License to build

>> Deconstructing a city of Montreal renovation permit

by PHILIP PREVILLE

One of the biggest controversies in the story of the Rialto theatre has been the owner's decision to renovate without the required permits--a particularly touchy issue because the Rialto is classified as a heritage site. Here's a look at the form the Rialto's owners wouldn't fill out: a city of Montreal renovation permit form.

Not everything requires a permit. You can build kitchen cabinets, install new plumbing fixtures, replace doors, recover roofs and install above-ground swimming pools without a permit. Almost everything else requires authorization. Thus far in 1999, the city has approved 3,682 renovation permits, eight per cent more than last year.

This section identifies the building's heritage citations. There numerous kinds of citations, each monitored by a different government body (building interiors are provincial responsibility but facades are the city's responsibility, for example). Approximately 50,000 buildings in Montreal have at least one citation; the Rialto has many.

When the request is completed, the building's owner signs and pays for his permit: $7.50 for every $1,000 of renovations. The Rialto's owner says he's spent $4.2 million; that means his permit would have cost him $31,500. For working without a permit, he has paid $2,000 in fines.

This section describes any necessary changes to the zoning bylaw, which states how buildings can and cannot be used. Current zoning allows the Rialto to host shows, but not a nightclub. The owner eventually requested the zoning change (without a renovation permit), but officials deemed his request "unacceptable." The city's executive committee approved the request anyway; all that remains is for city council to vote on it.

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