A rickety, wooden staircase to a non-existent deck is one concern city hall has about 1008 Alder Avenue and one of many reasons it recently issued a property maintenance clean-up order.
A bylaw enforcement officer discovered during a property inspection on Jan. 6 that bylaw infractions still existed from previous orders, so the officer sent another order on Jan. 11 commanding property owner Blair Zopf to fix 10 issues by March 17, a city council report explained. Zopf can also obtain a demolition permit and bulldoze every structure on the property.
City hall issued previous clean-up orders in 2013, 2016 and 2017, while Zopf obtained building permits in ’13 and ’16 to complete some repairs.
The resident’s legal team sent an appeal notice to city hall on Feb. 5 asking for an extension until June so an engineer could review the structure and complete all the necessary repairs, the report continued. He also wants to keep the garage if possible.
Zopf appeared virtually before city council during its March 8 regular meeting to ask for the June extension.
While city administration recommended that the clean-up order be upheld and no extension given, council voted 5-2 to give Zopf until April 8 to produce an engineer’s report about the home’s stability and until May 15 to complete every repair. If he does not comply, the municipality will fulfill the order, including leveling the property.
Councillors Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning were opposed.
Presentation
“I know that I have been remiss in keeping up the place. I have done some work. I had a contractor start work and then quit on me. I have been chipping away at it,” said Zopf. “On the notice, I am willing to comply and get the property up to snuff and with the neighbours and what you think it should be.”
Zopf is waiting until the snow melts and ground thaws before he has an engineer assess the home’s foundation, he continued. He promised that he would acquire a demolition permit and building permit soon to address city hall’s concerns.
Zopf — who has lived on the property for more than 40 years — noted the house has been there since 1903. This likely includes the garage, which he must continually fix since the garbage truck regularly clips the roof when driving through the alley. He pointed out the garage does not encroach on the alley since he owns part of the laneway.
The property owner added that his mother lives on the main floor of the home.
Council discussion
The planning and development department has issues with the garage since there are holes in the roof and should be demolished, said director Michelle Sanson. The department also wants a firm date for the engineer’s report and the orders fulfilled.
“Two months should be reasonable to try and work with him,” she added.
These issues did not sneak up on Zopf and do not simply happen overnight, said Coun. Jamey Logan. While this is a touchy subject, council needs to address it now. Furthermore, many of the clean-up orders do not require the support of an engineer.
Luhning agreed, saying property owners have a responsibility to manage their yards and respect their neighbours. She also noted that city hall issued this letter two months ago, giving Zopf enough time to address the issues.
“I’m disappointed,” she added. “We’ve given our staff the task to bring us properties to look after and we are not doing that as elected officials.”
The two-storey staircase that “goes to nowhere” is a concern because children could climb it and injure themselves, said Coun. Doug Blanc. He was also worried that giving another extension could drag this out for years.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 22.
