Spryfield property owner given more time to move derelict vehicle

A Spryfield property owner has 30 more days to remove his vehicle but still faces a demolition order on his unoccupied house.

On Thursday, regional council’s appeals standing committee voted to give property owner Tyler McMahon more time to remove a silver Dodge Dakota from the driveway of 32 Quartz Dr.

The city ordered McMahon to remove the vehicle from his property on Oct. 6. He appealed the order, and his case was on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. McMahon, however, was not present.

Kevin Berrigan, a compliance officer for HRM, inspected the derelict vehicle. This wasn’t the first time he has visited the property, as there are four previous dangerous or unsightly cases against this property.

“This property’s received a lot of complaints,” Berrigan said in the meeting.

When Berrigan initially inspected the vehicle, he didn’t notice any real issues with it other than some rust. He said it seemed to be in good condition.

After receiving more complaints about the property, he went back and noticed two deflated tires, wires pulled from the steering column and two other steering columns for the same type of vehicle in the back of the truck. The ignition was damaged on one of the columns.

Berrigan also checked the licence plate on the vehicle and confirmed it did not match the vehicle or the name of the property owner.

“I didn’t observe that on my initial inspection,” Berrigan said. “Like I said, when I first observed the vehicle, it seemed to be fine.”

Berrigan said he has made several attempts to contact McMahon about the vehicle but never received a response.

No one lives in the house on the property. A fire in 2020 left the back of the house and deck scorched. Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency inspectors classified the cause of the fire as “incendiary,” meaning it wasn’t an accident.

The municipality plans to demolish the house after McMahon failed to fix it.

Scott Hill, municipal supervisor of regional compliance, said he doesn’t know when the house will be torn down.

Coun. Patty Cuttell, representing the area, said she’s heard neighbours are upset about the state of the property.

“I think we can remember it was a couple that split up, and there’s question of insurance versus the ownership of the home,” Cuttell said. “There’s probably a lot going on for the owner of that property.”

Cuttell isn’t concerned about the vehicle, saying it’s not an eyesore and thinks McMahon is trying to resolve the issue. She recommended that the committee give him more time.

Cuttell’s colleagues agreed and voted unanimously in favour of her motion to give McMahon another month to remove his vehicle.

“I think we all need a little bit of extra time to get things done these days. We’re no better than anybody else when it comes to getting things done in a timely manner,” Cuttell said.

The Signal contacted McMahon for an interview and didn’t hear back.