City of Bellevue reaches deal with owners for demolition of home that slid off foundations
Feb 11, 2022, 8:10 AM | Updated: 10:03 am
A home sits at the bottom of a hill after sliding off its foundation in a recent landslide in Bellevue, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
The City of Bellevue has reached a demolition agreement with the owners of a home that slid off its foundations in mid-January.
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Prior to its collapse, John and Barb Surdi 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.
For the weeks that followed, the city pushed for a quick demolition, citing the house as “an imminent threat,” warning that “natural events such as wind, rainfall or seismic activity” could lead to further damage to the surrounding area.
The Surdis balked at that request early on, noting that they hadn’t been allowed to re-enter the house to retrieve personal items. After the city filed a lawsuit to force the demolition through, it eventually came to an agreement with the owners on a path forward.
That agreement allowed the Surdis to recover any of their property that could be “safely salvaged,” in exchange for allowing a contractor to demolish the home. The demolition process began with site prep on Thursday. Roadway cleanup and “equipment mobilization” will begin next week, followed by the actual demolition sometime between Feb. 19-25. Cleanup and “site stabilization” efforts are expected to extend through early March.
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“Our number one priority throughout this process is to keep people safe and to remove the dangerous structure as soon, and as safely, as possible,” City Manager Brad Miyake said in a press release. “We’re grateful to the Surdi family for allowing the demolition process to begin. I also want to reassure the community that the city is deeply committed to helping the Somerset neighborhood recover from this unimaginable event.”
Five other homes in the area remain “red-tagged,” condemning them as unsafe for the public or owners to enter until further notice.
The city says that an investigation into the cause of the slide “is ongoing,” and will likely take months to finish “due to the complexity of the incident.”
