Terry Martens, 92, was forced to sell her house to Richard McGrath to pay for her rising medical bills. Now, the 102-year-old house, which has a strong sentimental value for her, is facing demolition as soon as the development proposal will be approved, recent news disclosed.
The property will then be converted to a residential and a commercial building in 3504 13th Avenue. Her house is situated in 2000 block of Elphinstone. "I think it would be very wrong to demolish it," she said.
McGrath, the man behind the development proposal, said 29 apartments and two to four commercial units will be built on the property. He allowed Martens to stay in the house until April 2018, based on their agreement.
"Sentimentally, it's very damaging, but even looking at it from a practical point of view, it's a good house to live in. It has been very comfortable," she added.
She was hesitant to sell the house just to support her medical needs. She has heart problems. When she sold her house, that was a desperate move as she needed to have care facility which required more money to support the 12-hour-a-day caregiver in the house. She also thought that her family will find it easier to manage her affairs when she dies if the 102-year-old house is already sold.
Right now, she's not sure if she did the right thing. Martens expressed that she's concerned with the impact of the development in the area and the future of the house she previously owned. "It's a neighbourhood right now, and that would make it very different," she said.