The owner of a dilapidated home may be forced to raze it if Port Coquitlam city council next week deems it a nuisance.
The condition of the house at 2187 Pitt River Rd. was discussed by the city's community safety committee earlier this month, with pictures distributed as part of the bylaw services report.
The images show garbage, furniture and needles strewn around the yard and evidence of squatters camping inside and on the front porch. Windows and stairs are broken, and rodents are rampant.
Bylaw services manager Dan Scoones said neighbours have complained to the city about the vacant house since March 2013 and, despite repeated notices to the owner, nothing has been done.
"On some occasions, the property has not been cleaned up and bylaw has had to hire a contractor to clean up at the owner's expense," Scoones wrote in his Sept. 1 report to the committee.
Under Section 74 of the provincial Community Charter, remedial orders can be issued to a property owner to demolish their structure and to remove all the debris from the lot within 30 days. If the owner fails to comply, the city can tear down the building and pass on the costs to the owner.
It's not the first remedial order to come before PoCo city council this year.
In the spring, council placed a 30-day order on the owner of 2438 Kelly Ave. after the property had been sold despite its run-down state. Last November, the single-family home was destroyed by fire and scavengers were gaining access to the unsecured lot.
The Pitt River Road home is expected to come up at Monday's city council meeting.
••••••••••••
In other PoCo council news:
New rules around charitable donation bins on private land will be considered next month by Port Coquitlam city council.
PoCo currently has around 20 large industrial containers — most of them located on private property — and nearly all are magnets for illegal dumping, city staff say.
Often, they are overflowing with used clothing, furniture and books, which creates an eyesore and a safety concern for the municipality, Scoones wrote in his report to the city's community safety committee.
Over the past year, two homeless people in Pitt Meadows and Surrey have died after being trapped in donation bins while trying to scavenge.
Those bins belonged to Green Inspiration BC Ltd. and Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver — both of which have donation bins in PoCo with the same design.
Several cities across Metro Vancouver are tightening bylaws around donation bins on public and private spaces.
