Burnaby city council has taken the extraordinary step of ordering a property owner to demolish a fire-damaged building that has sat derelict on a Kingsway lot for close to two years.
The four-unit residential building has been approved for demolition since December 2018 after a fire that August, according to a staff report, but the property owner never went to city hall to pick up the demolition permit, despite reminders sent by the city over email.
Since the fire, Burnaby RCMP reported to the city that it has received nine calls for service at the property for allegations of trespassing and theft. Police determined the building was unsafe for officers to enter on four of those occasions.
The city’s bylaw department got a complaint about the property in June 2019 due to debris and garbage on the property, and the city sent a notice to the property owner calling for voluntary compliance. Despite a response from the owners claiming they were regularly cleaning up the property, bylaw officers found little evidence supporting that claim.
Since then, four bylaw violation notices have been sent to the property owner, who ultimately took part in a conference call. In that call, the owner claimed the property was being cleaned up two to three times a week but said they were not willing to demolish the building due to a conflict with their insurer over the fire damage claim.
In a report to council, staff said the owners had failed to adequately secure the building, failed to maintain a temporary fence around the property, failed to adequately attempt to keep people from entering the building and allowed “discarded materials and filth” to accumulate on the property.
Staff recommended council order the owners to demolish the building and clear the property of any debris and other items within 60 days. If those orders are not fulfilled, staff will undertake the necessary action and bill the property owner, a charge that would be attached to property taxes if it’s not paid.
In a recent meeting, council appeared eager to approve the recommendations and voted unanimously in favour of the measures. Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said staff has done “everything they can” over several months to work with the owner.
“But nothing has been really accomplished. There comes a time when staff has to take a drastic action such as this, where you say there’s only so much time; if you don’t do it, the city is obligated to do it,” he said. “We don’t take it lightly.”
