The recently rezoned, former Roman Avenue School at 50 Roman Avenue suffered heavy damage in a fire last night.
The Elliot Lake Fire Department worked throughout the night to bring the blaze under control. They were still on the scene this morning using aerial ladder equipment to place water into the structure. Their press release and supplied photos are here.
The property was recently rezoned from Institutional (I) to Residential Multiple Dwelling (R2) at a regular meeting of council, Monday, August 12, 2024.
During the public rezoning hearing held just before the council meeting, the council and citizens were informed that a second story of residential units was originally planned for the former school building however subsequent inspection of the existing building by engineers determined it was not feasible.
Residents attended and spoke against the rezoning, citing the height of the proposed apartment building on the property behind the existing structure, additional neighbourhood traffic, and pressure on water services that they said were already struggling.
The rezoning application was approved in a 6-1 vote of council.