Abandoned buildings called hazard after fire

A suspicious fire that destroyed an abandoned building near downtown last week aroused the concern of fire officials, who say the remaining buildings on the site are a safety hazard.

In recent years, three abandoned buildings on the 7.4-acre Cedar Grove Park parcel have been destroyed by fire. The most recent fire destroyed a well house Sept. 22.

The parcel is bounded by the Petaluma River to the east, the Northwest Pacific Railroad to the west and a group of homes along Rocca Drive to the north.

After the second fire a year ago, the city ordered a high chain-link fence to be put up around one of two groups of buildings on the parcel. However, the fence didn't prevent the most recent fire.

Fire officials don't know what caused the fires but suspect that some or all of them may have been the result of homeless people's burning things to stay warm at night, Fire Chief Chris Albertson said.

For Teresa Covarrubias, who lives on Rocca Drive with her husband and son, the demolition of all the abandoned buildings on the land next to her home won't come soon enough.

"That's a danger," she said. "It needs to end."

The city was set to have two of the burned buildings that are still standing demolished this week but the fate of seven or eight other abandoned structures on the property must await the conclusion of an environmental review, said Cliff Kendall, the city's building inspector.

Albertson said he doesn't think it's likely that any future fire on the parcel would spread to the homes along Rocca Drive.

"My concern is that somebody could get killed" while taking shelter inside one of the abandoned buildings, he said.

Doug Elliott, one of three partners proposing to develop the property into a 63-home subdivision, said he has asked the city to expedite permits so the abandoned structures can be removed as soon as possible.

One of the buildings, the Tunstall house, is a historically significant structure from the late 19th century that will be restored and relocated within the parcel, Elliott said.

If everything goes well with the city approval process, construction on the project could begin in two to three years, said Greg Hurd, the project's civil engineer.

A preliminary plan submitted to the city in March calls for 63 single-family homes with lots ranging in size from 1,700 square feet to 2,604 square feet. The homes are expected to range in size from 1,674 square feet to 1,800 square feet.

The smaller homes on smaller lots are expected to appeal to buyers looking for a house at the entry level of the market, Hurd said.

The project is slated to include two pocket parks totaling 1.04 acres.

Covarrubias said she was happy to hear a new subdivision is being proposed for Cedar Grove Park.

As long as there are abandoned buildings on the property, people are going to keep going into them, she said.