Thursday December 19, 2019 ~ LANGFORD [Updated December 20, 2019]
~ 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.
Today was the second day that City of Langford staff had set up shop in the lobby of the 11-storey building. By noon at least 10 tenants had signed up for temporary accommodation in hotels.
It’s an unusual action for the City of Langford to be not only advising residents in a brand-new highrise apartment building that their homes may not be safe, but is also offering relocation options.
To provide details to tenants, City staff provided a letter to each tenant, and were available on December 18 for extended hours (2 to 9 pm) in the lobby of Danbrook One as well as on December 19 for another long day (7 am to 9 pm). There was coffee on hand, and plenty of conversations in the lobby.
City staff can also be reached by email at danbrookone@langford.ca or by phone at 250-857-0314.
The Danbrook One development owned by Centurion Property Associates was open to new tenants in the spring of this year. And last month, the building was recognized with an excellence award from the Victoria Real Estate Board. However, now B.C.’s professional engineering regulator is raising concerns about the building’s design and construction. | See Official Statement from Centurion Property Associates (provided on December 20, 2019)
Why all this disruption for tenants so close to Christmas? Today 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. Today 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.
“There is a potential risk to the safety performance of the building,” the City of Langford said in a statement Wednesday. “To what extent, the city does not know.” The City has notified the building owner, the builder, the property manager and the tenants about the investigation.
No specific details as to what, exactly, are the problems with the building design or construction were given. But tenants were each contacted directly at their doors on December 18 and most on December 19 were still feeling okay about the situation — based on comments to City of Langford staff and media.
Meanwhile, a third-party review by an independent engineering firm 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 city says it is providing support to tenants who choose to immediately vacate the building. That support includes temporary hotel accommodations, money to cover moving expenses and assistance finding comparable rental accommodations in the area – all paid for by the city.
“The building owner, Centurion Property Associates, is cooperating and will provide relocation assistance to tenants through their property manager,” the city added.
The city was first notified in April that a complaint had been lodged against the EGBC engineer working in the municipality, but awaited notification which came December 3, saying there was “sufficient evidence” to launch a formal investigation against the engineer.
The third-party report into the building’s structural safety will be completed in the coming days. It was stated in a media release: “Meanwhile, the City has the legal and moral obligation to notify all stakeholders affected – especially the tenants – of concerns related to whether certain aspects of the building’s structural design and its as-built structure meeting engineering requirements and whether the building’s structural design and its as-built structure are sufficient to mitigate risks to health and safety of the tenants.”
The city noted that while the builder has completed eight other projects in Langford, the Danbrook One building is the only concrete highrise of its kind that the builder has completed.
The Victoria Real Estate Board commercial division lists the following key players:
ARCHITECT / DESIGNER Jack James Architect |DEVELOPER Matthew and Margaret McKay and Danny Lahnsteiner | CONTRACTOR Victoria Construction
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.