Notorious house to be rebuilt as a home
It was a scene of a grow-op, a fire and a brutal beating.
But, soon, a notorious property in Westsyde will be rebuilt for someone new to call home.
Council has approved a development variance permit for a home at 4300 Westsyde Rd., paving the way for the new owners of the property to build a new house.
David Trawin, director of development and engineering services, said in this situation it was easier for the owner to simply demolish the old house and build a new one, rather than having the structure remediated through city bylaws.
“From a city perspective, I think it’s a positive,” he said of the property’s transformation.
The house has a troubled history dating back two years.
In April 2010, Kamloops RCMP busted the home for a marijuana grow-op.
Two days later, the house was set ablaze in a fire deemed suspicious.
Later that year, in August, a man living on the property was brutally beaten and found lying in the middle of Westsyde Road.
Kamloops RCMP said little about the attack and the investigation at the time, other than they believed the property was targeted.
Since then, the property’s ownership has changed hands.
Meanwhile, in 2011, the city worked with property owners to remediate 12 homes that were former grow-ops.
Trawin noted that number is the typical average for a year.
Under the bylaw, when a home is busted for a grow-op, it must be cleaned and then inspected by the city before it can be sold.
Trawin believes the current remediation bylaw has worked out well.
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