A London builder is slamming city council for its treatment of developers, calling them “disrespectful” of business.

Vito Frijia is lashing out at politicians for comments they made about a standoff between Frijia and the city over the fate of two downtown heritage buildings.

“This council has no idea — they have no respect. I can make my money and go elsewhere, that is fine. I will not bang my head against the wall,” he said.

Known to many as the owner of the London Lightning basketball team, Frijia is also president of Southside Group, a major developer.

At issue are two 19th-century buildings Southside owns on King Street east of Richmond Street. Frijia wants to tear down the buildings at 175-181 and 183 King to build a 25-storey highrise with 200 units.

City council denied Southside’s demolition application in August. The company is appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Last week, council’s planning and environment committee recommended applying a heritage designation to the buildings.

After the meeting, Coun. Jesse Helmer tweeted that Frijia hasn’t made the property safe, information he received from the city’s chief building official.

“I hope Mr. Frijia did not take it too personally. We have to discuss these issues and I don’t think we were out of line,” Helmer said.

“But respect is a two-way street. We have to treat others the way we expect to be treated.”

If approved by full council Tuesday, the recommended zoning change that slaps another layer of heritage protection on the property wouldn’t allow any building on the site larger than what’s there now — a 20,000-square-foot, four-storey building.

“They have put zoning on it that restricts it,” Frijia said. “It is a shame for downtown, and for taxpayers. We want to invest $40 million, they don’t want me to.”

At last Monday’s meeting, Coun. Stephen Turner said Frijia hasn’t shown goodwill to the city in his actions. Turner suggested council won’t repeat mistakes of past councils by agreeing to demolish the buildings.

“This is not a personal issue, this is about planning issues,” Turner said in an interview. “We support highrises in the core.”

Turner points out that Frijia hasn’t submitted a development proposal for the site that is near a proposed rapid transit corridor and a new Fanshawe College campus in the former Kingsmill’s store on Dundas Street.

“We have shown we are willing to work with the development community, but we have to deal with what is in our plate,” Turner said.

Frijia said he’s asked to meet with planning staff and been ignored, delaying a development proposal.

In a sign of the deteriorating relationship between the city and Frijia, the city said he has not complied with a “make safe” order for the two buildings.

But Frijia said he has, by locking the building and boarding up main floor windows.

His lawyer, Alan Patton, said Frijia doesn’t have to comply because of the appeal he’s filed with the OMB.

The city wants a front portion of the building preserved, and politicians have said they’d like to see the historic properties, dating to 1877, incorporated into a highrise design.

That is too costly, said Frijia, who said if he wins at the OMB he will tear the buildings down.

“It is all about control for them, it is all about power,” he said. “They have no respect for businesspeople in the city of London . . . if they don’t want me to build, I won’t. I will wait for council to change.”

Frijia said he has options if the city sticks to its guns.

He said he paid cash for the property and can sit on it. Frijia said he could apply to build a highrise behind the existing historic buildings, leaving them vacant and crumbling.

“I am proud of what I have done for the city, and this is bad politics.”

Jim Kennedy, president of the London Development Institute, an umbrella group for developers, said Frijia deserves to be treated with respect, even if politicians don’t like his plans.

“He deserves respect. He has invested a lot of money in this city,” Kennedy said.

“I know someone who went to a planning committee meeting in Windsor, and they thanked him for investing there. You never get that in London.”

Kennedy said the city’s planning department is exerting more control over urban design standards. If a builder doesn’t agree, they get a rougher ride, he said, which explains why some highrise proposals are approved more quickly than others.

“Not every building is sacred. Those buildings are being propped up today,” Kennedy said of the buildings in question.

“They want downtown infill development and they throw roadblocks up.”

THE BUILDINGS

175-181 King St.

— Two-storey Italianate commercial building built around 1877

183 King St.

— Four-storey Second Empire commercial building built as a hotel in 1892

WHAT CITY PLANNING DIRECTOR SAYS

“The property at 183 King . . . is located at the end of an unbroken streetwall of mostly 19th century buildings . . . The building retains numerous architectural attributes worth of retention or visually compatible alteration. . . .

“While the applicant’s engineering consultant has identified structural concerns, the applicant has not shown evidence of irremediable severe structural instability which may otherwise justify demolition.”

— John Fleming, in a Jan. 18 report to planning and environment committee)

WHAT DEVELOPER SAYS

“It’s not safe, it’s not stable.”

— Vito Frijia

CHRONOLOGY

May 19, 2015: Owner Southside Construction Management Ltd. applies to demolish the buildings.

June 25: City council denies application.

Aug. 31: City notified Southside is appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Jan. 18, 2016: Council committee supports staff recommendation to apply a heritage designation to a portion of the buildings deemed worthy of preservation. Future development would be limited to “the same height, volume, floor area, general form, mass and external design” as now exists.