Fix it up or tear it down, says CBS council

By Craig Westcott

CBS councillors found themselves having to lower the boom on several property owners this past Tuesday who were each given orders to clean up their premises or else.

The first order involved the now empty former supermarket at 862 Conception Bay Highway in Kelligrews. The building, which corners Long Shore Road, was once one of the busiest commercial establishments in CBS before the arrival of larger supermarkets in Long Pond and chain discount stores.

Councillor-at-large Rex Hillier, filling in for planning committee chairman and Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley, who attended the meeting by videoconference, made the motion to issue the order to either repair or demolish the structure.

“I know councillor Tilley had some concerns about it (the building) earlier in the year,” Hillier said, recalling an incident where a teenager fell through the roof of the building. “So really what we’ve said to the property owner is, either you’ve got to repair that and bring it up to some standard or demolish it. This is the first step.”

The next order involved a property at 128 – 130 Millers Road. The Town has ordered the owner to obtain an occupancy permit for the dwelling on the land and permits for three accessory buildings that have been constructed on the property.

The third order involved a property at 139 Tilleys Road South. Hillier said the Town is ordering the owner to remove construction materials and commercial vehicles situated at the site.

And finally, council ratified an order to the owner of 25 Greslet Place, which is off Greeleytown Road in Foxtrap, to cease business operations there, and to stop displaying goods, materials and equipment.

Hillier noted all the orders had actually been sent to the property owners the week before.

“The way this works is, the order has to be sent out and then it has to be ratified at the next public meeting, so that’s where we are with these tonight,” he explained.

Mayor Darrin Bent added the Town follows that policy to get the process moving faster, so that staff don’t have to wait as long as two weeks to get approval at a council meeting.

“As we move forward, hopefully these properties will be brought into compliance, and sometime down the road we’ll see a motion come forward to lift the orders on these properties, and that’s when we celebrate and say, ‘Yes, job done.'” Hillier said. 

“I look forward to that,” said Bent.