Housing sought at Gananoque Masonic Lodge

Gananoque council has unanimously approved an encroachment agreement for the Masonic Lodge, paving the way for its conversion to housing.

The agreement with the owner of 299 Arthur Street provides legal approval of the structure within the town’s right-of-way.

Town officials have permitted the minor encroachment in practice for more than a century, but the owner wanted the encroachment agreement on paper in order to complete work on the property.

The Masonic Lodge, which is encroaching on the town’s right-of-way of William Street, has been there for approximately 150 years.

Currently, the property is owned by MZZQ Holdings (Matt Bell), and the request was made by Lisa Henderson. The property owner wants to convert the Masonic Lodge into two residential units by way of a development permit.

Town staff discussed this internally and carried out some archival efforts to get an understanding of the property as well as the ramifications of such a request.

Town staff was advised that the property owner wanted to ensure the development process and any future property transactions would not be hindered by any historical complications.

The owner has been maintaining the section of property in the right-of-way, which is a common practice throughout town with properties that abut to a sidewalk or roadway.

Part of the building was built within the existing right-of-way along William Street. Roughly 0.6 metres of the length of the eastern side of the structure is within the right-of-way.

The encroachment agreement will be tied to the property going forward and will transfer if ownership changes.