The removal of a sheet metal wall from the unfinished shell of a controversial structure on Causeway Boulevard and 40th Street in Metairie marks the apparent end of a two-year stalemate between the property owner and Jefferson Parish. Building owner Craig Boes took down the wall that towered above neighboring one-story houses last week, taking the key first step...
The removal of a sheet metal wall from the unfinished shell of a controversial structure on Causeway Boulevard and 40th Street in Metairie marks the apparent end of a two-year stalemate between the property owner and Jefferson Parish.
A sheet metal wall is gone from the side of the building where the American flag hangs, suggesting construction will now continue on the controversial metal house in Metairie, which sat in unfinished limbo for two years.Building owner Craig Boes took down the wall that towered above neighboring one-story houses last week, taking the key first step toward satisfying agreements and court orders that he must replace the metal with residential-style materials on the exterior of the enigmatic edifice.
The hollow steel frame has been in limbo since August 2008, when parish code enforcement officials halted construction. Neighbors and officials feared Boes was trying to wedge a commercial building onto a residential lot. Boes has insisted he is building a house, which he plans to rent out, though he has conceded he is using unconventional methods.
After Boes failed to comply promptly with an agreement he made with parish government to remove the metal and instead apply a house-like facade, the parish successfully sought a court order. But Boes also sued the parish for interfering with his project and his use of private property.
In recent weeks Boes and parish officials said they have reached a settlement under which both sides will agree to drop the legal claims against each other. His removal of the wall shows he is complying with the settlement and satisfying the government's demands, said Guice Giambrone, a lawyer for Jefferson Parish.
"He's got stamped and approved plans," Giambrone said. "He's going to continue with construction now. He has complied with everything we have asked him to comply with."
The agreement calls for Boes to erect residential walls on the wide western side of the rectangular structure, where the sheet metal recently hung from the steel beams, and also the southern side facing 40th Street and eastern side facing Causeway, which have remained open.
Sheet metal already covers the narrow northern end, with a hole cut for what looks like a heavy duty garage door, but the parish did not require Boes to change that side because it faces a more commercial area, Giambrone said.
While the changes satisfy the parish in its grievances with Boes, Giambrone and Boes declined to say what aspects of the planned settlement will address Boes's complaints against the parish. They said those details won't be available for at least two weeks, until the settlement is filed on court. Neighbors have raised the possibility the parish will pay Boes for costs stemming from the construction delay.
Boes said he plans to install synthetic wood siding on the three sides where he must use a residential finish.
Now that construction is back on track, he said, it could take about five months to complete the building, allowing observers finally to see how the long-debated abode with a warehouse skeleton will look.
"The intent is to go ahead and finish the building," Boes said. "It'll be a single-family residence."
He said he is relieved to be moving forward but embittered by his prolonged struggle with the parish.
Before the controversy erupted, Boes successfully secured a building permit from the parish because the height and setbacks of the structure fell within single-family parameters, and Jefferson lacked codes covering types of residential building materials and home garage door sizes.
The case of the Boes metal house inspired the Jefferson Parish Council earlier this year to adopt such rules, restricting any future use of sheet metal on home exteriors and limiting the dimensions of home garage doors.
Mark Waller can be reached at 504.717.7706 or mwaller@timespicayune.com.