City of Powell River followed through with its remediation and demolition order for a residential lot at 4468 Joyce Avenue last week.
Last December, council declared the property and its buildings a nuisance due to their damaged, dilapidated and unclean condition.
Council ordered property owner Rajinder Mann to take the house and garage down and clean up the lot within 60 days of the order.
Despite being directed by council’s order to do so, Mann did not apply to the city for a demolition permit, said mayor Dave Formosa.
“I’m sad that it came to this for the owner,” said Formosa. “He just did not respond in a timely manner.”
City-hired contractors removed hazardous materials from the house, tore it down and removed all trash on the premises.
The home’s insulation contained vermiculite, a material known to contain cancer-causing asbestos, which was removed and properly disposed of on Wednesday, May 10.
Contractors then tore the house and garage down and cleaned up all debris leftover from the demolition, according to a city media release.
The city will send Mann a bill for the asbestos removal, demolition and lot cleanup totalling approximately $30,000, according to city building inspector Graeme Stewart.
Formosa said he recognized the property had been tied up in proceedings related to Mann’s formerly dissolved company, but that it should not have resulted in “letting things with the property get to the point of no return.”
During the cleanup, city staff determined the lot had not been contaminated by landfill waste in the nearby Squatters Creek dumpsite.
The mayor said it is not possible to compare the city’s actions against the lot at 4468 Joyce Avenue with that of the former Inn at Westview building located next to Town Centre Mall.
The Joyce lot still retains “good value,” something that cannot be said about the lot where the former Inn at Westview sits, due to the cost of removing the former hotel, said Formosa.
“This lot and the inn are just not comparable in any regard,” said Formosa, “due to the value of the property after the fact.”
