Another Demolition Order Issued, More to Come Says Mayor
Prince George, B.C. – The move to have property owners clean up, or demolish unsightly and derelict buildings in Prince George continues.
This week, Mayor and Council gave unanimous support to orders to have the building at 231-233 George Street demolished. The decision an easy one after Bylaw services Manager Fred Crittenden made a presentation that had image after image of the interior of the building. Collapsed ceilings, mould, rotted beams were just some of the highlights of the visual display.
After viewing the presentation, Councillor Jillian Merrick said she felt “quite ill to my stomach” and was shocked that people had been living in the building in 2009.
This is the third property this month that Council has ordered either cleaned up, or demolished. Crittenden told Council the number of complaints to Bylaw services about unsightly properties has increased substantially this year ” The first five months of this year our complaints are up just about 50% over last year. There seems to be a passion for reporting these sorts of things.”
And there are more orders to come.
Crittenden says staff have been compiling a list “and prioritizing them and work through them as we see fit.”
Mayor Lyn Hall says this particular property has been on the radar for some time “We have history since 2009, so this is not something that all of a sudden happened. “There is a list of them and we’re moving on them, it’s absolutely a new day, and it needs to be cleaned up, this is one of those issues I think the community can look and be rest assured that if you have an issue in your neighbourhood, let us know.” Mayor Hall says cleaning up derelict buildings in the downtown will go a long way to assisting the DBIA in its efforts to attract people and new businesses to the City’s core.
Councillor Brian Skakun says while action should have been taken on this property years ago, “It’s a new day, and with that comes change, with that comes action. ”
Comments
What a breath of fresh air rookie Mayor Lyn Hall brings to this city. It’s easy to complain, but I think this mayor and council deserve to be praised for what has been done so far. Several people have mentioned to me how approachable the mayor is, and come away feeling that he is working for them. Keep up the good work!
Isn’t that a historic building? Why not auction it off with a mandate to keep the outside clean and the inside secure? An empty lot will look worse than an upgraded old building in my mind. That empty fenced off lot that will appear, will no doubt be full of shopping carts, sleeping bags and liquor bottles.
@pg101, did you see the pictures of the inside? Even if it was a “historic” building, It would be wort the money to bring it back up to code.
Wouldn’t*
The mortgage holder on this property must be really happy watching their equity disappear.
Driving into P.G. from the south just before the Art Knapp junction there is an old yellow building. right on the side of the highway , boarded up and very unsightly. It has been that way for years. Why are the owners not made to clean that up? HUGE eyesore for people to see on the way into the city.
see-do, that property is not within the city limits.
The old Roller Dome building looks awfully (1930s?) decrepit and the properties next to it are a mess. Stuff piled up, paint peeled fencing, some fallen down fencing…a really nice impression for PG citizens and especially tourists who are treated to this marvellous vista at the busiest highway junction north of Kamloops! Do we really have to tolerate such obvious neglect?
On the other hand: Congrats to the City for the landscaping and improved sign right across from it and the landscaped corner close to the afore mentioned eyesore, in sharp contrast!
Finally a mayor who cares! Thanks!
Thanks Lbear . So regional should have this taken care of then. It is not what you want visitors to see right off the get go entering into the city.
Contractor, some times the building is a liability instead of an asset.
Most people buying these properties, want the land. not buildings past their prime. Unfortunately, some of these structures do cost way too much to be reoccupied. and or it keeps getting rented to lower and lower standards.
It boils down too, is it worth it to spend 200k into a 60 year old building or spend 500k and get a new building with better rent.
Yes, this building is “historic”, however, due to lack of caring from the owners, it’s now considered condemned. Nothing left to save.
Good job to city council for helping clean up our city. Very necessary.
I’ve also heard the city can only act on complaints. So if there is a building you believe the city should act on, you have to call them.
Wish the City would start charging homeowners higher property taxes for having ugly properties!! Hello, Westgate Ave (broken-down van in driveway, lots of junk outside house)
javamama,
if you believe someone is in violation of a bylaw, you have to put in the complaint to city hall. It’s a complaint based system.
Kudos for taking action on this, it is nice to see some progress towards cleaning up around town. I just hope Council realizes that they too have some of the City’s own liability/eyesores to take care of as well.
The City’s property on the East end of third avenue leaves a little to be desired. In fact the whole industrial area East of Queensway could use some upgrading.
freaktography.ca/2015/04/abandoned-houses-from-across-Ontario
Canada is probably known the world over for its abandoned as well as unmaintained shacks which people still inhabit. One would not see such buildings in countries in such locations as Western Europe, Japan, etc.
Why we accept such unsightliness has always been a mystery to me. We are supposed to be such a rich country, but really we are not.
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