‘Problem house’ nailed up
Rob Gibson – – September 30, 2020 / 4:00 a.m. | History: 311969
Photo: Rob Gibson
A problem house on Springfield Road in Kelowna, known by neighbors as a drug house, was boarded up.
The 3054 Springfield home was the scene of several incidents, including a sudden death in July and a raid earlier that month that charged $ 10,000 worth of stolen goods. Nine people were arrested after the raid and an unknown amount of drugs and cash were also confiscated.
Kelowna RCMP Spokesperson Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said the stolen property recovered included “bicycles, power tools and other equipment.”
Since that time, Hyung Ja Eo has faced multiple fines totaling more than $ 2,500 after numerous complaints from neighbors, the owner of the home.
In August, the City of Kelowna announced a charter, a building inspector and the Kelowna Fire Department were part of a new team determined to resolve certain “problem” homes in Kelowna. At the time, the city said it was putting more pressure on the owner by imposing fines rather than evicting tenants.
Neighbors have claimed that more than 20 people may have been living on the property at any given time in recent years.
The house is now boarded up and there are no trespassing signs in several places.
One of the neighbors Castanet spoke to Tuesday said the city’s efforts, the joint armed forces raid and the fines levied eventually convinced the landlord to take action.
“According to Bylaw Services, the owner has decided to enter the house to mitigate further zoning / building violations in the city,” a city spokesman said Tuesday.
The owner of the house has been in a dispute with the town hall over the construction of a carriage house on the back of the property for several years. This part of the property was also nailed up.
