Monday, September 23, 2013

Mayor Watts, Enforce This Bylaw...

Lots of buzz about the last post " Mayor Watts, Tear Down These Walls"  Here's the story from the Peace Arch News.   Read here



Mayor Watts, Tear Down These Walls

All the good people of Surrey are asking for, is that the city enforce its unsightly property bylaw shown below.
 Set a deadline for the owner to remove the  building. If the deadline passes, the city must go in and clear the lot.
The city has the power to demolish the structure and charge the owner.

Unsightly Properties

Properties within the City of Surrey are required to be maintained at an acceptable level.  The Surrey Property Maintenance and Unsightly Premises By-law, 2007, No. 16393 (PDF. New window.) sets acceptable levels of maintenance and defines what is considered unsightly. Accumulation of junk, discarded materials and garbage, dead landscaping, uncontrolled growth of landscaping, and deterioration of fences, buildings or other structures are examples of items contained within the definition of unsightly in the by-law.

Enforcement procedures:

Once a complaint is received, an inspection is conducted by a By-law Enforcement Officer. If the By-law Enforcement Officer determines the property falls within the definition of an unsightly property, the by-law is explained to the property owner, as well as what must be done to clean up the property. A deadline for the clean-up is set by the By-law Enforcement Officer after the property owner has been notified of the problem.
If sufficient clean-up of the property has not taken place after the deadline has lapsed, the City may have the property cleaned up at the expense of the property owner. The cost of the clean-up will form a part of the property taxes of the property if the property owner does not pay.
Make a complaint online or call 604-591-4370 to make a complaint.
- See more at: http://www.surrey.ca/city-government/4682.aspx#Unsightly Property

Friday, September 13, 2013

Mayor Watts, Tear Down These Walls.

Update: January 2014
The property at King George and 64th Avenue has been sold again. And still this building sits. A fence has been erected around the corner, but its gates have been breached many times and currently remain wide open. Concrete barriers have been moved and the lot is now wide open for any one who chooses to drive right in. 
Is it really asking too much for the city of Surrey to enforce its Unsightly Property Bylaw?

Original Post: September 2013

ReNewton began with the goal of placing the spotlight on the condition of the old public market site in Surrey.  We asked the mayor in 2011 if the city could purchase the neglected property and build a much needed arts/recreation/sport facility or public market. Something for the community. The response was that the city had tried, but the owner at the time 'didn't want to sell'. 
However in Jan of 2012, the property in fact did sell, but  the city of Surrey wasn't the buyer. 
Nearly fifteen years after shutting its doors, the structure still sits. Unsightly, exposed and  unsafe. 

The building you see below at the highly visible intersection of King George and 64th Avenue has been in a continuous state of decay for  well over a decade. 

 It's time for the bulldozers to arrive and remove this dangerous, deplorable structure. 



Mayor Watts, tear down these walls.



The  residents of Panorama Ridge, Panorama Northwoods and Sullivan Heights,  not to mention the citizens and taxpayers of Surrey in general, deserve  better than this.