A Burnaby resident is upset by what she calls a lack of attention by the City of Burnaby for one of its own properties.
Julia Oblitas says she has been asking the city to take better care of a lot it owns in the 3800 block of Thurston Street, which is just north of Kingsway and east of Boundary Road.
The city took over the lot about two years ago and demolished the house on the site.
Since then, the site has been basically ignored, said Oblitas, with overgrown grass turning it into an “eyesore.” She says the grass has only been mowed two or three times and only because she contacted the city about the mess.
“Now we have bushes and trees that are growing out of control in the lot,” said Oblitas, adding that it’s bad enough when an absentee land owner ignores a project, but it’s even worse when the land is owned by the city.
Oblitas contacted the city about future plans for the lot, or if a community garden could be added to “mask the ugliness of the lot.”
A City of Burnaby social planner responded and Oblitas showed the NOW the email. The land is zoned for a single family dwelling similar to the structure that was previously on the site, according to the city.
“No plans to my knowledge are in place for the property,” wrote the city staffer. “Scattered lots around town sometimes become the property of the city because of property tax arrears. It may in the future be sold for residential development. In order to create a community garden on the site it would need to be rezoned. I have to be honest that this process can sometimes take several months.
“I’ve let the engineering (department) who mows lots such as this to put it on work lists. Because of reduced city staff this may be delayed.”
