It’s still not known when residents will be able to return home to a Langford residential tower that has been deemed unsafe for residents.
“The timeline for the necessary life-safety remedial work to be completed is unclear, and the City continues to recommend to tenants that they seek alternative accommodations,” a Langford medial release said.
The city received a letter Dec. 20 from engineering firm WSP that had performed an independent investigation into the structural integrity and safety performance of Danbrook One at 2766 Claude Road.
Danbrook One residents were first advised to leave on Dec. 18 and seek alternative accommodations.
Langford hired WSP after it received a letter from Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. (EGBC) raising concerns about whether the structural design and its as-built structure meet engineering requirements and whether it sufficiently mitigates risks to health and safety.
The independent report identified safety concerns with the gravity system and the lateral system, with the latter affecting how the building performs in a seismic event.
The city says there were also a number of “non-complaint Code issues.”
Centurion Property Associates owns the building and has installed temporary supports on levels one and two of the 11-floor structure, which is Langford’s tallest residential rental building.
Officials say 86 of the building’s 90 units are occupied.
But the city says it will not be reinstating the occupancy permit for Danbrook One until all safety issues are addressed and the apartment is up to the BC Building Code.
“As demonstrated through sign off by both the engineer of record and a peer review conducted by an independent engineer,” the city said in a statement Monday.
Langford is picking up moving costs and potential differences in rent, up to a max of $1,200 over three months.
The city also offered hotel accommodations for interested tenants, but that runs out on Friday, and officials say the city will continue to support those tenants through the moving policy and rent difference policy.
A “Residents of Danbrook One Fund” established on GoFundMe for those residents has more than doubled its $20,000 goal.
The fundraising is to help cover out-of-pocket expenses such as meals and gas, incurred by tenants that are transitioning into temporary or permanent accommodations.
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