Frustration boils over in wake of Langley, B.C. construction collapse

Frustrations are boiling over at a Langley, B.C., condo complex, where residents are still dealing with the fallout of a construction collapse next door.

The building near 200 Street and 56 Avenue lost power on Christmas Day, when a large crack opened in the earth between the complex and a neighbouring construction site.

The electricity is now back on at Michaud Gardens, but that’s about all residents are happy about.

Unanswered questions and stress about the structural integrity of the building appeared to come to a head on Friday, when one resident was caught on camera throwing dishware from their unit at workers in the construction site next door.

RCMP had to attend the building.

“It’s been stressful. We’ve had some residents have kind of mental breakdowns. The morning of Christmas morning I stress vomited — that was my Christmas morning,” resident Adam Menzies told Global News.

The massive crack in the earth, just steps from the condo complex, is believed to have been the result of movement in a portion of a shoring wall constructed as a part of the excavation next door.

City of Langley engineers believe the collapse was weather-related, caused by rapid snowmelt and water accumulation.

The city did not make a spokesperson available for an interview, but said it was monitoring repairs.

Pennyfarthing Apartments, the company building a rental housing building at the construction site, responded with a statement.

“Under the direction of our geotechnical engineers, we trucked in gravel to stabilize the site temporarily while they design a permanent solution,” the company said.

“We are working as fast as is safely possible to remediate the lands and will continue to update residents directly about the progress we are making on the site.”

Menzies said crews cut down all the trees between the two sites, apparently as a part of that repair work, but without explanation.

“We live at Michaud Gardens, and it feels like they took away the gardens part … I want our view back, I want our privacy back … I want it to stay what it was.”

He said residents have heard little from the company and even less from the city, and are deeply concerned about the foundation of their own building, due to how close the crack is to the complex.

“We’re really disappointed. More than anything we’re disappointed. I don’t think they’ve done enough. I don’t think they realize the effect they had on us. They stole Christmas from all of us. They’re literally the Grinch.”

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