A few months ago I wrote this story about a couple of forthcoming projects in downtown San Diego, Vantage Pointe and Pacific Pointe, both currently being built by Canadian developer Pointe of View.
Part of the story looked at a previous project completed by the developers up in Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada. That project has been having some serious issues with structural integrity. Randy Klapstein, Pointe of View’s CEO probably put it best in my last story:
Klapstein said a structural engineer working on the Canadian project “didn’t do his job properly,” and that as a result, the 21-story condo unit had been “under-designed.”
Well, one of the Canadian reporters I spoke to on that story sent me an e-mail this morning containing the text of a story his paper, the Okanagan Sunday, ran last Sunday. I guess Pointe of View’s problems north of the border are far from over.
Here’s the story’s lead:
Residents of a lakefront condo complex in Kelowna are confused about what to do next after an engineering firm concluded it’s unsafe and no one should live there.
David Woodall Engineering has determined people should move out of the 236
condominium units at Discovery Bay on Sunset Drive until the buildings are brought up to code. An inspection of eight units in mid-June found problems with load-bearing stud walls and a lack of resistance to wind and earthquakes.
“The wood-framed buildings at Discovery Bay are structurally unsafe and should not be occupied until they have been reinforced and in compliance with the B.C. Building Code in all respects,” Woodall wrote in a notice posted on the main entrance.
The owners of condos in the project don’t know what to do next:
Brian Selig, who co-owns one of the units, said no one is taking responsibility for liability if a disaster happens.
“Why aren’t we being forced to be evicted?” he said. “Are we paying premiums for insurance that doesn’t apply here? . . . I think it’s time to bear pressure on government bodies, the city and (the) National Home Warranty (program).”
There is some good news for the owners, however. The story states that Pointe of View is installing posts that should prop things up in about 200 of the units. That work will begin shortly, according to the company’s chief operating officer. Once the load-bearing posts are erected, it will be up to individual tenants to stay or move out.
There’s an update to Sunday’s story here.