People are still living in the Norris Road apartment complex that Vancouver city officials declared unsafe and uninhabitable more than a week ago.
Building official Sree Thirunagari said he has reached out to various local agencies, including the Council for the Homeless and the Salvation Army, to get those people a little financial assistance or even find them new places to live, at least temporarily.
“It looks like there may be some limited help,” Thirunagari said.
But the city hasn’t forced anybody out of the property, he added.
“Any time we’re dealing with code actions … we are certainly concerned about safety,” he said. “On the other side, people can’t be just left on the street. These are families with children and elderly folks.
“I’ve met with some of the tenants. It’s a difficult situation. We are hoping for some sort of resolution that’s … not painful,” he said on Wednesday morning.
But pain appears inevitable. Even if landlord Edwin Hiebert was moving as rapidly as possible to repair the dilapidated 8-unit complex at 2009 Norris Road and the neighboring standalone home at 2015 Norris, Thirunagari said, “It will take time. The nature of some of these violations is, they’re not something that’s going to be quick. These are not minor problems.”
There are collapsing floors, water-damaged ceilings and wet electrical wiring, Thirunagari said. It’s possible that these indicate bigger, deeper problems that haven’t been revealed yet.
“There’s the question of what’s unknown. Once you peel back the layers of a hole in the floor, you start to see what’s unknown,” he said.
That’s why the city is requiring an “investigative inspection” of the property with a licensed contractor as well as the owner, Thirunagari said. He said the city has met in person with Hiebert, who is elderly, and “a family member,” to explain the urgency of the situation and get the inspection scheduled as soon as possible.
As today’s deadline approached, Thirunagari said: “We continue to contact the owner and his family member and explain our position and the need for timely follow-up actions.” He said he does expect all residents to be out by today.
But the inspection has not been scheduled, he said. Hiebert has not responded to messages left by The Columbian.
The property’s problems came to light in late March when a police investigation culminated in a sweep through the complex and nearly 20 arrests on drug and stolen property crimes. After that, police suggested that city building inspectors also take a look. In early April, they did — and promptly posted notices to vacate immediately.
Now, what if Hiebert does nothing? Would the city step in to demolish the place, and hand Hiebert the bill?
“That would be the last step. That’s reserved for the most extreme situations,” Thirunagari said — like if the place was fire damaged or in danger of actual collapse, or became an “attractive nuisance” that drew squatters.
But these Norris Road properties are not falling down, Thirunagari said.
“If it’s vacant and secured, it’s not an immediate hazard,” he said. Some abandoned properties in Vancouver have stayed vacant and fenced off for years, he noted.
On the rare occasion when the city does demolish a private property nuisance, he said, liens are put in place to guarantee that taxpayers are repaid.
