'Complain weekly,' says this sign about a derelict property on Hamilton Road

Julie Reynolds of London, Ont., has grown so tired of seeing an old KFC building sitting vacant and derelict on Hamilton Road in her neighbourhood that last Saturday, she took matters into her own hands.

The former city of London Ward 1 candidate hung a sign on the fence surrounding 689 Hamilton Road that invites people to call the city bylaw department, Coun. Hadleigh McAlister or mayor Josh Morgan to complain.

"Around election time, I was going around talking to people in the neighborhood. It was quite a point of contention for everybody," said Reynolds, who runs a bookkeeping service from her home on Brisbin Street. The building "collects quite a bit of debris. It's overgrown. It's falling apart."

It's detrimental to our businesses. If people are driving past that, they don't look at any of the shops that are nice, they don't even pause.- Julie Reynolds, Hamilton Road community member

"Tired of seeing this? Complain weekly," reads the sign, which is visible from the road. 

Reynolds is worried the building, which she guesses has been sitting dormant for nearly a decade, is deterring people from stopping to shop on Hamilton Road. 

"It's detrimental to our businesses," she said. "If people are driving past that, they don't look at any of the shops that are nice, they don't even pause."

Reynolds hopes the sign will inspire neighbours to complain and get council to move more quickly to order demolition of the building. The city and ward councillor say they're aware of the problem. 

"I'd like to see it cleaned up. At the very least, the fencing needs to come down," she said. "There's a reason that the fencing bylaws exist, and regardless of whether it's temporary or not, it's not really anymore. It poses safety concerns as well as visual concerns."

City aware of building

It's unclear who owns the building, but municipal compliance director Orest Katolyk said the city is aware of the property. He wouldn't provide any detail about any investigations surrounding it, including "the status of any possible warnings, orders, administrative monetary penalties, charges or any other enforcement actions taken by the city," he said.

"We can advise that several times throughout the year, civic administration reports to council on recommended city initiated demolitions," he said. "All costs related to these demolitions are at the property owner's expense."

Property owners always have the right to initiate a demolition themselves, Katolyk added.

"I have requested that this file be brought forward to council ASAP," Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister wrote to CBC News on Monday. 

"Once approved by council, the city initiates a designated substance survey to identify any hazardous substances requiring specialized removal," he said "All utilities are then shut off and a contractor is hired to demo the building."

The whole process can take about three months, said McAlister.

"I realize that the Hamilton Road community is tired of seeing this blight of a building, but rest assured it is on  my radar and I'll keep pushing for demolition."