People who own high-end condominiums in a downtown Kelowna, British Columbia complex are demanding answers this week after being told their homes are not currently safe to occupy.
At a meeting in a local hotel on Friday, people from the four-year-old Discovery Bay complex on Sunset Drive were told by city officials that their wood-frame buildings are not structurally sound. The complex's developer, Point of View Developments of Calgary, hired an engineer after problems were discovered in a parkade. The engineer determined some of the load-bearing walls are not up to code, and the building is vulnerable to strong winds and earthquakes.
Condo owner Brian Selig says he now owns a $500,000 condo that he isn't supposed to live in.
"Where do we stand? What do we do?" he said. "Everybody's pointing their fingers at somebody else, but when you as a purchaser ... buy a place, you think that this place is going to be built in accordance with the B.C. building code." The city is not evicting the owners and renters. Spokesperson Karen Cairns said provincial officials have determined the situation doesn't qualify for emergency funding. Selig says the situation is a nightmare. "They tell us we shouldn't be in the building, we shouldn't live here, but then on the other hand they say they don't have the authority to kick us out." Point of View Developments says it is working to fix the structural problems as quickly as possible. Some of the condo owners are staying in local hotels while the work is done.
At a meeting in a local hotel on Friday, people from the four-year-old Discovery Bay complex on Sunset Drive were told by city officials that their wood-frame buildings are not structurally sound. The complex's developer, Point of View Developments of Calgary, hired an engineer after problems were discovered in a parkade. The engineer determined some of the load-bearing walls are not up to code, and the building is vulnerable to strong winds and earthquakes.
Condo owner Brian Selig says he now owns a $500,000 condo that he isn't supposed to live in.
"Where do we stand? What do we do?" he said. "Everybody's pointing their fingers at somebody else, but when you as a purchaser ... buy a place, you think that this place is going to be built in accordance with the B.C. building code." The city is not evicting the owners and renters. Spokesperson Karen Cairns said provincial officials have determined the situation doesn't qualify for emergency funding. Selig says the situation is a nightmare. "They tell us we shouldn't be in the building, we shouldn't live here, but then on the other hand they say they don't have the authority to kick us out." Point of View Developments says it is working to fix the structural problems as quickly as possible. Some of the condo owners are staying in local hotels while the work is done.
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