Richmond city council has voted to give a resident in the South Arm area another two weeks to clean up their residential property, which has been the subject of complaints for over a decade.
City staff asked council to uphold an order to clean up the Severn Drive property under the “unsightly premises” bylaw, which is currently being appealed by the owner’s son.
However, at a recent special council meeting, councillors voted 7-3 to adjourn the item until Oct. 4.
At the meeting, Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the “last thing” he wants to do is “put this thing off for one more minute,” noting it’s the third time council has dealt with the item.
While he supported adjourning the item for two weeks so Wong could deal with the vehicles and pallets, Brodie told Wong that the work “needs to be done, and, frankly, no more excuses.”
The current order dates to April of this year, but prior to that, an order was also issued in January 2020, following a complaint that the property contained “garbage in the front and back yards causing rats” in Nov. 2019.
A report to city council also states that staff have been addressing complaints at the property “for at least 13 years with over 15 unsightly premises complaints.”
“In response to complaints from time to time, bylaw staff have issued several orders to clean up the property and on two occasions have proceeded with forced clean ups undertaken by the city, at the expense of the owner,” the report reads.
At the Sept. 20 meeting, city staff said while there has been “some progress,” including the removal of one vehicle and one shipping container as well as some material, there is still, for example, two derelict – inoperable or unregistered – vehicles on the property and pallets in the backyard.
There’s also still one container out front, stacks of boxes in the carport and “piles of unsightly items.”
According to city staff, only one derelict vehicle is allowed on the site while more than one licensed vehicle is allowed.
The cleanup order allows the city to clean up the property and bill the owner if it isn’t followed, however, this would not include removing the shipping container as that is a zoning issue and would require separate action.
Edward Wong – who lives on the property owned by his mother and who has been dealing with the city on behalf of his mother – said they have been working hard to clean it up.
“My brother and I and my 89-year-old mom have been working so hard to try to comply,” said Wong at the meeting.
He noted he last asked for an extension in the summer due to the heat wave, and that this latest appeal would be his “third and final strike.”
Wong also said the pallets in the backyard are for a fence and he still needs the container which is used for disposal.
Council voted 6-3 to adjourn the item until Oct. 4, with Couns. Carol Day, Linda McPhail and Hobbs voting against.