POT-FREE HOUSING EYES A MARKET

A pot-free housing project in Chilliwack, believed the first in
Canada, will soon open to buyers willing to give up some privacy for
protection against home marijuana grow operators.

But they'll also have to agree to forfeit their home, if caught
growing pot themselves in one of the 13 homes planned for the
Promontory Park subdivision on Valleyview Road.

Developer Bill Coughlin says homebuyers will be asked to sign a
contract agreeing to sell the home back to the strata council at cost,
if the house is used for growing pot. The three-bedroom homes are
priced in the $300,000 range.

Hydro meters will also be centrally located to prevent theft of
electricity, foil-covered windows and basement suites will be banned
and a 24-hour security camera will photograph all visitors with copies
sent to the RCMP if a criminal investigation starts.

"When you enter this property, you are giving up the right of
privacy," Mr. Coughlin says, adding that a team of lawyers is combing
through the proposal in anticipation of legal challenges. An open
house for prospective buyers starts at noon Saturday at 46450
Valleyview Rd.

Councillor Sharon Gaetz, chair of the city's safety advisory
committee, says she's delighted by the idea of another pot-busting
tool added to the community's anti-marijuana arsenal. The city has
enacted a tough new bylaw, hired extra RCMP officers to sniff out
grow-ops, and enlisted municipal workers, real estate agents and
ordinary citizens to report possible drug-related activities.

"It's another solution to controlling grow-ops in our community," she
says, about the pot-free housing idea. "But on the other hand, what a
shame that landowners and developers have to take care of something
our federal government should be taking care of in the courts."

The city has also drafted a victim impact statement for use in court
that will hopefully give judges more reason to throw the book at
convicted grow operators.

Mr. Coughlin says the idea of a pot-free housing project came after
hearing how many of his clients were financially "devastated" by
next-door marijuana grow operations, which he says can chop $50,000
off a home's market value.

Tales of children kept indoors because of neighbourhood grow-ops, of
strange "midnight happenings" around them and of seniors "pulverized"
by home invaders also spurred him to act.

"Society today is being held hostage," he says, by criminals who have
forced honest citizens to retreat to the safety of their homes.

"Today, we're backyard oriented," he says. "We have no idea who lives
next door."

The gated community will also be the first with its own private park
and walking trails.

RCMP Cpl. Sean Sullivan says the pot-free housing idea is a "dramatic
step" in the fight against grow-ops.

"Anything that puts a deterrent on criminal activity is a bonus for
us," he says.

But a legal challenge could arise if a grow-op is discovered and a
homeowner believes they are entitled to fair market value rather than
the amount paid for the home, he says.

Coun. Gaetz agrees a court challenge is likely, and "I suspect it
might come into some conflict with the B.C. Solicitor-General's new
plan for the seizure of goods (by police) when someone commits a crime."

Despite the array of pot-busting tools now available to the community,
don't expect to see the number of grow-ops drop soon, says Cpl. Sullivan.

"We're getting information and tips from concerned citizens on a daily
basis," he says. "We won't see statistics drop, we'll see them
increase as citizens are alive to the issue."

There are currently 200 active grow-op investigations under way in
Chilliwack.

"This year we had just a little over 400 investigations (and) these
are only the ones we've been made aware of," Cpl. Sullivan says. "We
honestly believe there's well over 800 to 1,200 grow-ops" in
Chilliwack.