City of Cranbrook council May 31 approved a Remedial Action Order for the demolition of structures and clean-up of the former Tudor House property.

The property located at 22 Briar Avenue NW is owned by Valco Hotels Limited Inc No. BC0316312.

In 2002 the Tudor House was destroyed by beyond a value of 75%, as determined by the city’s Building Inspector at that time.

A report to council by Paul Heywood and Wendy Davis of Engineering and Development Services noted “the structure sat unrepaired for five years and on August 13, 2007 council declared the structure a nuisance and approved a Remedial Action Order for the demolition of the structure to be completed by September 30, 2007.

“The owner exercised his right to have council reconsider the decision and the decision was re confirmed by council on October 1, 2007, with the new date for demolition to be completed by November 30, 2007. Records show that on July 9, 2008 the owner agreed to conditions of the city issuing a demolition permit, including that: ‘Footings and foundation walls that will be used structurally in future construction may be left as is on the property.’

“As the construction has not occurred and the abandoned foundation has been left unprotected from rain, snow, freezing and thawing cycles, the city’s rationale for requesting the engineering report in the event the owner may choose to salvage the abandoned foundation is founded,” the report stated.

Additionally, the city has “a lengthy history with the owner and has received many complaints from nearby residents and property owners with regards to the unsightly and unsafe conditions of the property. Staff are aware of homeless people occupying the dilapidated trailers and vehicles as living quarters. Extension cords are used to provide power, while garden hoses provide water – both of which create hazardous and unsafe conditions.

“Rough structures have been erected to provide outside toilet facilities which adds to the unsanitary conditions. The property is littered with discarded material, furniture and rubbish and the extreme overgrowth of vegetation adds to the unsightliness of the property,” the report outlined.

The City’s Building Official has stated that in the event the abandoned foundation is not salvageable, as may be determined from the Engineering Report, then the city would not support a re-purposed use of the foundation by virtue of the Engineering Report.

“This supports removal of the subject foundation in its entirety. The additional legislative layers captured within the WorkSafeBC Hazardous Materials Remediation process and the Ministry of Environment Contaminated Sites regulation will be referenced for the appropriate direction as part of the mandatory demolition permit application process,” the city report said.

See the full council report.

Lead image: An aerial view of the property under discussion.  City of Cranbrook image

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