UPDATE: 'It Was Deceptive;' Former San Francisco Millennium Tower Tenant Glad He's Out
UPDATE: Despite Warnings, Repairs on San Francisco's Millennium Tower Caused Additional Sinking
Millennium Tower homeowners propose $100 million solution to sinking problem
Millennium Tower homeowners propose $100 million solution to sinking problem
Sinking San Francisco Skyscraper Riles Residents
Millenium Tower is the tallest reinforced concrete structure in
the Western U.S.
August 10, 2016
The 645-ft Millennium Tower-the tallest reinforced concrete structure in
the Western United States-is sinking and tilting, and the building owner
places the blame squarely on the adjacent Transbay Transit Center project.
After sinking 18 inches, SF's Millennium Tower finally has a fix
Sinking Millennium Tower Residents Tentatively Reach Lawsuit Settlement
'Da Mayor' Willie Brown moves into sinking Millennium Tower
Inside Joe Montana's "uninhabitable" Millennium Tower condo
A 58-story skyscraper in San Francisco is tilting and sinking - and
residents say their multimillion-dollar condos are 'nearly worthless'
building's window washers
TJPA: Ruling Limits Taxpayer Liability in Millennium Tower Legal Costs Fight
A drone doing an inspection Saturday of the Millennium Tower building's
windows in San Francisco lost its GPS signal and crashed to the ground.
San Francisco threatens to yellow tag Millennium Tower
Large crack in window is latest problem for Millennium Tower in San Francisco
More lawsuits have been filed as homeowners
Millennium Tower
Previous estimates expected the Millennium Tower to sink four to six
inches, as all buildings settle to some degree. But the building has
sunk some 16 inches and a lawsuit alleges it could sink more than 30
inches over time. (Dan Chambers/Special to S.F. Examiner)
By Bay City News on
February 14, 2017 9:11 am
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More lawsuits have been filed as homeowners, the developer and
government agencies battle over San Francisco's troubled Millennium
Tower, a luxury high rise that has sunk farther than expected since its
completion in 2009.
A lawsuit filed Friday by a group of nine homeowners represented by
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy alleges that the developer, Millennium
Partners, was warned in a 2005 geotechnical report and memo that the
estimated rates of building settlement had uncertainty rates as high as
plus or minus 50 percent.
*SEE RELATED: Condo owners in sinking Millennium Tower estimate homes
worth $0
*
The lawsuit alleges Millennium Partners withheld information about the
extent of the building's settlement from prospective homebuyers, and
also names the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for improperly building
on the adjacent property and contributing to the damage.
The lawsuit is only the latest in a string of litigation filed since
last August when reports began surfacing that the 58-story tower at 301
Mission St. had already sunk 16 inches, as much as it was projected to
sink over its lifetime.
Another group of homeowners represented by attorney Gerald Dodson filed
a lawsuit with more than 200 plaintiffs in January, also alleging the
developer knew about the building's problems before unit sales started
in 2009. City Attorney Dennis Herrera has made similar allegations in a
lawsuit filed against the developer in November.
The homeowners association has also signaled that it is preparing to sue
after months of negotiations with the developer, announcing last week
that it had hired prominent trial lawyer Daniel Petrocelli as its lead
litigation counsel.
Millennium Partners have said the allegations that the firm concealed
information from homebuyers have no merit, and has blamed the settlement
on excessive groundwater pumping at the neighboring Transbay Transit
Center site, where work began in 2010.
Millennium subsidiary Mission Street Development filed a cross-complaint
against the Transbay Joint Powers Authority last week alleging that the
authority knew its dewatering activities were causing problems at the
Millennium site and actively worked to conceal a breach in a shoring
wall that made those problems worse.
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority has in turn blamed the building's
settlement on its design, which combines heavy concrete construction
with a concrete slab foundation and piles that go into sand rather than
down to bedrock.
Condo owners in sinking Millennium Tower estimate homes worth $0
The Millennium Tower at Mission and Fremont streets in San Francisco,
Calif. Thursday, September 22, 2016. (Wesaam Al-Badry/Special to S.F.
Examiner)
By Joshua Sabatini on
September 29, 2016 4:42 pm
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Multi-million dollar condos in the Millennium Tower may now be worth zilch.
More than 160 condo owners - including tech executives, sports figures
and real estate investors --- have filed property assessment appeals by
the Sept. 15 deadline, claiming their condos are no longer worth what
they paid for them.
The condo owners are claiming their home values have plummeted as the
58-story building has sunk and tilted beyond expectations
,
as first revealed last month in media reports.
The revelations have prompted a lawsuit by the condo owners against the
developer and investigations by The City.
Additionally, earlier this week members of the Board of Supervisors
voted to block millions of dollars
for the second phase of the nearby multi-billion dollar Transbay Transit
Center that would extend a Caltrain route to downtown and serve as a
station for high-speed rail. The developer has blamed the sinking on the
work around the transit center.
The Assessment Appeals Board has received 163 appeals from condo owners
at the Millennium Tower at 301 Mission St., according to records the San
Francisco Examiner obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
Before the tower's sinking was revealed, the condo values ranged from a
high of $12.6 million to a low of $563,084, with 141 valued at more than
$1 million.
In filing their appeals, residents must provide an estimate of the value
of their condos today. Some stated figures as low as $0, $1 or $2.
Others knocked off a million dollars or reduced the value by half.
"This is a big issue hitting The City," said Alistair Gibson, executive
secretary of the Assessment Appeals Board.
Under state law, the board has up to two years to hold a hearing on the
appeals, but it's unclear when they might be scheduled.
"This is a unique situation," Gibson said. "I'm not sure how are going
to handle it. We don't know what's going to happen with that building.
There are going to be other issues involved."
The values placed on the appeals by condo owners isn't an exact science.
Mary Velez, a taxpayer with Raimondo Pettit Group, represents a condo
owned by former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, who had sold one of the
two condos he owned several years ago. The one Montana still owns is
valued at $2.8 million, but the appeal filed on his behalf argues the
condo is now valued at $500,000.
"We didn't have any guidance on what to put. We just put that as a
number," Velez said. "$0 might be a good number if the property can't be
sold at any price." She noted that values could climb in subsequent
years if the building is "repairable."
"I'm sure nobody really knows the value," Velez said.
Assessor Recorder Carmen Chu would be tasked to argue what value she
believes the condos are worth during the hearings.
"We are waiting to see when they will be scheduled," said Chu's
spokesperson Vivian Po.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ed Lee has said the building is currently safe.
Separate studies are ongoing by both the developer Millennium Partners
upon request of the Department of Building Inspection, and the
homeowners association at San Francisco's Millennium Tower, which on
Monday began its own study to determine the cause of the sinking and
possible fixes.
SF Developer, City Accused Of Withholding Info On Leaning Millennium Tower
/September 13, 2016 7:33 PM/ By Cate Cauguiran
*Filed Under:* Aaron Peskin
, Millenium Tower
, San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - The developer of a skyscraper in San
Francisco's South of Market neighborhood and city officials both knew
the building was sinking and leaning before any units were sold but
failed to notify buyers, Supervisor Aaron Peskin alleged Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference at City Hall Tuesday, Peskin said he
planned to subpoena officials in the Department of Building Inspection
and hold a hearing next week to determine "who knew what and when they
knew it" about the troubled Millennium Tower.
The 58-story luxury high rise at 301 Mission St., which was completed in
2009, has sunk as much as 16 inches and is leaning around 15 inches to
the northwest at its peak. Current projections suggest it could
ultimately sink more than 30 inches.
A lawsuit filed in August by lawyers representing homeowners alleges
that the building, which sits on landfill, was built using a concrete
slab and piles into sand rather than into bedrock "to cut costs."
The lawsuit also names the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, and alleges
that excavation on the Transbay Terminal project next door has
contributed to the Millennium Tower's subsidence.
Peskin said documents show that city officials were raising concerns
about the structure as far back as 2006, and asking questions about the
settlement of the building in 2009 just months before signing off on the
final certificate of occupancy that allowed Millennium Partners to begin
selling units. He said there were troubling gaps in the record, however,
that left it unclear how the developer had responded.
"It is incontrovertible that the Millennium Corporation knew before they
sold their first unit that the building was sinking more than they
projected," Peskin said. "I have contacted individuals who own units,
they were not informed of the fact that the Millennium Corporation knew
and should have discussed that the building was sinking."
Peskin said he believed there was some level of "political interference"
in the decision making process of the Department of Building Inspection,
but did not specify who might be responsible.
P.J. Johnston, a spokesman for Millennium Partners, today said the
building remains safe and that its settlement had remained within
projected limits until the Transbay Terminal project began construction
in 2010. He rejected the suggestion that political influence played any
role in the building's approval.
"To suggest that Millennium Partners asked for or received any
inappropriate treatment by city agencies, at any time in this process,
is simply outrageous," Johnston said.
The company is working with the homeowners to make any necessary fixes,
Johnston said.
The Millennium Tower Association, representing homeowners in the luxury
building, issued a statement today saying it was troubled by reports
that Millennium Partners and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority were
meeting as much as six years ago to discuss the settling of the building.
"The Association also finds troubling-as should the public-the
allegations that a public agency sought to keep secret the building's
condition," association spokesman Charlie Goodyear said. "The
Association continues its investigation to get to the facts of these
matters."
While Mayor Ed Lee did not offer a comment Tuesday, he did write a
letter to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein earlier this month responding to
her query about the project.
In the letter, Lee said that the tower's design, which was approved
before he was elected to office, went through a peer review process by a
panel of experts and the project was designed and constructed according
to standards and codes in place at that time.
"That said, the Department of Building Inspection has suggested the
Homeowners Association make corrective actions to improve the joints,
plumbing and other operational parts of the building," the letter said.
Lee said that the Department of Building Inspection has "enhanced and
clarified" its peer review process for skyscrapers since the tower was
approved. He is now also asking city staff to examine other safety
measures for buildings considered to be at high seismic risk.
The Board of Supervisor's Government Audit and Oversight Committee will
hold a hearing on the Millennium Tower project Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.
Millennium Tower, swanky San Francisco high-rise, sinking
The luxury Millennium Tower, completed in 2008, is sinking and the
development could result in a lengthy and costly legal battle. Tara
Moriarty reports.
By: KTVU Staff
*Posted:*Aug 01 2016 01:53PM PDT
*Updated:*Aug 02 2016 09:24AM PDT
*SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) *-- A newly built high-rise residential tower in
San Francisco's SoMa area may be sinking and shifting, developments that
could cost thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars to fix and could
pit homeowners against the city.
The Millennium Tower, located at 301 Mission Street, is reportedly home
to several high-profile people,
including Joe Montana
and San Francisco
Giants player Hunter Pence
The building was completed in 2008 and has sunk 16 inches and has moved
2 inches to the northwest, according to consultants. Worth magazine has
previously said the tower is one of the top 10 residential high-rises in
the world.
A worker looks up at the Millennium Tower during construction.
KTVU Local News
Millennium Tower, swanky San Francisco hi-rise, sinking
A newly built high-rise residential tower in San Francisco's SoMa area
may be sinking and shifting, developments that could cost thousands --
if not millions -- of dollars to fix and could pit homeowners against
the city.
"It's the tilting that you worry about more than the sinking," said
Ashok Vaish, who bought a nearly $2 million, two bedroom condo three
years ago. He says there are cracks visible in the basement, which he
said he is concerned about.
But cracks and dips are also visible on the sidewalks in front of the
tower.
"I've seen a lot of surveyors (and) I kind of thought something was up
like that," said Mark Weir, who is leasing a condo in the tower. "I'm
pretty shocked (and) going to reevaluate my lease maybe."
Builders had predicted the tower would settle about six inches over its
lifespan but not 16. The Homeowners Association hired an independent
consultant to survey the sinkage, which could translate into a costly
real estate legal battle.
Five years ago, KTVU learned that the building was sinking. Engineers
said the building was safe, despite the fact that the tower was anchored
over a thick concrete slab with piles driven roughly 80 feet into dense
sand. Typically engineers drill piles 200 feet down into bedrock.
The Transit Center Authority said in a statement that had engineers gone
200 feet, "the tower would not be tilting today."
"It's kind of like you're buying that brand new Ferrari but it has like
a little nick on the fender," said Roh Habibi of Habibi Group at Keller
Williams Realty of San Francisco. He said he believes news about the
building sinking could impact buyer confidence in the short term.
"So you're buying a beautiful piece of real estate in the most amazing
city in the world but now there's a little bit of a blemish because
things become taboo," he said. "Once there is a story of the building is
sinking, people may think hey, this thing's gonna topple over tomorrow."
The owners of the $350 million building say the culprit behind the
building sinking and shifting is the construction next door of the
Transbay Transit Center. The transit center is a $4.5 billion project
designed to serve as a hub for mass transit in the south Financial
District but planners also hope the finished project will include
retail, restaurants and performance spaces.
According to a consulting firm hired by the Transbay Joint Powers
Authority, the tower had already settled 10 inches within two years of
its completion, before construction crews ever even broke ground on the
transit center.
P.J. Johnston, spokesman for Millennium Partners, which built the tower,
told KTVU in a written statement that the transit center has been a
negative impact on the luxury high-rise.
"All building settle over time," the statement said. "However, 301
Mission exists in a location where major underground construction work
was subsequently performed by others, who were obligated to monitor and
protect existing structures, and to mitigate any impacts of their work.
301 Mission has settled more than originally anticipated because it was
affected by such subsequent construction by others."
The building HOA said it has hired its own group of consultant to try
and figure out what's going on.
"The Association has retained a number of engineering consultants to
investigate the causes and long-term impact of these settlement
conditions," the group said in a written statement. "Importantly, the
Association has been assured that there are currently no short or
long-term concerns with regard to building integrity or safety."
The HOA said it is exploring its legal option and could pursue damages
from several parties, including the developer, the original design
professionals, the original contractors and the Transbay Joint Powers
Authority.
"In any real estate purchase you've got to look at the long term
investment and this is a small hiccup," said Maurice Lombardo, who owns
a penthouse at Millennium. He has a multimillion dollar one-bedroom unit.
Lombardo said the was not overly concerned about the issue. "I'm not
worried at all, I'm sure they'll fix the problem soon," he said.
It was not immediately clear what the building's owner can do to remedy
the situation. Experts say pouring cement underneath the building's base
and drilling new piles would be extremely costly.
Joe Montana's condo is up for sale. How long it stays on the market may
be an indicator of just how seriously people are taking the "sinking" snag.
/*KTVU reporter Tara Moriarty contributed to this report.*/
January 4, 20176:07 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Stephanie Martin Taylor
*From
*KQED Public Media
The Millennium Tower has gained notoriety as "The Leaning Tower of San
Francisco." Residents of the luxury condominium building and the city
are suing the developer.
*Eric Risberg/AP
They call it "The Leaning Tower of San Francisco."
But it wasn't always that way. The luxury skyscraper was billed as
"state of the art" when it opened a few years ago. People paid millions
for condos there.
Now the Millennium Tower is sinking and tilting - about 6 inches to one
side. Residents and the city are suing the developer
.
In San Francisco, An Affordable Housing Solution That Helps Millennials
Pamela Buttery lives on the 57th floor. To demonstrate how her home
tilts slightly to the left, Buttery hits a golf ball
straight ahead toward the
window.
"So there it goes rolling," she says. "And it kind of picks up speed."
The ball takes a sharp left turn toward the direction of the tilt, and
it ends up in the northwest corner of her living room.
Pamela Buttery hits a golf ball in her home to demonstrate how the
Millennium Tower tilts slightly to the left.
Buttery bought this unit as the tower was being completed in 2010. But
documents obtained by the city show that as early as 2009, developers
and city building inspectors knew the tower was settling faster than
expected.
Buttery and other residents were not told until May 2016, and by then,
the building had sunk more than a foot and was leaning 6 inches to the
northwest.
"San Francisco has been in the midst of an unparalleled building boom,
the largest building boom we've had since World War II, arguably since
the Gold Rush," says San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin. "And we need
to make sure that we are building buildings that are safe, that people's
investments are safe."
Peskin is leading what is likely to be a long series of investigative
hearings on the troubled tower. Some key questions: Should the city
require high-rise developers to drill their foundations into bedrock?
Also, why is the building's frame made of concrete instead of steel?
Marc Kushner: How Do Buildings Make Us Feel?
The Millennium Tower's foundation is anchored into a landfill. Concrete
is cheaper, but it's also much heavier.
And what about the massive new train and bus terminal being constructed
right next door? Millennium spokesman P.J. Johnston says workers have
been pumping out huge amounts of water as they tunnel through the soil.
Johnston says that process, known as dewatering, is destabilizing the
ground.
"We need to stop the dewatering, work together on any remediation that
needs to be done to fix any damages," Johnston says. "And then we'll
sort out all the liabilities later."
Johnston says engineers have inspected the tower and confirm it's safe.
Still, that leaves perhaps the biggest question of them all: How to fix
the tower, or at least keep it from leaning even more?
London's Cheeky Skyscrapers
Parallels
Some solutions include pouring a concrete collar around the foundation
or building a buttress.
Buttery, who is 76, says so much for her peaceful retirement.
"I've moved on into depression about it," she says. "So it's a gloomy
feeling."
Even her favorite pastime - putting golf balls - doesn't give her the
same joy it once did. No matter which way she hits them, they all end up
in the same corner.
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Real Estate
Who Will Pay for San Francisco's $750 Million Tilting Tower?
The Millennium Tower is still sinking, and residents might be stuck
paying for the fixes themselves.
by James Tarmy @jstarmy
More stories by James Tarmy
and Kartikay Mehrotra @KartikayM
More stories by Kartikay Mehrotra
February 1, 2017, 3:00 AM PST February 1, 2017, 4:59 PM PST
Nina Agabian, a retired director of research in global health science at
the University of California, bought a 29th-floor apartment in San
Francisco's Millennium Tower in 2010. "It was supposed to be a wonderful
building," she said in January, sitting in a leather chair in the
building's vast, low-lit, owner's-club level. "For many of us, who left
our business lives to start our older years, this had become a nice,
comfortable place."
Nina Agabian, left and Jerry Dodson, both residents of the Millennium
Tower, stand for a photograph in a meeting room inside the Millennium
Tower in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The building, which opened in 2008 and was touted as the most luxurious
tower in San Francisco, became a beacon of the city's burgeoning wealth,
attracting tech millionaires, venture capitalists, and even the San
Francisco 49ers retired quarterback Joe Montana.
The 58-story tower's shine faded on May 10, 2016, when Agabian attended
a homeowners association meeting and was informed that the building had
sunk 16 inches into the earth and tilted over 15 inches at its tip and 2
inches at the base, according to suits filed by residents and the city
of San Francisco. "You can imagine how distressed we were to know that,
for one, our lifetime investment and savings are at risk," she said.
"And we have no idea whether or not there's a fix to it, and if there is
a fix to it, what it will entail."
The building, meanwhile, continues to sink.
The Millennium Tower stands in San Francisco, California, U.S., on
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
As Agabian and more than 20 other residents file multiple lawsuits
against the building's developer, the city of San Francisco, and
the Transbay Joint Powers Authority
, another,
potentially more ominous development has emerged. Two people with
knowledge of Millennium Partners' liability policy say the developer is
insured to cover some $100 million in damages caused by settlement or
construction defects; the policy is split among several insurers.
Ancillary policies held by the building's architect, structural
engineer, and general contractor are worth another $50 million to $100
million, according to one of the people. Any legal fees incurred by
the policyholders could be deducted from their policies. But according
to experts, fixing whatever is causing the building to tilt could cost
far more than that amount.
Further adding to residents' woes is that it's not even clear if
coverage will be available under the liability policy: It might have
been voided by the flaws in the building.
"I don't foresee a scenario where anyone writes a check under any
policy," said Sarah Sherman, the U.S. property practice leader at JLT
Specialty USA, an insurance broker in San Francisco. "There's no way to
avoid litigation at this point."
It's possible, in other words, that homeowners already under water on
their damaged real estate investments may have to cover millions in
costs to repair the building. And that's not even the extreme worst-case
scenario-in 1989, some buildings on loose San Francisco soil collapsed
during an earthquake. The city has asked Millennium Partners for
information on how much the building can further settle without
compromising the building's stability and how it will perform during a
quake. In a letter dated January 13, 2017, MP declined to supply the
city with that data, citing ongoing litigation and mediation.
"I don't want to be in a situation in two years where we look back and
think we really could have done something to prevent a terrible
situation," warned San Francisco Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow at a
January 13. If such a terrible situation occurs, there is little clarity
as to who would pay for the damage.
"Let's say there's an earthquake and there's major damage, the insurer
will fight like hell not to pay the claim," Sherman said. "I would not
be pleased if I was in that building."
Surrounding the building is the $1.1 billion new Salesforce Tower, the
new condominium tower 181 Fremont, and a neighborhood bar.
in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The Millennium Tower lobby.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
While the best method of fixing the building's tilt won't be known until
an engineering firm hired by the developer completes its investigation-
and perhaps not even then- the cost is certain to be millions, and
perhaps hundreds of millions, of dollars. Conservatively, "I think it's
fair to say that you're at least in the tens of millions of dollars,"
said Joe Maffei, who noted that his San-Francisco-based structural
engineering firm is not associated with
project. Stopping the settling would be very expensive, he explained,
and then you have the added expense of actually evening out the
building's base. (A recent study released by the city which examined the
fire safety, disability access, plumbing and electricity, declared the
building "remain[s] safe for occupancy at this time.")
Beyond their lawsuits, the residents can't hope for recourse from the
developer.
"Millennium Partners doesn't own the building," said P.J. Johnston, a
spokesman for the developer. "Even if there was an immediate and agreed
upon measure to take, the building is owned by homeowners. Millennium
Partners cannot just move forward with any set of measures" to fix the
building, he said.
*Castle in the Sand*
Since the mid-19th century, the city of San Francisco has expanded its
shoreline by dumping debris into its coastal marshlands and transferring
sand and clay from the ocean bed onto land. Much of downtown San
Francisco
,
including parts of Mission Street, where Millennium Tower was built, is
constructed on this loose, wet soil. But the city's proximity to two
major faults-the San Andreas and the Hayward-could render that same
ground unstable in an earthquake, said Keith Knudsen, the deputy
director of the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Science Center
. "The soft material tends
to amplify the parts of the shaking-the earthquake's wavelengths-which
are damaging to buildings," he said.
Workers repair crumbling walls that have been the result of leaking
water in the garage of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco,
California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Photographer: David Paul
Morris/Bloomberg
The engineers who designed Millennium Tower were aware that the building
sat on unstable soil and constructed the 645-foot tower's base so it
would behave "dynamically" in the event of an earthquake, at least
partially withstanding the shocks on the unstable ground. To achieve
this effect, they chose a support known as "friction piles," a series of
rods bored into the ground that would help stabilize the building
as the earth rocked. While other buildings in the area were built with
similar foundations (and still others use pilings drilled all the way
down to firmer bedrock), the majority of the skyscrapers in downtown San
Francisco are built with steel frames. Millennium Tower, in contrast, is
made of vastly heavier concrete.
A decade after the first piles were drilled, walls in the underground
parking garage have begun to crack due to the shifting, marble floors in
the lobby have begun to buckle, and residents have complained that the
ventilation units have begun to fail, raising questions about when the
tilt will stop, or if it will stop at all.
*Sold Out*
Sales for Millennium Tower started
around November 2007. By 2013 the building was fully sold for a reported
total of $750 million; an April 5, 2013 article
in
the /San Francisco Business Times,/ which Millennium Partners posted on
its website, quoted the building's costs at $600 million.
The pool area of the Millennium Tower is photographed in San Francisco,
California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Photographer: David Paul
Morris/Bloomberg
In the same story, Richard Baumert, a partner at the company, sounded a
triumphant note. "We saw it through and in the end our plan and vision
for the project were validated," he said. The building's appeal, he
continued, was "not as much about the physical structure as the
residential experience."
The article also quoted Gregg Lynn
, a broker at Sotheby's
International Realty who reportedly represented about a dozen Millennium
Tower buyers. "The situation we are facing is that everybody wants to
buy into that building, and they are kicking themselves that they didn't
when they had the chance," he said. "People who sell now are expecting
to cash out with major profits." The golden era for the Millennium
Tower would last less than three years.
*Problems Emerge*
No one is quite sure why the building began to sink and tilt. It could
be a flaw in the structure, which would make it Millennium Partners'
responsibility, according to the building residents, or the result of
the nearby construction of a major transit station, which would make it
at least partially the responsibility of the station's builder.
Possibly, it could be some combination of the two.
Jerry Dodson, a resident of the Millennium Tower, sits for a photograph
in his home in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25,
2017. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
A class-action by 20 building residents, led by their fellow resident,
patent litigator Jerry Dodson , alleges
that Millennium Partners knew the building had sunk 8.3 inches into the
ground by 2009, the year after it was completed.
"There's the possibility that when they poured [the concrete base] in
2006-07, that it immediately sank," Dodson said in an interview in his
living room in the tower, which is filled with art-deco vases and
sculptures and overlooks San Francisco Bay. "It's extremely unlikely in
my mind that as we began 2009 that it immediately tilted 6 inches to the
northwest. What's more likely is they poured the [slab] on unstable soil."
Millennium Partners denies responsibility for the tilting. "At the time
of its completion in 2008 and throughout its entire sales process,
[Millennium Tower] had settled within predicted, safe ranges," said
Johnston, the developer's spokesman.
Stress gauges are placed along a wall with floor-to-ceiling cracks in
the parking garage of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco, California,
U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Dodson's 20 homeowners, who collectively paid some $75 million for their
condos, claim that the developer hid the building's faulty structure
from prospective buyers and that the city's administrators joined in the
alleged fraud by helping conceal the tower's engineering flaws as early
as February 2009 by signing mutual nondisclosure agreements. The two
colluded over half a decade to keep Millennium Tower's design defects
secret to allow the city to move forward on its own construction in the
neighborhood, according to Dodson's complaint. The city and Millennium
Tower deny these allegations
Another target of Dodson's suit is the Transbay Joint Powers Authority
(TJPA), which is building what it calls a "Grand Central Station of the
West" next door to Millennium Tower. Part of the development, which also
includes towers and below-ground rail tunnels in the soft soil,
could have undermined Millennium Tower's foundation, causing the
building to tilt, according to Dodson's complaint. If TJPA is found to
be at fault, San Francisco taxpayers could be obliged to fund the
tower's repair. The developer blames TJPA for the tilt. The TJPA has
denied the allegations.
The TJPA attempted to dismiss one lawsuit Millennium Tower residents
filed by claiming that the tower was still structurally secure. In a
move critics attributed to the city's desire to absolve itself of any
blame surrounding the project, the San Francisco Attorney's office
subsequently sued Millennium Partners on behalf of TJPA.
Jerry Dodson, a resident of the Millennium Tower, walks over leaking
water in the basement area of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco,
California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Photographer: David Paul
Morris/Bloomberg
Regardless of who is legally responsible, all parties have finally
agreed that there is, in fact, a problem.
A report commissioned by Millennium Partners and published in 2014 by
the engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger determined that the
building's support columns and foundation were experiencing "significant
stress." Nevertheless, the report concluded: "With the exception of the
foundation," it read, "none of the settlement-related demands on these
elements are at levels that indicate impending failure." The building's
supports might be cracking, in other words, but-as of a few years ago,
at least-it was unlikely to collapse.
*Potential Solutions*
Recently, Millennium Partners entered private mediation with building
residents, with the goal of halting environmental damage and to "stop
any undue further settlement of the building," according to the
developer's spokesman. As far as Millennium Partners is concerned, the
culprit is the TJPA project next door. "We need to ensure that the
damage being caused by our immediate neighbors, TJPA, is stopped," he added.
The Oakland firm Sage Engineers has been
hired by Millennium Partners to investigate the foundation, but as yet
the firm hasn't offered potential solutions. Inspiration might come from
the 1998 case of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino in Las Vegas, which sank
almost 19 inches as its weight displaced water from an underlying
aquifer. The solution was to drill 536 metal cylinders underneath the
casino's 43-story tower, which stabilized the edifice at the cost of
between $8 million and $10 million, according to a 2000 article
in
the /Las Vegas Sun./
Water flows down a hallway in the storage area of the Millennium Tower
in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Several engineers and developers contacted by Bloomberg suggested a
similar methodology-the insertion of slender, 5-inch to 12-inch supports
called "micropiles
"
beneath Millennium Tower's existing foundation-could be effective.
Engineers might "have to go down to the bottom of the garage and drill
through the mass slab," said Jake Albini, the senior manager of real
estate development at Jay Paul Co., which is developing a 70-floor,
mixed-use skyscraper neighboring Millennium Tower. "It's not an easy
task, but nothing's impossible."
But Steven Sanders , the
president of Sage Engineers, cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
"You have to be very careful about these different fixes," he said.
"They're very dependent on soil conditions and building types."
Millennium Tower, he said, is fairly unique. "It may be tough to really
go down the road and identify possibilities based on historical
knowledge," he said. "I think it would be hard and probably dangerous to
say, /This is done here, why don't you do the same thing there/?"
*Resale Quagmire*
Any fix to the building will almost certainly take several years, and
the lawsuits over who will pay for it could take even longer. In the
meantime, residents of the building remain in limbo.
"There haven't been a lot of resales in the building since all of this
news came out," said Gregg Lynn, the Sotheby's broker. "There's still no
clarity about what it takes to fix or stop the problem."
"We can't sell, we can't rent, we can't move," said Agabian, the retired
scientist. "I'd sell it in a second if I got fair market value for it."
She corrected herself: "Well, there's not a fair market for it, because
now the fair market for it is zero."
The $13 million penthouse of deceased venture capitalist Tom Perkins.
Source: Sotheby's International Realty
Lynn recently sold deceased venture capitalist Tom Perkins's Millennium
Tower penthouse for $13 million
but
noted that it was purchased by an existing resident and was a unique
transaction. The buyer "was aggressively convinced that this problem is
solvable," Lynn said, and felt that the apartment was a bargain.
(Perkins purchased the apartment for $9.4 million and reportedly spent
another $9 million renovating it.)
Other residents are stuck.
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"I'm getting a lot of calls from homeowners in the building who want to
make plans to list their places once the settlement solution is
announced," Lynn said, adding that he had close to 25 clients in the
building. "What we're waiting for is the public announcement for what
the solution to the structural concerns might be and how it's going to
be paid for." It's the latter question, Lynn said, that could be the
hardest to answer. "The second [question's] answer is going to be mired
in litigation for five to 10 years," he continued. "But from what I hear
from people at the top, this is very fixable-we just don't know when the
solution is going to be announced."
The penthouse was purchased by a resident of the building.
Source: Sotheby's International Realty
That's fine for residents who want to stay put-people are "absolutely
passionate about it, the service there is extraordinary, and the HOA is
extremely well-run," Lynn said-but there are many others who are hoping
to move yet are unwilling to sell at fire-sale prices. "I can't tell you
what percentage down the values are," Lynn said, "because nothing is
trading."
Currently, just three apartments are on the market: apartment 4E
,
which has 1,136 square feet and is listed at $1.299 million, or $1,143 a
square foot; it last sold in 2013 for $915,000. There's also penthouse
1A, which is 2,706 square feet and is listed at $8.995 million
,
or $3,324 a square foot; it's been on the market since July and last
sold in 2014 for $3 million. The final apartment, 14C
,
is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with 833 square feet. It's on the
market for $1.08 million, or $1,296 per square foot, and was listed in
December. It last sold for $790,000 in 2012.
The penthouse reportedly originally cost more than $9.4 million and had
another $9 million in interior upgrades.
Source: Sotheby's International Realty
These can be compared with other new-construction luxury towers, such
as the residences at the St. Regis
, the Four
Seasons , and 181
Fremont
,
which is still under construction. These properties, whose price per
square foot range from about $1,400 to more than $3,000, continue to
sell-condos sold at the Four Seasons in October for $11.7 million, at
the new development One Rincon Hill for $3.7 million in November, and in
the refurbished loft development 6 Mint Plaza for $2.5 million in
December, according to Lynn's 2016 San Francisco Condo Report
-while Millennium Tower residents have
been forced to wait on the sidelines, fretting about whether they're
sitting on significant assets or a stratospheric liability.
"Everyone at this building is forced to bring the players to the table,"
said Agabian. "No one has stepped up, not Transbay, nor the city, nor
Millennium Partners has done anything to fix this, and we're left
holding the bag of you-know-what."
City attorney subpoenas developer of troubled Millennium Tower
* Sunset Tunnel construction cost balloons by $3 million after
discovery of crumbling walls
The San Francisco Examiner
Millennium Partners have previously said the building remains safe and
blamed the Transbay Terminal project for the additional settlement,
saying it remained within projected limits until that project began
construction in 2010.
Millennium Partners officials planned to hold a media availability later
Tuesday morning to discuss the latest developments regarding the property.
The Board of Supervisors' Government Audit and Oversight Committee will
hold a hearing on building standards in seismic safety zones on Thursday
at 10 a.m. Peskin has said he plans to question city officials to
determine "who knew what and when they knew it."
Millennium Tower developer's about-face on next big SF high-rise
By Matier & Ross
October 19, 2016 Updated: October 20, 2016 8:47am
Millennium Partners' construction project at 706 Mission St., future
home of the Mexican Museum and condominiums.
People walk past building 706 Mission Street which is under
construction, in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 18,
2016.
The proposed tower at 706 Mission St. would rise at the east edge of
Jessie Square, across from Yerba Buena Gardens. This image shows the
proposed tower as it would be viewed from the 800 block of Mission
Street.
706 Mission Street is seen from above while under construction, in
San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
Lino Mejorada (left) sits on a bench near building 706 Mission
Street, which is under construction, in San Francisco, California,
on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
Millennium Partners' construction project at 706 Mission St., future
home of the Mexican Museum and condominiums.
People walk past building 706 Mission Street which is under
construction, in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
The proposed tower at 706 Mission St. would rise at the east edge of
Jessie Square, across from Yerba Buena Gardens. This image shows the
proposed tower as it would be viewed from the 800 block of Mission
Street.
706 Mission Street is seen from above while under construction, in San
Francisco, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
Lino Mejorada (left) sits on a bench near building 706 Mission Street,
which is under construction, in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday,
Oct. 18, 2016.
Millennium Tower developer's about-face on next big SF high-rise
1 / 5
Facing a legal and public-relations nightmare with its sinking and
leaning Millennium Tower, the San Francisco highrise's developer is
redesigning the foundation of its newest luxury condo project up Mission
Street - with the idea of going all the way down to bedrock.
"It calls into question all the other projects (downtown) that aren't
going to bedrock," Supervisor Aaron Peskin said Wednesday when informed
of Millennium Partners' possible change in plans for its high-rise at
Third and Mission streets.
Construction work is already under way on the 45-story condo tower at
706 Mission St., which will house the new Mexican Museum on the first
four floors and incorporate the 10-story Aronson Building next door.
The project is a few blocks west of the 58-story Millennium Tower at 301
Mission St., which has sunk 16 inches and is leaning 2 inches to the
northwest. That condo high-rise sits on a concrete slab with piles
driven 60 to 80 feet deep, well short of bedrock.
In contrast, the 706 Mission St. tower was designed without any piles.
Instead, it was to be held up by a four-story basement garage sitting on
a bowl-shaped concrete slab, 12 feet thick at the center and 5 feet
thick at the edges.
At least, that was the plan the developer gave to the city before we
broke the news in early August
that
the Millennium was sinking. That raised questions about whether
buildings built on bay fill, as the Millennium is, should be anchored to
bedrock to ensure their safety in an earthquake.
Several Millennium condo owners have sued the developer, fearing that
the bad publicity and safety questions are tanking the value of their units.
Millennium Partners brought in a structural engineer who said the
building's problems had not compromised its ability to survive a major
earthquake.
And several experts told The Chronicle last month
that high-rises constructed on bay fill don't have to go to bedrock -
and that, in fact, several others around the Millennium also have piles
that don't reach bedrock.
The Millennium Tower looks like it will keep sinking but, no one knows
for how long or how much. Alarmed homeowners are doing what they can but
an internationally renowned earthquake engineer says buildings that
settle way more than expected are toug
Media: KTVU
In response to our inquiries, Millennium Partners issued a statement
Wednesday that stopped short of saying it now intends to put pilings
down to bedrock at 706 Mission St. But the company strongly hinted it
was moving in that direction - starting with conducting test drilling on
the site, across from Yerba Buena Gardens.
"We decided to install an additional boring in early October to sample
and further analyze the existing soil conditions at very low below-grade
depths - up to about 300 feet below the surface," Millennium Partners
spokesman P.J. Johnston said in the statement. "Any foundation design
elements that are recommended by the 706 Mission St. engineers and
consultants, and that we ultimately pursue, must account for the unique
soil conditions at this specific site, as would be appropriate for any
building anywhere in the city."
Related
Millennium penthouse price defies gravity
Sinking Millennium Tower under stress in 2014, engineers found
The new metal screen being installed at the new Transbay Terminal in
San Francisco , Calif., on Monday, August 29, 2016.
Sinking SF high-rise prompts panel to delays transit center funds
Sinking Millennium Tower can survive big earthquake, report finds
The company is taking another look at its plans even though 706 Mission
isn't being built on bay fill. The old shoreline is a couple of blocks
to the east, and what's under the new project is described as a mix of
sand and clay.
Development sources tell us Millennium Partners isn't so much worried
about the building being unsafe as it is about jittery buyers -
especially as the market for condos shows signs of softening.
"I think you will find everybody in the marketplace has been alert to
what has been on the front page for the last several months," said one
development source familiar with the 706 Mission project, who wasn't
authorized to comment on the record.
And the story isn't going away. Lawyers for the developer and the
Millennium Tower homeowners are fighting over who's responsible for the
building's problems - and what role, if any, the construction of the
next-door Transbay Transit Center has had on shifting the soil beneath
the skyscraper.
That fight is certain to go on for years. Even if Millennium Partners
convinces a court that its design wasn't to blame for the problems, that
may not help the market for condos at 706 Mission - a building that is
expected to feature some of the priciest real estate in town, with units
selling for $5 million or more.
Debra Walker, a member of the San Francisco Building Inspection
Commission, called the developer's decision to consider going down to
bedrock "prudent."
"I would imagine that everyone doing larger buildings would be reviewing
things and (considering sinking their foundations) a little further
down," she said.
Peskin said, "This turnaround proves that developers can afford to put
in state-of-the-art foundation systems rather than cutting corners and
skimping, and still have a viable project. And it should be a sign to
City Hall and our building officials that we should be insisting on the
safest foundation systems available."
The supervisor, who has held board hearings on the Millennium Tower's
troubles, said the city should take a tough look at any new plan for 706
Mission.
"If they are going to change horses in middle of the stream, it needs to
be subject to peer review by nationally renowned experts," Peskin said.
/San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross
appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX
TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday
through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415)
777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter:
@matierandross /
Matier & Ross
Chronicle Columnists
SF supervisor asks why sinking tower wasn't scrutinized until now
SF supervisor asks why sinking tower wasn't scrutinized until now
By J.K. Dineen
Updated 11:24 am, Friday, September 23, 2016
The sinking luxury tower is at the center of a dispute over what is
causing the high rise to shift and pitch. Tara Moriarty reports.
Media: KTVU
Officials at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection
didn't open an investigation into structural issues at the sinking
Millennium Tower until last month, despite evidence going back six years
that the 58-story luxury high-rise was sinking more than expected.
In a three-hour hearing Thursday before a Board of Supervisors
committee, those officials seemed at a loss to explain why the issues at
the most prominent residential tower on the West Coast weren't
scrutinized until weeks after reports of problems were first reported in
The Chronicle last month.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin
said he called the hearing to find out "who knew what, when they knew
it, and what they did about it."
"There is no question but that the city and the developer knew as much
as six years ago that the building was sinking much more than
anticipated," Peskin said at a hearing of the Government Audit and
Oversight Committee
.
"I am interested in knowing why the city did not disclose that to the
public or to the over 400 individuals, families and entities that
purchased units in the building."
The building, which is just north of the new Transbay Transit Center
,
at 301 Mission St., has settled 16 inches, much more than the 4 to 6
inches project engineers anticipated over the life of the building. It
has also tilted 2 inches to the northwest.
The Millennium tower on the lower right, across the street from the
location of a new proposed plaza tucked into the southwest corner of
Mission and Fremont Streets intersection in San Francisco , Calif.,
on Monday, August 29, 2016.
The Millennium tower on the left, across the street from the
location of a new proposed plaza tucked into the southwest corner of
the intersection of Mission and Fremont Streets next to the new
Salesforce Tower on the right in San Francisco , Calif., on Monday,
August 29, 2016.
Aaron Peskin of the Board of Supervisors listens to Department of
Building Inspection officials during a meeting on Thursday, Sept.
22, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. The Millennium Tower, located at
301 Mission Street, is sinking. Supervisors met with the Department
of Building Inspection, among other officials for a hearing on the
building, a 58-story condo tower which has sunk 16 inches since it
opened in 2009. <#photo-10968152>
From right: Gary Ho, a plan review engineer at the Department of
Building Inspection, and former DBI Raymond Lui listen in to S.F.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, during a hearing on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 in
San Francisco, Calif. The Millennium Tower, located at 301 Mission
Street, is sinking. Supervisors met with Department of Building
Inspection, among other officials for a hearing on the building, a
58-story condo tower which has sunk 16 inches since it opened in 2009.
S.F. Supervisor Aaron Peskin questions Department of Building Inspection
officials about the Millennium Tower. Inspectors knew in 2009 that the
building was sinking more than expected.
Current and former Department of Building Inspection officials Raymond
Lui (left), Edward Sweeney and Gary Ho attend a hearing on the sinking
Millennium Tower.
Bill Strawn, of the Department of Building Inspection government affairs
chats with Tom Hui, DBI's director, during a Supervisors meeting, at
City Hall, on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. The
Millennium Tower, located at 301 Mission Street, is sinking. Supervisors
met with Department of Building Inspection, among other officials for a
hearing on the building, a 58-story condo tower which has sunk 16 inches
since it opened in 2009.
From left: Ron Tom, assistant director at the Department of Building
Inspection; Tom Hui, the department's director; and Bill Strawn, of the
D.B.I. government affairs; listen in during a Supervisors meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. The Millennium Tower,
located at 301 Mission Street, is sinking. Supervisors met with
Department of Building Inspection, among other officials for a hearing
on the building, a 58-story condo tower which has sunk 16 inches since
it opened in 2009.
The Millennium tower on the lower right, across the street from the
location of a new proposed plaza tucked into the southwest corner of
Mission and Fremont Streets intersection in San Francisco , Calif., on
Monday, August 29, 2016.
From left, Millennium Partners' Phil Aarons, Sean Jeffries and Chris
Jeffries listen to Peter Meier, Partner with Paul Hastings, present and
explain documents during a press conference held by the developers of
Millennium Tower about the issues of its sinking and leaning Sept. 20,
2016 in San Francisco, Calif.
Millennium Partners' Chris Jeffries discusses details pertaining to the
issue of the sinking and leaning of his building Millennium Tower Sept.
20, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif.
SF supervisor asks why sinking tower wasn't scrutinized until now
Developer Millennium Partners
has blamed the tilting and sinking on soil dewatering next door at the
Transbay Transit Center. Millennium says the water table beneath its
tower has dropped 20 feet, weakening the soil under the foundation. The
Transbay Joint Powers Authority
,
which is building the $4.5 billion transit center, counters that
Millennium erred by building a foundation with piles 66 to 91 feet in
length, rather than the 200 feet that would have reached bedrock.
The hearing Thursday did nothing to provide clarity as to who is to
blame for the tower's structural deficiencies or what exactly is causing
the sinking. It made clear, however, that city building officials were
more bystanders than decision-makers a decade ago as Millennium Partners
and its team of engineers and architects made the calculations that
determined the structure's foundation and building safety systems.
Four Department of Building Inspection officials, including the current
director and deputy director, testified at the hearing, painting the
picture of a building that was unusual for its height and weight - its
concrete frame makes it heavier than a steel structure - but that was
mostly treated with the same level of scrutiny as other less complicated
or tall buildings. The developer agreed to fund an additional review by
a two-person peer committee that looked at the building's seismic safety
- that examination did not include a review of the foundation and pile
system.
Department Deputy Director Ron Tom
said his agency has three roles: checking plans to make sure they comply
with city code, making sure work is done as permitted, and - once a
building is completed - investigating complaints.
Tom said the department relies on the expertise of the engineers and
designers overseeing individual projects. If a plan is a "prescriptive
design," meaning it conforms to building codes, as the Millennium Tower
was, it is approved without any outside review. Most of the other tall,
new downtown buildings in San Francisco, however, are "performance
designs" - their design includes some departure from city code - and
since 2008 have required a full peer review of both foundation and
seismic safety.
Department officials also said their investigations are driven by
complaints and that they didn't launch an inquiry into the Millennium
until a neighbor called the city's 311 hot line on Aug. 16, two weeks
after The Chronicle's report. Inspectors then visited the property and
issued a corrective notice - essentially a request asking the building
owner to compile a report detailing the building's performance.
"It blows my mind that you have to call 311 to have somebody come out to
look at a 58-story building that is tilting," Peskin said.
Much of the questioning Thursday focused on a 2009 letter from
then-assistant department director Raymond Lui
.
The letter raised questions about the rate the building was settling and
whether the developers' engineers expected it to continue. The letter
received a terse response from Millennium Partners' engineer,
downplaying the concerns. On Thursday, Lui said he couldn't recall how
he was made aware of the structural issues or what motivated him to
write the letter.
"I have no idea," Lui said. "I can only speculate. I'm pretty tight with
a lot of engineers. Maybe one of them mentioned it?"
Peskin said he was shocked that such a seemingly important letter
disappeared with such scant impact.
"There is no follow-up to the letter that says, 'Gee, we are going to
get an independent, third-party review so we know why the building is
not performing as expected'?" he said.
Related Stories
Agency says it will keep pumping water near leaning SF tower
SF's landmark tower for rich and famous is sinking and tilting
About 20 Millennium homeowners attended Thursday's hearing at City Hall
and said in a statement they share Peskin's "desire to understand why we
find ourselves in this predicament today and hope that all those called
to participate do so in a spirit of cooperation and truthfulness."
"As everyone knows, the homeowners of the Millennium Tower are in the
unfortunate position of trying to go about their lives as if nothing has
happened, while attorneys work to learn the facts and assign
responsibility," the homeowners group stated.
The association said it is conducting its own independent investigation.
"We are all living there and wondering about our safety," Millennium
homeowner Nina Agabian
said. "Nothing we have heard today has instilled any confidence."
/J.K. Dineen
is a San Francisco Chronicle
staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com
/
San Francisco's 'leaning tower' hit with violation notices
FILE - This Sept. 26, 2016 file photo shows the Millennium Tower in
San Francisco. A 58-story luxury condominium that has gained
notoriety as the leaning tower of San Francisco is facing two
violation notices accusing owners of making unauthorized repairs.
The repairs to two ramps and the underground garage were intended to
address the problems caused by the building's sinking, but the
city's building inspection department found they were done without
permits. Photo: Eric Risberg, AP / Copyright 2016 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved.
The tower has sunk 16 inches since it was completed seven years ago.
It's not, however, sinking evenly, creating a tilt.
The building's problems have raised concerns because it lies in an
earthquake fault zone, but city officials, owners of the building's
high-end apartments and its developers are arguing over who is to blame.
One violation notice stems from chipping concrete and leaking in the
underground parking garage, and repairs that were done without permits,
the Chronicle reported. The other relates to two ramps on the ground
floor that building inspector Daniel Lowery
said had become steeper during settlement and that the owner had tried
to correct, also without a permit.
The Millennium Tower Homeowners Association
,
which owns the building, told the Chronicle it assumed that any
necessary permits were being properly pursued by developer Millennium
Partners
.
P.J. Johnston
,
a spokesman for Millennium Partners, said the developer will work with
the association to address issues like these that commonly arise with
large buildings.
"We will ensure that all proper permits are secured," he said.
Leaked documents show the city's Department of Building Inspection and
Millennium Partners
knew the building was sinking more than anticipated before it opened in
late 2009, but neither made that information public.
City Supervisor Aaron Peskin
has convened hearings on the matter.
San Francisco's sinking tower seen from space
Updated 3:36 pm, Monday, November 28, 2016
Millennium Tower on Friday, July 29, 2016 in San Francisco,
California. The tower is currently facing structural issues causing
a lean. Photo: Michael Noble Jr., The Chronicle
*
Satellite radar data show ground displacement in downtown San
Francisco. The green areas indicate no detected movement, while
points in yellow, orange and red show areas where structures are
sinking. Photo: Courtesy European Space Agency
*
A Fraste machine runs tests in front of Millennium Tower, a
residential building which is leaning, in San Francisco, California,
on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
*
Construction workers Malakai Fakalolo (left), and Will Halai
(center) use a Fraste machine while doing tests outside the
Millennium Tower, a residential building which is leaning, in San
Francisco, California, on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. Engineer Patrick
Shires (right) gives an interview. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The
Chronicle
*
Engineer and consultant Patrick Shires, of Cotton Shires and
Associates, speaks at a press conference regarding the investigation
of Millennium Tower, a residential building which is leaning, in San
Francisco, California, on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle
Lurie, The Chronicle
*
Workers do tests on the soil outside Millennium Tower, a residential
building which is leaning, in San Francisco, California, on Monday,
Sept. 26, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
*
The Millennium tower on the lower left, across the street from the
location of a new proposed plaza tucked into the southwest corner of
Mission and Fremont Streets intersection in San Francisco , Calif.,
on Monday, August 29, 2016. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle
*
*
Millennium Tower at First and Fremont streets is a dynamic,
constantly shifting presence on the skyline.
The architect is Handel
Partners.
<#photo-10690679>
*
Pat Dodson (left) and Jerry Dodson look out a window toward the
construction of the Transbay Transit Center and Salesforce Tower
from their condo on the 42nd floor of the Millennium Tower in
downtown San Francisco, California, on Thursday, August 4, 2016.
<#photo-10715715>
*
Photo: Michael Noble Jr., The Chronicle
Image 1of/22
Image 5of 22
Satellite radar data show ground displacement in downtown San Francisco.
The green areas indicate no detected movement, while points in yellow,
orange and red show areas where structures are sinking.
Photo: Courtesy European Space Agency
Image 3of 22
Aaron Peskin of the Board of Supervisors questions Department of
Building Inspection officials during a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22,
2016 in San Francisco, Calif.
The Millennium Tower, located at 301
Mission Street, is sinking.
Supervisors met with the Department of
Building Inspection, among other officials for a hearing on the
building, a 58-story condo tower which has sunk 16 inches since it
opened in 2009.
Photo: Santiago Mejia
Image 4of 22
A Fraste machine runs tests in front of Millennium Tower, a residential
building which is leaning, in San Francisco, California, on Monday,
Sept. 26, 2016.
Sept. 26, 2016.
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
Image 5of 22
The glistening Millennium Tower a year after it opened in downtown San
Francisco in 2009.
The high-end condo building is now sinking.
Photo: John King
Image 8of 22
Construction workers Malakai Fakalolo (left), and Will Halai (center)
use a Fraste machine while doing tests outside the Millennium Tower, a
residential building which is leaning, in San Francisco, California, on
Monday, Sept. 26, 2016.
Engineer Patrick Shires (right) gives an
interview.
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
Image 9of 22
Workers do tests on the soil outside Millennium Tower, a residential
building which is leaning, in San Francisco, California, on Monday,
Sept. 26, 2016.
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
Image 11of 22
The Millennium tower on the left, across the street from the location of
a new proposed plaza tucked into the southwest corner of the
intersection of Mission and Fremont Streets next to the new Salesforce
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez
Image 16of 22
Millennium Tower at First and Fremont streets is a dynamic, constantly
shifting presence on the skyline.
The architect is Handel Partners.
Photo: John King, The Chronicle
Image 18of 22
The reflection of the Millennium Tower on Friday, July 29, 2016 in San
Francisco, California.
The tower is currently facing structural issues
causing a lean.
Photo: Michael Noble Jr., The Chronicle
Image 22of 22
San Francisco's sinking tower seen from space
1 / 22
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The European Space Agency has released satellite
data that shows the 58-story Millennium Tower in San Francisco's is
continuing to sink at a steady rate - and perhaps faster than previously
known.
Scientist Petar Marinkovic
who analyzed the data for the ESA said Monday it shows the Millennium
Tower sunk 40 to 45 millimeters - or 1.6 to 1.8 inches - over a recent
one-year period.
It sunk almost double that amount - 70 to 75 mm (2.6 to 2.9 inches) -
over its 17-month observation period ending in September, he says.
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