh said.
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