Vancouver seeks court-ordered repairs to heritage mansion damaged by suspicious fire
City sues for heritage mansion repairs
Keith Fraser
The Province
The City of Vancouver has asked the B.C. Supreme Court to order repairs to a fire-damaged $14-million Shaughnessy mansion with a colourful history.
In October, a fire that was suspicious in nature did extensive damage to the house at 3737 Angus Drive, which is owned by wealthy developers Miao Pan and Wen Yang.
According to a Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services report, the owners of the home, which was vacant and unfurnished, were called to the scene after the fire but a language barrier prevented any questioning and no translator was available. The report said the fire department asked for a Vancouver police arson investigator to be sent.
The fire caused major damage to the roof and walls of the heritage building and left it exposed to the elements.
The city’s chief building official ordered the owners to do repairs to prevent further damage caused by weather, infestation, rot or similar decay.
A Nov. 15 deadline for the repairs was set, but city officials extended the deadline twice at the request of the owners, with the final deadline being Feb. 16 this year, according to the petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court.
After the owners failed to meet the deadline, the matter was referred to city council for consideration and on May 14, council approved filing the lawsuit.
The city petition says that the heritage standards bylaw sets out a scheme to ensure the protection of heritage property that is within a heritage conservation area.
As the owners failed to bring the heritage building into compliance with the bylaw, the Vancouver Charter authorizes council to apply to the B.C. Supreme Court for an order “for compliance or restoration,” says the petition.
The city is asking for an order requiring the owners to submit an application to repair the heritage building within 15 days then make complete applications for building, plumbing, trades and electrical permits within 15 days of getting a city heritage alteration permit. The city also wants it to require a contractor be hired within 15 days of permits being issue. It also asks that the order require restoration work be completed within three months of the contractor being retained.
The city hired a heritage consultant to prepare a “statement of significance” about the property, described as a 2½-storey “grand residence” in the Arts and Crafts style.
The building, built in 1910, is valued for its association with Frank Rounsefell, a wealthy Vancouver businessman and prominent community leader in the late 19th and early 20th century, according to the statement.
It’s also valued because it was owned from 1955 to 1967 by Donald Cromie, who was owner and publisher of the Vancouver Sun from 1942 to 1964. He was known for holding big parties including one with Rudolf Nureyev and 200 ballet fans that had to be broken up by police because of the noise, says the statement.
No response has yet been filed to the petition, which contains allegations that have not been tested in court. Pan, who was in the news in November 2016 when he hosted a fundraiser for the federal Liberal party, and Yang could not be reached for comment.
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