Apartiniums : Turning Back the Crack Shacks

Several months ago, a series of drug raids shut down activity up at 822 Esquimalt Road, a former property owned by murdered, John Ruffalo. Esquimalt City Council grew a pair and revoked the business license that allows the apartment block to rent to crack ho's and drug dealers. These drug dealers then spill out into our streets, they turn tricks on your property and leave spent needles. Obviously a situation you would prefer to see remedied.
The business license was revoked. The drug addicts moved on. The place started to undergo some heavy renovations. I thought it was just getting a facelift. A week or so ago, the work dwindled. A couple of days ago a big showy sign went up with a Web address at the top: "www.apartminium.com" I'm a geek, my curiosity was piqued.
It turns out that www.apartminium.com is the catch-all for a bunch of propeties undergoing renovations in the area:
  • 723 FIELD STREET
  • 1258 YATES STREET
  • 1535 JUBILEE AVE
  • 2181 HAULTAIN STREET
  • 1315 ESQUIMALT ROAD
  • 4026 QUADRA STREET
  • 822 ESQUIMALT ROAD
  • 2898 DOUGLAS STREET
Who is behind this idea? John Asfar (2), the owner of the Traveller's Inn hotels/motels that dot Victoria. So, is www.apartminium.com a great new idea for how to de-crack Victoria? I have heard great stories from people who have had dealings with Asfar. I've tried to find online anecdotes but no luck. What? No one commits these episodes to the web? Oh well.
So, is this a brilliant new strategy or one pulled from Monopoly?

Comments

Tim Bailey said…
Asfar is notoriously litigious, among all his other peculiarities. I imagine any anecdotes that conveyed his bizarre and contradictory behaviour could attract defamation claims. Besides, it's not nice to pick on the mentally ill.
2/03/2007 03:46:00 PM
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