Demolition time has come for the dilapidated Inn at Westview building, according to some City of Powell River councillors, but the property manager is still hopeful the building can be salvaged and repurposed.
Councillor Rob Southcott said that while he appreciates the need for prudence, the community is becoming restless for the issue to be resolved.
“At some point, it is simply time to act and a lot of us feel like we are close to that point as far as the Inn goes,” said Southcott.
However, property manager Jack Barr said he still has hope that parts of the building can be saved and repurposed.
With Powell River’s low rental vacancy rate, estimated at less than one per cent, and other issues with the availability of social housing, Barr said he has been in conversation with BC Housing about an option to convert old hotel rooms into apartments.
He also said the property owner wants to hold onto the property as a long-term asset and has no interest in selling in the near future.
“If there is a way to save the building, that would be great,” said Barr. “There are a multitude of ideas to explore. Unfortunately, sometimes development options are glacially slow.”
Southcott said he appreciates the need for delay when making decisions, but after a while “delay ceases to be a viable option.”
The time has passed to deconstruct the building for recyclable building materials or repurpose it, he said.
“The inn is collapsing,” said Southcott. “The roof is leaking and the structure is rotting. We’re at the beginning stage of the end of life of that building.”
Southcott added it is his preference to see the city work with the property owner to find a solution, rather than impose a remedial solution that would see the city take extraordinary action.
City chief administrative officer Mac Fraser said the city has received a lot of correspondence from concerned residents who have been pushing the city to use its Community Charter power to impose a solution on the property owners.
Provisions within the charter allow municipal governments to take action, through a number of prescribed steps, to override an owner’s property rights and impose remedial action to deal with buildings deemed public safety hazards or nuisances.
Staff is well aware of the power it has to impose the remedial actions on the property, but is looking at that as “an action of last resort,” said Fraser.
Barr said he appreciates the city has tried to work with him, instead of jumping to a quick solution.
“I will continue to work toward an acceptable solution,” he said. “I want what is best as well. It just has to make financial sense.”
Southcott said he does not consider the building to be a public safety hazard, but the building is an eyesore.
“It’s a nuisance, an eyesore and it’s in the centre of town and is going to be have to dealt with at some point, so why not now?” said Southcott.
Despite ongoing meetings between the city and representatives for property owner Seaboard Hotels, little information has come to council on what progress, if any, is being made.
Councillor Maggie Hathaway said a solution for what to do with the building is way overdue.
“It’s been a full year that I’ve been pushing hard,” she said.
Just over a year ago, the issue was brought to the city committee of the whole meeting for discussion and in October 2015 council sought a legal opinion from its lawyers, Lidstone and Company. Contents of that opinion, which remain in-camera, were discussed at a closed council meeting in December 2015.
Powell River resident and realtor Ross Cooper said he was worried the city may decide to use tax dollars to remedy a problem “that most people would consider the responsibility of the business owner.”
Mayor Dave Formosa said the city is seeking “voluntary compliance” and would not force the issue.
Formosa added the city is also concerned it may be left to pick up the cost for the remedial action.
“We take it down, they don’t pay it, now what are we going to do?” said Formosa.
Formosa reiterated that he would like to see the city borrow the required funds for demolition from the BC Municipal Finance Authority and provide the landowners with a five-year loan secured with the owner’s property.
The issue will be discussed at the city’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, October 4.
