Suburban Saskatoon home valued at $650K to be demolished
Order to bring vacant house up to city standard went unanswered, was replaced by a notice of demolition
Homes are neglected and demolished in upscale neighbourhoods, too.
A property on Beechdale Crescent in the Briarwood neighbourhood in Saskatoon, is appraised at $650,300. It will be demolished in the first two weeks of October.
Neighbours noticed the home was vacant and the lawn was overgrown and called the City of Saskatoon to complain. There was even a mouldy smell beginning to emanate from the suburban home.
When fire inspectors came to inspect the home at 166 Beechdale in March they found the door unlocked. It is believed the house was broken into at least once.
'The floor was damp'
Neighbours had been mowing the lawn to prevent the home from becoming an eyesore.
"The floor was damp.... There was mould growth on the walls and ceilings up on the upper floors," said Wayne Rodger, assistant chief of public relations and risk reduction at the Saskatoon Fire Department.
"Paper and paint was actually sloughing from off the walls in locations."
The department issued an order to the homeowner on May 22. The city tried to get in touch in order to get the house repaired to minimum standards. They were unable to make contact.
On July 17, the order was rescinded and an order to demolish was issued instead.
The notice of demolition lists the owner as Yu Liu. According to the city, the property taxes for 166 Beechdale Crescent have been paid yearly.
It's one of the few details available to Rodger through the city assessor's office.
"We haven't got any report that they're in arrears."
Taxes on the house come to approximately $5,600 annually.
'You need to do something'
One neighbour believes the house was inhabited for just three months. Others said they have never seen the owner.
"There was the odd person coming and going," said Orest Kozuska, who lives down the street from the home.
Brenda Byers lives on a street off Beechdale Crescent. She remembers some movement down the street in 2016.
"It went up for sale briefly," she said. "If you can't sell it, you need to do something."
Neither neighbour was surprised the house is coming down. And neither are worried about the dust and noise that will come with demolition. It's worth it, they say.
It's uncommon for the city to have to demolish a building in a neighbourhood where homes can reach up to $800,000.
"We've been left with no alternative at this point because we're not in a position to allow this to continue," said Rodger.
He says he received a phone call from a contractor in British Columbia offering to clean the home up for resale. But then taxpayers would be on the hook for repairs, Rodger said.
"This is our only recourse," he said. "To knock the building down."