mark handler
SAWHORSE
Haunted House of 14 years violates codes, must come down says City of Kirkland
October 22, 2015 rob butcher
http://www.kirklandviews.com/blog/2015/10/22/haunted-house-of-14-years-violates-codes-must-come-down-says-city-of-kirkland
Some neighborly folks in Juanita have been building a haunted house in their front yard for the past 14 years and it has become a beloved tradition for local families to visit this labor of love. The tradition ends this year as the City of Kirkland has deemed the structure to be unsafe and without the prescribed modification (see below), the structure cannot be built.
We were connected to the story via the Be Neighborly Kirkland group on Facebook when a reader asked if we might be able to shed some light on the subject. We contacted City Hall and received the following response from Marie Jensen:
The structure that the Facebook post references was tagged by the City on October 14 because it's size requires a building permit and because it was placed in the front yard setback. A building permit is required for a structure over 200 square feet; this structure is over 400 square feet. The zoning code does not allow the structure to be in the setback area.
The City's Building Official visited the site. He has had conversations with the homeowner. There is no building permit application on file with the city. In the opinion of the Building Official, the structure is unsafe because it is not structurally stable and it is covered with a flammable tarp. The structure would not withstand a windstorm. The current covering poses a fire hazard.
The Building Official offered the homeowner the option to reduce the size of the structure to less than 200 square feet (no building permit would be required), use a fire retardant material for the covering, or remove the covering. If the owner chooses to use a fire-resistant covering, the City would still need to evaluate the structure for stability.
The homeowner has advised the City the structure would be removed on Saturday. The City trusts that it will be removed when the homeowner said it would.
The City recognizes that the homeowner's long-standing Halloween tradition is appreciated by those who visit it but it is the City's responsibility to ensure structures to be used by the public are safe for occupancy.
October 22, 2015 rob butcher
http://www.kirklandviews.com/blog/2015/10/22/haunted-house-of-14-years-violates-codes-must-come-down-says-city-of-kirkland
Some neighborly folks in Juanita have been building a haunted house in their front yard for the past 14 years and it has become a beloved tradition for local families to visit this labor of love. The tradition ends this year as the City of Kirkland has deemed the structure to be unsafe and without the prescribed modification (see below), the structure cannot be built.
We were connected to the story via the Be Neighborly Kirkland group on Facebook when a reader asked if we might be able to shed some light on the subject. We contacted City Hall and received the following response from Marie Jensen:
The structure that the Facebook post references was tagged by the City on October 14 because it's size requires a building permit and because it was placed in the front yard setback. A building permit is required for a structure over 200 square feet; this structure is over 400 square feet. The zoning code does not allow the structure to be in the setback area.
The City's Building Official visited the site. He has had conversations with the homeowner. There is no building permit application on file with the city. In the opinion of the Building Official, the structure is unsafe because it is not structurally stable and it is covered with a flammable tarp. The structure would not withstand a windstorm. The current covering poses a fire hazard.
The Building Official offered the homeowner the option to reduce the size of the structure to less than 200 square feet (no building permit would be required), use a fire retardant material for the covering, or remove the covering. If the owner chooses to use a fire-resistant covering, the City would still need to evaluate the structure for stability.
The homeowner has advised the City the structure would be removed on Saturday. The City trusts that it will be removed when the homeowner said it would.
The City recognizes that the homeowner's long-standing Halloween tradition is appreciated by those who visit it but it is the City's responsibility to ensure structures to be used by the public are safe for occupancy.
