The owner of Port Moody property at 627 Ioco Rd. is working to remove derelict vehicles and boats, as well as four steel shipping containers and other items.
But the city’s manager of building, bylaw and licensing said there’s no definitive timeline when that might be accomplished.
Robyn MacLeod said the property owner, who was served a remediation notice to clean it up after council approved the action in March, is having trouble finding a new place to store his items.
“Finding appropriate locations is taking time,” she said. “Staff are focused on keeping the property owner actively moving towards compliance.”
Meanwhile, neighbours are frustrated at the slow pace of the cleanup.
“It has only gotten worse and is an embarrassment to those of us that live in the area,” one told the Tri-City News in an email. “I am not sure how long this is allowed to continue.”
The notice was sparked by “a long history of complaints” to the city about the unsightly storage of construction equipment, trailers, cement blocks and household items on the property.
MacLeod said while the owner has made attempts to clean up some of the items in the past, more usually end up on the property, prompting multiple complaints and tickets from bylaw enforcement officers. Even a letter from the city’s lawyer sent last October didn’t prompt “significant progress” in the cleanup effort.
The resolution passed by council in March gives the owner 30 days to begin the cleanup process otherwise the city could begin the work itself at the owner’s expense.
MacLeod said city staff are continuing to work with the owner to resolve the situation.
As well, she said, they’ll be investigating another vacant property, at 860 Alderside Rd., that’s also been the subject of the neighbourhood’s scorn.
