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Richmond's multi-million dollar dump sites

Unsightly premises an increasing problem for the City of Richmond as more houses than ever are being demolished
Photos: Construction - The good, bad and the ugly_10
No excuses for this illegal dumper; the City of Richmond picks up big items from residential addresses on an on-call basis.

As the City of Richmond grapples with new noise bylaws for residential construction, another problem appears to have risen to more noticeable heights as a result of a housing boom within the established neighbourhoods of the city: Garbage and illegal dumping.

New home construction sites are a magnet for the likes of used tires, old mattresses, torn rolls of carpet, plastic rubbish, bottles of motor oil, bags of garbage and other items, all of which were noted by the Richmond News within just three arterial road quadrants of the city on Tuesday. 

According to city bylaw data, 2015 is on pace for a record year for bylaw enforcement officers dealing with unsightly premises. To July 31, the city had 364 unsightly premises. Last year, it had 563 such cases for the full year.

Community activist Kerry Starchuk raised the issue in April, citing the city’s Good Neighbour Policy, which states a “clean up and close out” non-binding rule applies to construction sites. The policy asks contractors and/or land owners to “collect and remove construction waste on a regular basis” and notes “prompt clean up keeps the site from becoming an eyesore.”

The problem appears to be two-fold. The News witnessed many instances in which construction sites had garbage thrown on them (such as tires and mattresses). But there were also instances in which the sites were not fenced off and construction waste was piled high. In many cases, walking paths along the road were impassable and lined with materials, including take-out food litter. 

According to city spokesperson Ted Townsend, fences are required on construction sites but can be removed once the building does not create “a hazard.”

In some instances unlocked portable toilets are left outside of the temporary fence, close to the road. Townsend said toilets need to be off city-owned land but there are no other requirements. 

Such sites are noted and documented by the city after complaints are received from residents.

Starchuk said the city ought to be more proactive, instead of reactive.

..“Some people think ‘What’s the use? So I complain about it today, and it’s going to be the same thing next week.’”

HAVE A COMPLAINT? EMAIL community bylaw enforcement with your name and address.

Another problem that may arise in a complaint-generated system is the fact that many sites do not have temporary addresses affixed to them.

Townsend said contractors are required to put the address on a temporary post or fence.

Property owners that have unsightly premises or no address can be fined up to $2,000. Townsend said the city does not track fines.

Other unsightly premise complaints arise from homes awaiting demolition. Overgrown grass, garbage on lawns, broken fences and unsightly boarded up windows create a mirage of poverty within the rising multi-million dollar neighbourhoods.

Development issues in Richmond have reached national attention, notably when resident Linda Cooper’s story about a vacant (new) home next to her appeared in the National Post.

Cooper told the News bylaw enforcement fixed the problem of overgrown grass on her neighbour's lot but, in general, construction in neighbourhoods such as hers is an ongoing danger, eyesore and nuisance.  

“Construction is on every block and some two or three houses on both sides of the street are coming down all at the same time — it is dangerous to drive through because there are so many people working on so many houses at once,” said Cooper via email. 

While the city greenlights more homes than ever for demolition, it has taken steps to better organize itself in dealing with vacant homes. 

Starting in 2014 the city differentiated between homes that were outright abandoned and ones that were left vacant, awaiting demolition.

As of May the city reported having recorded 25 abandoned homes, without water and electrical connections. As well, there were 65 recorded instances in which a home was left vacant, but with water and electricity. These numbers are down, according to the city, from 109 abandoned homes in 2013.

In order to address the number of abandoned homes the issue was sent to the Joint Operations Team, which is a group of represented by the Richmond RCMP, Richmond Fire Rescue, health officers and the city’s bylaw enforcement team.

“In addition to more accurate tracking of the problem, high-risk properties were identified and service level responses were intensified at the source to reduce the potential risk to the community,” said Townsend.

@WestcoastWood

gwood@richmond-news.com