City will take action to deal with unstable building

The saga of Kensington Manor is entering another chapter and it may result in the city overseeing the demolition of the privately-owned building.

Tenants of the 57-unit apartment building on 10th Street N.W.were hustled out of their units in November 2017 after an engineer's report concluded it wasstructurally unsound.

• Kensington Manor to be demolished
• Word of 'possible imminent building collapse' triggers evacuation of Calgary apartment block

The city had given theowner until Jan. 30to either start remediationor demolition.Neither action happened, so now the city is intervening.

The acting coordinator of the city's safety response unit, Cliff de Jong, said it's an unusual situation for a building of this size.

"There really is no exact playbook on something like this but most definitively the actions we take on smaller structures is very similar," he said.

Owner failed to meet deadlines

As for why the building's owner has not complied, de Jong would only say it relates to finances.

"The owner really has essentially demonstrated an inability to meet the deadlines."

An assessment of the building's current state, is the next step for the city.

It has been shored up since the tenants moved out, although there are numerous problems with its condition, de Jong said, adding it currently poses no threat to public safety.

Once the assessment is complete, the city will work with the owner on the next steps, which could include the city arranging and paying for the block to be torn down.

The city will not be left on the hook for any costs associated with Kensington Manor,deJongsaid,as its expenses can be put onto the property title.

"We will get those costs back at some point in the future through that site's property tax," he said.

Security still a concern

The city directed the building's owner to secure the site, and while that work was done, there have still been break-ins, deJong said.

As a result, the city is requiring unspecified enhancements to the security plan.

He'sencouraging anyone who sees unusual activityto call 311, adding officers areon-call 24 hours a day. Call police if the activity iscriminal in nature.

• Read more articles by CBC Calgary, like us on Facebook for updates and subscribe to our CBC Calgary newsletter for the day's news at a glance