Friday December 20, 2019 ~ LANGFORD | TORONTO
~ West Shore Voice News
The brand new Danbrook One apartment building at 2766 Claude Road in the Langford core may have structural issues, the 86 rental tenants in the 90-unit building were told on December 18.
In response to this, today December 20, 2019 the building owner Centurion Property Associates has issued a statement, including that no tenants have been asked to be removed from their homes.
Centurion Statement Regarding 2766 Claude Road, Langford, British Columbia – signed by Greg Romundt, President, Centurion:
- “We were astounded to hear on the evening of 17th December that there may be some issues with the building we had only just purchased as brand new only a few months ago.
- We had relied on engineering reports commissioned during our due diligence process; the fact that the building had received a building permit; that it would have had ongoing engineering inspections during the build process; that an Occupancy Permit was issued without concern; that we had a comfort letter from the City prior to our purchase affirming that there were no known issues; that the property was built by a reputable local builder and our own inspections. Nothing up to now has given us any information about potential issues.
- Frankly, in all our years in the business, we have never seen an issue like this. We have been informed that the City only recently came into possession of the information that there may be issues requiring remediation. We have been informed by the City, that at this point, no one is required to move, and we have not been asked by the City to remove residents from their homes.
- We are working cooperatively with the City of Langford to work quickly towards an engineering resolution and are committed to working with the city to assist residents, that wish to move, if that is what they choose to do. While we have a number of properties in the Langford area, and are prepared to provide the available units as alternative potential accommodations; we, unfortunately, at this point, do not have sufficient available units to relocate everyone. We will keep our residents informed as this unfortunate and untimely situation evolves.”
Why all this disruption for tenants so close to Christmas? This week, Langford Mayor Stew Young said that it’s about ‘safety first’, even though the engineering issues being investigated have not yet been made known to Langford or the developer.
The developer is Design Build (DB) Services. Yesterday DB Services founder Matthew McKay, responded to West Shore Voice News with no detailed comments at this time: “Design Build Services is a family run company in operation since 1996. Safety is of utmost importance to us; we are aware of the independent review underway. Out of respect for the process, we don’t feel it is appropriate to comment,” said McKay.
Centurion is cooperating with the City through the Danbrook One building manager, including assisting tenants who may wish to relocate to comparable accommodation in one of their six other properties (four of which are in Langford), or elsewhere in the community. The city has identified rental property in the neighbourhood that is ready for occupancy. Tenants who require financial assistance for moving expenses will be supported in that manner by the city. Tenants who wish to leave immediately if they feel unsafe, will have assistance to coordinate temporary hotel accommodation.
Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) told the city on December 3 that one of its members who works in Langford is under investigation due to concerns about their work.
No specific details as to what, exactly, are the problems with the building design or construction have been made public. But today EGBC has said that their role is only about professional conduct, not building inspection:
“Unfortunately, we can’t disclose any further information specific to this case. We are required by law to keep confidential any ongoing investigations and therefore I’m unable to share anything additional,” said Megan Archibald, Director, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, EGBC.
“When it comes to our investigation and discipline processes, our role as a regulator is to determine if a professional engineer or geoscientist has failed to meet the professional standards or ethical obligations of the professions,” she said. “Our investigation will focus on whether those standards of practice were breached,” said the EGBC rep.
Meanwhile, a third-party review by an independent engineering firm (WSP) has been arranged by the City of Langford to determine the safety of the building, which at 11 storeys is one of the tallest in the fast-growing west shore community.
The EGBC is the licensing and regulatory body responsible for BC professional engineers and geoscientists. Their role is limited to investigation and discipline of their members.