Quesnel, B.C. – The brown cabins on Lewis Drive in Quesnel will be demolished as per direction from Quesnel City Council.

( image of  property courtesy Google Earth)

The site has been the subject of discussion between the property owners and the City since September of 2013 when the owners applied for a business licence to use the buildings as residential rental units.

The City had the site inspected to make sure the buildings were safe for the intended use, but the application was denied as the inspection revealed numerous health and safety concerns.

Business operations as residential multi-tenant rental units were directed to cease by September 1^st, 2014.

The City says although staff worked with the property owners to “encourage remediation of the site” nothing was done.  Staff then sought a remedial action order. According to the City of Quesnel, there were ‘a number of items of correspondence ‘ issued calling on the property owners to cease operations, but the site kept operating and upgrading plans were not provided to the City.

In late April, Quesnel Council declared that the buildings create “an unsafe condition and are a nuisance”.  As a result, Council passed a remedial action order on the 371 Lewis Drive property, ordering rental of the units be stopped.

It will cost nearly $54 thousand dollars to demolish the buildings, money the City may recoup by applying the costs to the taxes for that property if the owner does not pay the costs outright.

Tenants are being relocated, and the City of Quesnel is working with utility companies to have services disconnected. It will take about two weeks to complete the disconnections and a further week and a half to two weeks to demolish the buildings and clear the site.