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Rot in Agassiz restaurant

List of deficiencies lead to action by Kent council

The list of things to be fixed in the former Park Ave Restaurant in Agassiz is a long one.

It's obvious from the outside that there are structural problems in the now-unoccupied building. But a recent District of Kent staff report to council outlined all the deficiencies that would need to be addressed before a business could operate there again.

In total, there are 37 items on that list, including rot under the sink and the toilet, a missing bathroom door, sloping floors, sagging beams and a gutter that slopes the wrong way. There is flashing missing on the roof that is causing rainwater penetration, and more rot. The certificates for kitchen equipment and fire suppression are expired, all the electrical work need to be repaired and re-certified.

Owner Liangcheng Wu applied for a business license due to a change in ownership on Oct. 31, 2013.

The deficiencies were found during the required inspection about two weeks later, when the district placed a no occupancy notice on the restaurant. No attempts have been made to fix the building in the months since, and so on Monday night, council voted unanimously to register a Section 57 on the property with the Land Title Office. This is to protect the municipality from liability, and to put the owners and potential future owners on notice of the safety concerns.

But it does not force the owner to clean up the building, explained Darcey Kohuch, director of development services.

"Now we'll have this derelict building sitting there for how long?" Coun. Darcy Striker asked staff. "Is there no way to force them to do anything?"

"No. As long as they can keep it safe and secured," Kohuch said.

Park Ave Restaurant sits on a corner lot at Pioneer Ave. and Park Street.

The Section 57 can be removed at a cost of $350 by the property owner, after all the safety concerns are dealt with. Wu did not attend the public meeting held Monday night and The Observer has not been able to contact him for comment.

news@ahobserver.com



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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