A new 11-storey rental apartment building in Langford is still deemed unsafe by the municipality, despite an effort to install metal supports on the lower two levels in time for Christmas.
Langford continues to urge any remaining tenants in the Danbrook One at 2766 Claude Rd. to find somewhere else to live until structural problems are fixed.
An independent engineering report for the municipality found problems relating to the building’s gravity system — or vertical loading support structure — and to its lateral system, which affects how it could respond to an earthquake. There are other building-code requirements the structure does not meet, Langford said in a notice issued Monday.
Building owner Centurion Property Associates of Toronto took out a building permit for temporary shoring for the first and second levels, the notice says.
Given the urgency of the situation, the construction value of the work was not immediately listed in the building permit, said a municipal official.
Langford’s notice acknowledged Centurion’s co-operation “in light of the magnitude of the circumstances and the shortness of time that they have to respond.”
Builder Matthew McKay, a founder of Langford’s Design Build Services, which constructed the building, said in a Monday email that the temporary shores were installed before Christmas and the paperwork was submitted to Langford on Dec. 24.
McKay said the company has not been engaged by Centurion to do any more work.
About 100 workers, including Design Build Services staff and volunteers, worked long hours in the lead-up to Christmas on the project, McKay said. About 400 metal supports were installed.
A Centurion spokesperson could not be reached Monday.
The B.C. Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists got in touch with Langford this year about a complaint relating to the structural integrity of the building, the city said. That prompted the municipality to hire its own engineering consultant to vet the building. Langford is not releasing the full report, a staffer said.
Nearly two weeks ago, Langford called on tenants to move out of the 90-unit building. About 60 per cent of those living in the 86 units that had been occupied have moved out, Langford Mayor Stew Young said last week.
Langford referred a question about how many tenants are still in the building to the owner.
The city revoked the building’s occupancy permit. Its notice said the permit will not be reinstated until all life-safety issues are addressed and the building complies with the B.C. Building Code.
The project’s engineer will need to sign off on the work, and a review must be carried out by an independent engineer.
The timeline for the work to be completed is unclear, the municipality said.
It’s up to Centurion to address the building’s shortcomings and determine what work needs to be done, Langford said.
The municipality has dedicated $400,000 toward helping tenants who have moved out, and an online Go Fund Me campaign had raised $41,430 by Monday afternoon.
The city is providing tenants with hotel rooms until Friday. It will also help them with moving costs and any potential differences in rent amounts, under certain conditions. The assistance for tenants won’t affect tax rates, a Langford representative said, since the tax base is growing.
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