A Kelowna man has six months to knock down his house and clear the property of all hazards — or the city will do it for him and hand him the bill.
Janusz Grelecki’s home at 424 Gibson Road has been considered a problem for the better part of a decade.
Over the years, the city has made multiple requests to have him get it up to snuff, get appropriate permits and meet the BC Building Code.
After years of ignoring those requests and a last-minute appeal, city council voted unanimously on Monday to uphold a remedial action order it made two weeks earlier.
The city has mandated a number of requirements be performed by a series of dates starting yesterday, city clerk Stephen Fleming told Global News on Tuesday.
Fleming said Grelecki was afforded a lengthy opportunity to speak during the hearing, and, while he did not sway council from its view that the property must come down, he did offer assurances that he would be hiring someone to do the work laid out.
That was one of the conditions in the city order.
When Grelecki, 70, spoke to Global News last month he said he was shocked by the remedial action order, which would ultimately result in his home being bulldozed.
During a tour of his property, he showed many incomplete renovations that he’s been attempting for years, including the garage, back deck, a roof extension and an illegal concrete retaining wall.
Still, Grelecki has a number of reasons he said that prevented him from getting his house in order.
“My wife, she is sick so that’s a reason. Then we have two places. We have a farm. I have to care (for) both places and money’s short.”
Now that the appeal is over the matter won’t be before council again and he said last month he would adhere to the order.
“I don’t have a choice — I don’t have an option,” he said.
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