Golden Valley Declares Stalled Construction Project Hazardous
Along Douglas Drive in Golden Valley sits the remnants of what was supposed to be a senior living facility.
The city issued a building permit in September of 2020. Work stopped a year later after the property owner fired the contractor; the site has been virtually untouched ever since.
The Golden Valley City Council took notice.
“This is an incredibly unsafe environment,” said Council Member Denise Le Mere-Anderson. “It’s an open pit.”
Photos taken by the city of Golden Valley show the open pit left over from the stalled construction project.
Photographs taken by the city show that in the two years since work was last done on the property, there’s an open foundation, unfinished timber construction and significant water damage to what was left standing.
Next steps
“This is the beginning of a process for the city to assist in removing the structure that’s there right now,” said Golden Valley City Attorney Maria Cisneros during the July 18 council meeting.
The Golden Valley City Council unanimously voted on July 18 to declare the property as a hazardous building.
The declaration sets in motion a process for the property owner to repair and remove the hazardous conditions within 30 days.
“The expectation is that the concrete would be removed and then the hole would be filled in,” Cisneros said during the meeting.
If the property owner is unable to do so, Golden Valley can ask the court for permission to do it themselves and charge the owner for the work.
Regardless of who does the job, council members agreed that it’s not safe to have a hazard like this so close to Sandburg Middle School.
“We have a particular duty, despite our wanting to work with the property owner, to make sure that places that are attracting youth for recreation are safe places for them,” said Council Member Gillian Rosenquist.
The property owner, Retro Companies, Inc, has the option to dispute the hazardous building declaration in court. In which case, the matter would go to trial. However, there’s no word yet on whether the property owner has done so.
The property is located at 2425 Douglas Drive N in Golden Valley.
