Council is moving forward against nuisance properties after facing off against the property owners last night.
Mayor Mike Ruttan said he’s seen inside the former CJAV building, and called it uninhabitable and unsafe.
Building owner Randy Brown told the mayor he was wrong, and claimed to have evicted a hoarder and people with other mental issues in his building.
Council voted to declare the former CJAV Building a nuisance along with the Beaufort Hotel.
Ruttan said City Council has decided the way to clean up some buildings is by going after the property owners who collect the rents but don’t seem to care about the condition of their low-rent apartments.
Beaufort Hotel owners Paul Saroya and Mobi Amarsi asked for a six month delay but that was denied and the properties joined the Carlson Building on the nuisance list.
The worst offender – the Harbourview (aka Frigstad) apartments – received a delay after part owner Martin Chambers said he wasn’t properly advised by the city, or partner Randy Brown.
It will come back before council in 2 weeks.
City Councillor Chris Alemany is raising red flags over the nuisance property decisions.
He’s concerned that council is inadvertently increasing the homeless population as low-rent apartment owners push problematic and mentally ill patients out into the streets
Alemany was the only member of council to vote against the nuisance property bylaw.