The city is serious about cleaning up problem properties, said Mayor Lyn Hall, as city council approved its fourth set of remedial actions in three consecutive meetings.
This time the target was Lombardy Mobile Home Park, which was ordered to tear down 16 derelict trailers and complete overall clean up on the site.
Bylaw services manager Fred Crittenden presented a lengthy file on the Norwood Street property during Wednesday night's meeting, dating back nearly 15 years.
He keyed in on a few specific dates relating to the site, namely last September when the property owner received their first notice under the city's property maintenance bylaw.
"It's really sad, in my opinion, that it's gotten to this point," said Coun. Brian Skakun, who said some of the blame has to fall with the city. " I appreciate that we're taking action now. I think it's definitely the right thing to do."
Members of council weren't keen on honouring a request from park management for more time.
In a letter from Kal Sall, the park was asking to have until Aug. 15 to "step up (their) citations."
"The feedback from city letters tell us we are doing a good job in certain areas but other need improvement," Sall wrote. "All of a sudden on July 2, 2015 we are faced with remedial action."
Instead, if the property owners want council to reconsider its decision, they have until July 20 at 5 p.m. to file an appeal.
"There are folks that live in the Lombardy Trailer Park and that's their neighbourhood and they deserve to be safe and they deserve to be safe from crime, fire hazards and health hazards and it's with all the greatest respect to those folks that I'm glad this has come forward and that we're taking action on it," said Coun. Terri McConnachie.
There have been 335 RCMP-reported incidents at the property between 2012 and 2014, said Crittenden. Of those, 142 were last year alone. Crittenden said they mostly fell into the categories of drug and alcohol calls, break and enter theft cases, landlord-tenant disputes and bylaw and civil matters. There were 122 police calls in 2013 and 71 the previous year.
Those repeat visits come with a cost, said Hall.
"And that's something that Supt. (Warren) Brown is looking at very closely: where are these areas that they're having to attend over and over again?" he said. "And it's impacting the cost piece and obviously our budget on policing."
Clean up work has already begun in the mobile home park, as Crittenden pointed out during his presentation to council that some structures had already been torn down as of Wednesday.
A North Vancouver group-based has asked that in the process of demolition, the park's feline population be taken into consideration.
Animal Advocates Society of B.C. is in the middle of a campaign to spay and neuter the Lombardy cat population, according to a letter from society president Judy Stone.
The group said it has spent more than $3,300 on the cats' care and that it has good relations with the park's tenants.
"Cats and kittens live under those trailers. The adults may escape death when the trailers are demolished: the kittens are less likely to escape and will be crushed," Stone wrote. "Their deaths will be terrible."
Council did not discuss the letter at Wednesday's meeting.
