South Padre Island's Ocean Tower Highrise Condo To Be Imploded. (updated title) (Houston: real estate, lawsuits)

[stoneclaw]

dang that's heartbreaking

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by tijlover

It saddens me to see an unfinished building anywhere.

When I was in La Paz, Bolivia some 20 years ago when they were having a horrible recession, there were two unfinished skyscrapers downtown, just concrete, no glass cladding.

So, the homeless moved in floor by floor, waferboarded the outside of each floor, and at that time they had come to occupy the first 10 floors of this 40 story building. A pretty pathetic sight, with laundry hanging out on the lines, and with no toilet facilities in the building, one can only imagine!

Let's hope this doesn't happen to this structure, homeless moving in with a view of the ocean.

That's why there are government inspections
to make sure that people are not gonna leave a huge piece of junk in the middle of a city.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Dopo

That's why there are government inspections
to make sure that people are not gonna leave a huge piece of junk in the middle of a city.

One of the problems as I understand it, was that this structure was built just outside SPI town limits.

[Mr. Solis]

que bueno, tear it down, and leave the beach alone, like theres not enough condos already

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Dopo

That's why there are government inspections
to make sure that people are not gonna leave a huge piece of junk in the middle of a city.

That is a mistaken impression. Intel started building a multi story building in Austin TX several years ago, and then due to economic problems stopped construction, leaving an ugly concrete frame structure in place. There was nothing the City could do about it, regardless of the fact that they have an aggressive schedule of inspections required as the construction progresses. The government agencies take no responsibility for the proper engineering of a structure, they simply require that a registered engineer, hired by the owner, sign off on everything. Even if it proves to be structurally inadequate there is little they can do to force a property owner to tear it down.

Intel abandoned this project in 2001. It wasn't until 2007 after the federal government bought the land for a new Federal Courthouse that they paid to demolish the structure. You can bet the price they paid for the land from Intel included the cost of demolitiion. If that land buyer had not come along it would still be sitting there.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Intel abandoned this project in 2001. It wasn't until 2007 after the federal government bought the land for a new Federal Courthouse that they paid to demolish the structure. You can bet the price they paid for the land from Intel included the cost of demolitiion. If that land buyer had not come along it would still be sitting there.

You proved my point.

No government inspection = Tax payers end up paying for the piece of junk they left behind.
Government inspection = Tax payers save money

[piyf]

Hopefully the lawsuit wins and puts a hurtin on those involved. I guess the engineers got their degrees at the U.












University of Phoenix.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Dopo

You proved my point.

No government inspection = Tax payers end up paying for the piece of junk they left behind.
Government inspection = Tax payers save money

No, I don't think it proves your point. That project has tons of government inspection, and it made no difference at all when the property owner abandoned the project. They still walked away.

[catman]

I don't really like big buildings like that on the beach, just waiting for the next major hurricane. I like the beach much more in its natural state.

[CptnRn]

Can you imagine what the wind pressure of a tropical storm would could have done to a tall building like that, if the foundation wasn't able to keep it level under normal conditions?