St. Andrews demolishes building that encroached on public land

An international school has demolished a structure the city said was built illegally but hasn’t committed to returning the land to the public.

After St. Andrews International School began work to satisfy a city order to return a strip of land to public use, workers this past week tore down a four-story building. That much the school pledged to do several months ago, saying it would restore the land, which had been a public right of way, to its original state.

In a March 16 letter to district officials seen by Coconwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwuts, the school said it would restore the strip of land behind the campus. It did not say that it would restore public access to the land, an easement neighbors say once protected their properties from flooding. The school said the flood control waterway no longer existed when it built the…