San Francisco threatens to yellow tag Millennium Tower


The city is threatening to yellow tag San Francisco's leaning, sinking and cracking Millennium Tower if the homeowners association doesn't act fast.

KGO Wednesday, September 12, 2018 11:28PM SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The city is threatening to yellow tag San Francisco's leaning, sinking and cracking Millennium Tower if the homeowners association doesn't act fast.

The attorney for the Homeowners Association says she received a letter from the city filled with new demands at noon Wednesday.

*TIMELINE: Issues with San Francisco's tilting, sinking Millennium Tower *

San Francisco's Department of Building Inspections has three new demands for the Millennium Tower Homeowners Association: Repair a window washing crane by Friday at 3 p.m., install an overhead protection system to protect the public from falling glass by Thursday at 3 p.m., and conduct a field inspection survey of all units by Friday at 3 p.m. to make sure no others have a fractured window glazing or curtain wall related issue.

The demands follow reports of a cracked window in unit 36B.

"This is a window system designed to withstand hurricane force winds so this is obviously of serious concern," Supervisor Aaron Peskin told ABC7 News last week.

*RELATED: San Francisco's Millennium Tower is leaning, sinking and now cracking *

In response to the Department of Building Inspection's new demands, the attorney for the Millennium Tower Homeowners Association told ABC7 News in an email, "We relayed the Association's daily efforts to meet the DBI's requests to date and reiterated that the Association is fully prepared to respond to the DBI requests timely."

In its new demands the Department of Building Inspections scolds the HOA for its lack of communication with the city and failure to meet the city's previous deadlines.

The attorney for the HOA tells ABC7 News, the Homeowners Association is focused on the safety of its residents and the public at large. The HOA has asked the city attorney to extend the Thursday 3 p.m. deadline.



MILLENNIUM TOWER

San Francisco's Millennium Tower is leaning, sinking and now cracking

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San Francisco's leaning, sinking Millennium Tower has a new problem after a window cracked on the 36th floor. (San Francisco Department of Building Inspection)

KGO by Melanie Woodrow Wednesday, September 05, 2018 SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco's leaning, sinking Millennium Tower has a new problem after a window cracked on the 36th floor.

"This is a window system that's designed to sustain hurricane force winds so this is obviously of serious concern," said San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

The city's Department of Building Inspection shared photos of the crack with ABC7 News.

Tom Miller, the attorney for the homeowner's association says the person who lives in 36B heard a loud pop during the middle of the night over the holiday weekend.

Miller says the outside pane of glass cracked.

*TIMELINE: Issues with San Francisco's tilting, sinking Millennium Tower *

"The problem on the exterior is that glass going to hold or is it going to be a falling object," said Miller.

The Department of Building Inspection tells ABC7 News an inspector has been to the site 3 times, including Wednesday afternoon. That inspector determined there is no imminent risk to pedestrians below, specifically because the glass is laminated and designed to hold in place even when fractured.

*RELATED: $5.6M Millennium Tower condo for sale in SF: Its visual and financial vertigo *

The city issued a correction notice letting building management know they have until Friday to issue a report including an evaluation of the repairs needed.

Miller says a new window has been ordered and will be installed within a week. During the replacement he says they'll open up the side of the building to investigate what caused the crack

*RELATED: Costly fix found for sinking Millennium Tower in San Francisco *

The building's manager sent a notice to residents saying it's possible the incident is related to other issues in the building but Miller says a seismic expert and structural engineer disagrees.

"He informed us that it appeared not to be related to the performance of the building sinking or tilting," said Miller.

*RELATED: Millennium Tower residents feel 'mugged' by developers after sinking fiasco *

As for those problems, the Homeowner's Association President says they are considering alternatives to bring the building up to the highest standard.

"Now it's really a question of the legal process to find the responsible parties to pay for and implement the fix," said Steven Mayer, Homeowner's Association President.



MILLENNIUM TOWER

$5.6M Millennium Tower condo for sale in SF: Its visual and financial vertigo

In San Francisco high rise real estate, prices continue to move skywards. Now, that appears to include the most controversial and perhaps litigated building in San Francisco. (KGO-TV)

KGO ByWayne Freedman Monday, February 26, 2018 SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In San Francisco high rise real estate, prices continue to move skywards. Now, that appears to include the most controversial and perhaps litigated building in San Francisco.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

So goes the elevator as we ride 55 floors to the upper echelons while also shifting 6 inches to the northwest. This is, after all, San Francisco's version of Pisa -- the Millennium Tower.

*TIMELINE: Issues with SF's tilting sinking Millennium Tower *

"You cannot visually see that it is leaning," Gregg Lynn had said a few moments earlier. He's the 28th ranked realtor in the nation -- a man who has sold $1 billion worth of properties.

Now, add Unit 55-A, a corner unit with splendid views of San Francisco Bay, its hills and iconic skyline. We're 550 feet up in a 2,709 square-foot condo with two bedrooms plus a library.

Asking price: $5.6 million.

*RELATED: SF skyscrapers to be examined following Millennium Tower tilting *

"The challenge is finding the buyer who understands the opportunity," said Gregg. Because of its engineering challenges, Millennium Tower units are selling for 30 percent less than the peak. "There is an engineering fix in the works," he said.

Not anyone can tour a condominium unit such as this. There are no open houses on Sundays. Nobody blows past the front desk for a look-see. First, a potential buyer must qualify. "We want to know the person touring can afford it," said Gregg.

In this case, the buyer gets what once was a "white box" as they call it, with $2 million in upgrades, according to Gregg. The sellers knocked out walls, built in furniture, installed techie treats and automatic blinds. The master bedroom and bathroom feel as if you're peering from an elevated aquarium.

*WATCH VIDEO: Luxury skyscraper Millennium Tower sinking in downtown SF *

"They can see in," I noted to Gregg.

"That's why there are the blinds," he responded.

From any angle, 55 floors and $5.6 million dollars is a long way up for anyone with physical or financial vertigo.

*RELATED: Millennium Partners blames sinking of tower on Transbay Terminal excavations *

"Does it come with oxygen?" I asked Gregg.

"You seem to be doing fine."



MILLENNIUM TOWER

Drone inspecting San Francisco's Millennium Tower crashes

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. (KGO-TV)

KGO Sunday, September 09, 2018 07:54PM SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- 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.

There were no plans to put the drone up again Sunday.

*TIMELINE: Issues with San Francisco's tilting, sinking Millennium Tower *

Scaffolding has already gone up as a precaution after a window on the 36th floor cracked.

Engineers hired by the homeowners association say they don't think the cracking window has anything to do with the building tilting and sinking.

*RELATED: San Francisco's Millennium Tower is leaning, sinking and now cracking *

The luxury high-rise has dropped 17-inches and tilted 14-inches since construction began in 2005.