The owner of a recreational vehicle dealership in Port Coquitlam has vowed to bring his building into compliance following a hearing at city hall last week.
Tom Ramsay of Meridian RV told council during the Section 57 hearing that he plans to bring the building at 1690 Coast Meridian Rd. up to date following years of communication with city staff and fire inspectors to make the structure compliant.
After the Jan. 9 hearing, city council directed the corporate officer to file a notice with the Land Title Office, a move aimed to alert the public — specifically, property purchasers, real estate agents, mortgage lenders and insurers — about the outstanding issues for the building; the notice can be inspected at city hall.
A Section 57 notice can be cancelled once a property owner is in compliance.
According to a report from Bruce Irvine, PoCo’s director of development services, city and fire staff have visited Meridian RV over the past decade and observed alterations and renovations have been done without permits or inspections for:
- an addition of a storage room at the rear
- an addition to the show room
- installation of a tent structure
- installation of a non-monitored fire alarm system
Irvine wrote that Ramsay filed a building permit application in 2021 and a Plan Review Letter was inked to address the concerns but, the following year, city solicitors got involved to develop a compliance plan, and last year, Ramsay hired his own engineers, who confirmed the code deficiencies for the structure.
Last September, Ramsay said he wanted to withdraw his building permit bid.
At last week’s hearing, Ramsay said his structural engineer certified the building as safe, and reminded council of his business’ history in PoCo, the amount of property taxes that Meridian RV pays and the community contributions it makes.
He admitted to making the building alterations and claimed the visits from city and fire staff in 2020 were “less than professional” with intimidation, threats and verbal abuse, which he alleged contributed to personal medical complications.
Since then, Ramsay said, his relationship and correspondence with the city has improved and he plans to replace the building, although he couldn’t say when.
Irvine said he’s “extremely optimistic” that the contraventions will be resolved, adding, “The city, however, has an obligation that when it is aware of work that is completed without permits, the city does not have the opportunity to pick and choose which parts of the [building] code it can enforce and cannot enforce.”
Irvine continued, “If we are aware work without permits — and, in this particular case, if we are aware of a building that does not meet the fire suppression sprinkler requirements — it is a liability issue for the city.”
Mayor Brad West praised Meridian RV for its efforts to resolve the deficiencies.
