Iowa man ordered to stop living in tent on his property

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - A judge has sided with the city of Burlington to order that he stop living in a tent on his property.

District Associate Judge Mark Kruse granted the city’s request on Tuesday for a permanent injunction against resident Curtis Halverson in putting up a tent and storing anything outside on his property, which is located in the historic Heritage Hill district, The Hawk Eye (https://bit.ly/1T5HgcY ) reported.

Halverson sought a 45-day delay for the order to take effect, but his request was denied and he has around a week to remove the tent.

The city contended that Halverson violated city code because a temporary structure, including a tent, is defined as one used for less than 30 days. Halverson also had stored and conducted metal scrapping on his land to help earn money, which the city said was a nuisance violation because outside storage isn’t allowed.

The city sought the one-week removal deadline because it had given Halverson more than 60 days of notice so far, according to attorney Patrick O’Connell, who represented the city development department.

The judge warned that if Halverson didn’t remove his belongings within a week, he would be in contempt of court, which could bring additional fines.

Halverson wanted the delay because he’s applying to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission for a “certificate of appropriateness” to get permission to dig a basement and then live there until he can build a log cabin on top. He said the historic guidelines only apply to “visible property,” noting that the basement wouldn’t be visible.

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Information from: The Hawk Eye, https://www.thehawkeye.com