District of West Vancouver council is threatening to take a wrecking ball to a multi-million-dollar house following alleged bylaw violations.
A Ferrari could be seen parked inside the garage of the home on the 700-block of 20th Street, which, according to a staff report, was built without permits.
The house may look like an upgrade to the tiny bungalow that was razed to build the new home four years ago, but at a council meeting on Monday, staff presented a report on some of the alleged deficiencies of the home and asked members what they should do to try and enforce compliance.
“The council report outlines an egregious flouting of our processes,” Jeff McDonald, West Vancouver’s director of community relations, said.
Neighbours attended the council meeting to ensure the district heard their concerns about drainage issues they believe were coming from the property in question.
“This area has a ground water problem,” neighbour Phil Dobson said. “Each one of our six units here has a sump… Probably every 15 to 20 minutes they’re pumping a number of gallons.”
Irrigated landscaping was one of the many features listed when the home went on the market. The home was described as having a gorgeous, modern design with a Thermador kitchen, granite counters and three gas fireplaces.
The district claims several stop-work orders were ignored during construction and that the original house was demolished and the new one occupied without permits.
The report stated an April inspection found deficiencies with regards to electrical, heating, sprinklers, drainage and plumbing. The report also stated the homeowners missed 29 building inspections.
“They were obviously shocked that something could get this far down the road with as many issues,” Dobson said.
An online post listed the home for just under $2.6 million.
At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Michael Smith suggested the best way to deal with the house would be to take it down.
“Council needs to think about what to do next,” McDonald said. “There’s really no way to speculate on what that will be or when.”
— With files from Ted Chernecki
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