City of Bellevue, home owners reach agreement to demolish damaged structure

The City of Bellevue has reached an agreement with the owners of a home that collapsed and was badly damaged during a January landslide to demolish the structure.

Under the agreement, a contractor will be allowed to safely remove the home and recover any of the homeowners’ property that can be salvaged.

This agreement comes in response to the City of Bellevue filing a lawsuit this week against the owners of the home, John and Barb Surdi, that slid off its foundations in a mid-January landslide.

Prior to its collapse, the Surdis lived in the three-story home for two decades. It’s believed that it was knocked off its foundations after a broken water main saturated the hillside below the structure. The incident led to the evacuation of over 40 people and several pets from an estimated 17 homes in the area.

Five other homes in the area remain “red-tagged,” with neighbors unable to return to their residences.

Increased security following break-in at site of Bellevue home slide

Due to the agreement with the city, work can begin to clear the site as early as next week.

“This is an important milestone and I’m thankful both parties were able to find a way to provide an opportunity for the family to safely recover personal property,” said City Manager Brad Miyake in a written statement. “Bellevue’s number-one priority throughout this process has been to keep the property owners and surrounding neighborhood safe, given the dangerous conditions. Our hearts go out to the family and the other impacted homeowners as they continue to deal with the aftermath of this unimaginable event.”

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