Toni Russell at home in her Penticton apartment.

(DAN WALTON / iNFOnews.ca)

A Penticton senior says her 250 condo unit complex has voted to become a 55-plus community to block young renters from living in the building.

Toni Russell said the Cherry Lane Towers condo owners voted in favour and the building becoming 55-plus at a strata council meeting, Jan. 25.

Russell, who is 74 years old herself, has been vocal in her opposition to the move to a 55-plus-only building, fearing her condo will depreciate in value.

"All my fears were justified," Russell told iNFOnews.ca.

The strata haven't publicly said why it moved to become a 55-plus building but Russell says it's to avoid having renters live in the building.

Last November, the provincial government changed the law which meant that strata corporations couldn't stop units from being rented out.

Exceptions were applied so that 55-plus buildings would only have to rent to 55-plus tenants, and strata's could still prohibit short-term vacation rentals.

Russell's building is adult-only and has a no rental policy, which became moot in November when the government changed the law.

While it's not known how much the price differs for plus-55 condos, they are normally cheaper.

"It's limiting who can buy, and that will negatively affect the value... I can't tell you how much it will affect (it) but I know it will," Penticton realtor Anita Russell previously told iNFOnews.ca.

When Cherry Lane Towers were originally built in the late 90s it was a 55-plis building, but the bylaw was scrapped because the units weren't selling.

While the move to 55-plus won't affect Russell – she's 74 and lives with her 94-year-old mother – she thinks it's bad for Penticton.

"Who wants to live in Penticton with 90 per cent old people," she said. "Who's going to work here, where are the young people going to live?"

While the majority of condo owners voted in favour of going to 55-plus, a recent Research Co. poll found 59 per cent of B.C. residents were in favour of removing strata rental restrictions, while 64 per cent wanted to end strata age restrictions.

Strata KAS 1878 president Elaine Potter was not immediately available for comment.

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