A real estate developer working in downtown Victoria is blaming a recent “ground drop” at its construction site in the wetter spring than the average BC has experienced this year.
Chard Development Ltd. he said in a statement Wednesday that he first noticed the slide on the northwest corner of his excavation site near the corner of Cook and Johnson streets on Sunday, June 12th.
“The crews were called to the scene immediately to assess the situation and start working to stabilize it,” the company said. “There was no structural damage to the neighboring properties and since then the site has stabilized.”
A WorkSafeBC spokesman confirmed to CTV News in an email that its agents had attended the site and issued an order to stop the excavation.
Neighboring company Gemi Hair shared photos of the slide on its Facebook page, saying WorkSafeBC had banned its employees from entering the building due to the construction site collapse.
The show said it expects to reopen on Monday, June 20th.
Chard said his excavation at the site “has followed the strict guidelines of certified geotechnical engineers,” and said he is not worried about any further sinking. “As always, our priority was and continues to be the safety of those around and around the place,” Byron Chard, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“Our team of geotechnical engineers and other professionals, as well as the owner of the neighboring property, worked quickly and collaboratively to secure the site, assess the situation, minimize the fall and stabilize the property.”
Excavation at the site began in December 2021. Chard Development said the “early assessment” of the incident suggests that unusually humid weather conditions were a contributing factor.
The site is the future home of the company’s Nest and Haven condominium buildings. Nest is a 12-story planned condo tower on Cook and Yates and Haven is a six-story building on Johnson Street.