Gibsons council directed corporate officer Selina Williams to file a notice on title for 1015 Venture Way due to safety concerns at the Jan. 12 meeting.
“During the two safety inspections it has become clear that the building has serious safety issues due to incomplete fire separations and a sprinkler system that has not been updated to accommodate several interior changes made over the recent years,” building inspector Dave Bell wrote in his report. “There are two confirmed residential suites with fire safety concerns and at least two more suspected residential suites of unknown quality.”
Anna Shearsmith – who co-owns the building with her husband Ken – attended the council meeting, but requested that discussion be postponed until her husband could also be in attendance.
Director of planning André Boel said that the owners had been given sufficient notice that this would be discussed at the meeting.
“We did notify the owners of this meeting and this opportunity, and from my perspective, since the fall of 2013 we’ve been waiting to see any action regarding these items,” Boel said. “The two suites – the residential suites – that we’ve inspected have outstanding fire separation issues; they’re not safe to live in. So as far as that is concerned, we’ve waited long enough.”
Shearsmith said that other than for storage, the building is being used for studio space by artists, but none of them is living there. She added that one of the artists using the building is a painter who often paints in the middle of the night.
“Painters, that’s what they do. When they want to go and paint – even at four in the morning – they go and paint. That’s how they do it,” Shearsmith said.
Coun. Silas White said he was comfortable accepting the recommendation to issue a notice on title.
“It’s not a permanent thing – notice on title – it’s simply another mechanism to try to make sure that a number of things are being followed, including safety,” White said.
Williams explained that notice on title is more or less a warning that a building is not up to code.
“What happens is the mortgaging body becomes aware of [the notice] and realizes the building is not in compliance,” Williams said. “In addition to that, any prospective buyer would also know that the building is not in compliance.”
The notice can be removed once the building has been made to comply with the building code.
The building is zoned as Industrial-1, which – like the building at 626 Shaw Road – allows for residential use in conjunction with an artist studio.
Bell recommended that this be deleted from the lndustrial-1 zone and that a different live/work zone be developed for 626 Shaw Road and other eligible properties as part of the planned housekeeping amendments for zoning bylaws in 2016.
“Given the issues at 1015 Venture, staff feels that the current provision is undesirable and counterproductive,” Bell wrote. “The option is open to abuse by suggesting that residential use can easily be mixed with industrial uses.”
