A Langford high-rise where tenants were evacuated in December 2019 after it was deemed structurally unsafe is listing suites for rent starting in May.
Toronto-based Centurion Asset Management Inc., which owns the 90-unit, 11-storey building formerly called Danbrook One, said “various structural systems” have been upgraded and the company is awaiting an occupancy permit from the City of Langford.
The company has listed the units as available by May 1, with rents ranging from $1,780 to $2,500 a month for one- to three-bedroom units.
Langford Mayor Stew Young said the permit is heading to city hall or has already arrived, and the city will grant it pending approvals by engineering professionals who have determined the structure is safe.
“Once they have double or triple checks from the engineers — their own and the engineering association — we can give them a permit,” Young said Thursday.
Centurion has changed the name of the building to RidgeView Place and changed the address from 2766 to 2770 Claude Rd.
The Toronto-based company did not provide details about what work has been done, but, in a statement, it said a final inspection by a team of engineers and architects involved in the project is being conducted to confirm that the structural flaws are rectified, followed by a further review of approvals by the City of Langford, at which point Centurion expects an occupancy permit to be issued.
Centurion added that the upgrades have been designed to “ensure the property will be able to withstand seismic activity in accordance with current best practices and standards in seismology and structural engineering.”
“We have been working with appropriate engineers, consultants and relevant municipal authorities to ensure remediation of the structural systems,” Centurion president and chief executive Greg Romundt said in a statement to the Times Colonist. “As we work towards the occupancy permit, we look forward to providing safe and comfortable homes to all our residents.”
The building was evacuated just days before Christmas 2019. It was close to full occupancy — 86 of the 90 units were occupied — when structural flaws were discovered.
Centurion said it was unaware of the building’s dangerous state when it acquired Danbrook One four months earlier. Langford revoked the building’s occupancy permit and urged tenants to move out after an engineering report for the city confirmed serious safety concerns.
Young said the city spent $300,000 in emergency funds to relocate tenants to hotels, but some stayed for two months after the occupancy permit was revoked.
Centurion launched a lawsuit last July against the seller, builder, structural engineer and City of Langford for what it claims was negligence causing dangerous defects in the building.
Months before Centurion bought the building, a structural engineer not involved in the project raised concerns related to its seismic and structural integrity in a complaint to the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, according to Centurion’s civil claim.
Leon Plett, a structural engineer and principal of RJC Engineers, also expressed concern that the project drawings might have been copied from an RJC project.
Centurion’s claim says the building’s problems included deficiencies in the foundation and structure. It alleged the parties involved in design and construction were aware of problems prior to the sale and that the issues “pose a danger to person or property.”
The engineering firm Sorensen Trilogy Engineering Ltd. and its lead structural engineer on the project, Brian McClure, were named in the suit, along with the builder, Langford-based DB Services; the seller, Loco Investments; Margaret McKay, the director of both DB Services and Loco; and the City of Langford.
Centurion is suing for damages related to remediation work needed to bring the building up to code and address safety concerns, estimated at more than $1 million, as well as lost rental income, estimated to be about $200,000 per month. Centurion reimbursed tenants any rent paid for the period after the permit was revoked.
Before purchasing the building, Centurion contacted the city, which issued a “comfort letter” in late June 2019 to Centurion that did not mention the engineer’s complaint, even though it was informed by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in early April 2019, Centurion says in its civil claim.
Langford has denied it was made aware of defects. The case has not been tested in court.
Centurion said Thursday structural repairs over the past two years were completed by companies not involved with the original construction.
Tearing down the property was never discussed and was not necessary, Centurion said.
“Following a detailed assessment, it was determined that the structural flaws could be repaired and brought up to current seismic standards without demolishing the property.”
Asked if tenants who lived in the building prior to the evacuation will be invited back at their original rents, the company said all suites in the building will be rented at current market rates.
“Although the property manager will give special consideration to the original tenants by providing a loyalty incentive, the applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis and the landlord cannot guarantee original suites will be available,” it said.
— with files from Roxanne Egan-Elliott
