City may tear down eco-house
A 3,200-square-foot Riverdale house that has stood partly built for years is deteriorating and will be demolished at the owner’s expense unless he can prove he is finishing construction, the city says.
The city has notified the homeowner, photographer Con Boland, that assessors will visit the house before the end of next week to proceed with demolition estimates. It is rare for the city to look at demolishing such a large and expensive structure, said Troy Courtoreille, co-ordinator of the complaints and investigation section in the city’s community standards branch.
“We do appreciate the magnitude of it, but we have to weigh the concerns of an entire community as opposed to one individual,” Courtoreille said.
Boland started building the eco-friendly geothermal house at 8908 101st Ave. about four years ago, but was ordered to stop because the house contravened rules for construction in the neighbourhood.
Boland has since modified the design, but hasn’t finished building.
Demolition is expected to go ahead this year unless Boland can provide a clear plan and prove work to finish the house is imminent, with evidence such as contractor receipts and letters of intent, said Courtoreille.
Boland will be billed for the demolition.
“We would not be providing any compensation,” Courtoreille said.
The city issued an order to Boland last year to either finish construction or level the structure, Courtoreille said. Boland didn’t comply with the order and didn’t appeal it, he said.
“It looks worse now and it’s been deteriorating,” Courtoreille said of the house. “It’s a fairly controversial issue within the Riverdale community.”
Several area residents have lodged multiple complaints over the past three years about the house, Courtoreille said.
Boland said he is trying to sell the energy-efficient concrete and steel-framed house, which includes rainwater collection and geothermal heating and cooling systems, an elevator shaft, a fantastic view and potential for a rooftop garden.
“So far, I have invested $900,000 plus the value of the lot,” Boland said. “At this point, I am talking with potential partners or investors to complete the house, or if somebody would like to purchase it and finish it themselves. The potential buyer needs some imagination to visualize what it will look like when it’s finished, because it will be a gorgeous home.”
The project has been at the centre of community controversy for years. In 2008, neighbours fought Boland’s plan to build the house half a storey taller than building codes allowed. Boland argued there are taller buildings in the community. The city’s subdivision and development appeal board later ruled the extra half-storey was not in the initial construction plan the city had approved in April 2007.
Boland has since made changes to the house, but said the ongoing battle, legal fees and costly modifications — including demolishing and hauling away a third storey for about $35,000 — have chewed through his resources and caused the project to stall. Demolition would cost up to $150,000, he said.
“After they put up all the roadblocks, now they want it finished in a hurry,” Boland said. “We will start construction very soon. ... This will not get demolished.”
Neighbour Leslie McMurdo is one of several residents eager to see the house come down. The huge structure directly south of her house leaves her yard in shadow, lowers the property value and litters her yard with construction materials, McMurdo said.
“The whole community will be absolutely thrilled. Everybody is so sick of looking at this disaster,” she said. “It’s just a shell. There’s nothing done inside whatsoever.”
Area residents will be relieved to have the longtime issue resolved, said Riverdale Community League president Bill Moore-Kilgannon.
“I hoped Con would have been able to complete his ecohouse according to the rules laid out by the City of Edmonton, so it’s very unfortunate that his house wasn’t able to be built,” Moore-Kilgannon said. “But at the end of the day, you can’t just leave a half-finished house for a couple of years without either completing it
or having it demolished.”