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Council weighs abatement options for unfinished foundation at 101 Island Drive
Summary
City staff described health-and-safety and nuisance concerns at 101 Island Drive, where an exposed foundation and an unpermitted fence left by owner Joseph Reed have persisted since construction stalled; staff recommended pursuing legal abatement if the owner does not remedy safety issues, and the owner contacted staff during the meeting saying he will cooperate.
City code-enforcement and public-works staff informed the June 9 council about ongoing nuisance and public-safety problems at 101 Island Drive, a private island spur with an incomplete foundation poured more than three years ago.
Staff said the property owner, identified in the report as Joseph Reed, pulled a building permit and poured a deep foundation but construction stalled and the permit expired. The exposed foundation sits at grade and drops off sharply on the sides (staff estimated 12–14 feet), creating a fall hazard if not fenced or otherwise secured. Staff also reported an unpermitted privacy fence in the front yard that the owner erected without prior approval and that the property is generally overgrown and noncompliant with nuisance standards.
Staff described prior communications and attempts at mediation, said notices were issued last year, and recommended that the city be prepared to use legally authorized measures — recurring fines, compel compliance, or abate with costs assessed to the property — if the owner does not promptly make the site safe. During the council meeting the owner contacted staff and expressed willingness to remove the fence and to discuss remedial steps; he suggested applying about $600 toward materials. Staff said that while a low-cost temporary fence might be a near-term remedy, a full structural remediation (removing or repairing the foundation) would be costly and likely the property owner’s responsibility.
Council members expressed concern for neighborhood safety and asked staff to proceed with notices and, if needed, abatement authority. Legal staff confirmed the city has nuisance-abatement powers and can place liens to recover costs if the city performs work and assesses the property.
Council directed staff to notify the owner of firm deadlines, pursue reasonable abatement for immediate safety (for example, construction fencing), and advance formal enforcement steps if the owner does not meet the deadlines.
