Hackensack Garage Collapse: RETURN DATE FOR TENANTS NOV. 15

Posted in: News on August 2, 2010 at 10:17 pm |

By Joseph Lepore and Christina Rossi

HACKENSACK – Tenants of Prospect Towers, the luxury high-rise at 300 Prospect Ave. where two levels of an underground parking garage collapsed Friday, July 16, will not be able to return to their apartments until at least Nov. 15.

City engineers from Boswell Engineering and the building’s engineers are currently demolishing walls and removing debris from the site, said City Manager Steve Lo Iacono. An investigation into the cause of the collapse and another the next day that sheared utility lines, cutting off power, gas and water, is underway. “The engineers have a general idea of the cause but they can’t confirm it until the debris is removed,” he said, adding that he could not disclose their findings, which will be revealed at an indefinite future date.

The city manager said the property owner, Equity Residential, “has been communicating with tenants, keeping us and them up to speed.”

The building’s atrium gave way causing two ramps of the parking garage below to collapse and pancake on top of another. At approximately 10 a.m., residents described hearing and feeling what sounded like an earthquake. Moments later their lobby entrance was submerged.

Dr. Dennis Parham was working on his computer in his 8th floor apartment in Prospect Towers – which also includes a mid-rise building at 310 Prospect Ave., with which the high-rise shares a garage –  when all of a sudden he heard what sounded like screeches followed by a loud noise. He quickly ran to his window and saw the atrium had fallen into and on top of the parking garage below. When he saw the extent of the damage he grabbed his camera and made his way down. Once in the hallway he noticed the power had gone out and the elevator was not working, so he (and other residents) used the stairs to evacuate the building. “We were looking at each other in the hall, wondering what was going on. There was no panic but we just wanted to know what to do,” he said. As soon as he reached the area he began taking pictures of the scene and he was concerned that there might be someone trapped in the rubble.

The 18-story high-rise was quickly evacuated and emergency help was quick to respond. The street was closed off as rescuers tried to dig through the debris and soil to see if anyone was trapped in a car; no victims were found. Special cameras were put in place to search through the parking levels that were on top of each other. Trying to assess the situation was difficult since all damage was below ground. However, what could have been a deadly scene turned out alright after it was determined that no one was in a car at the time of collapse.

Several residents complained of a leaking ceiling in the parking garage and have been doing so for months. Recently a tree was uprooted and there was a sink hole next to the building. Some residents questioned if that maybe was the cause of the foundation weakening. The cause and exact location of the breach is still being investigated. In the meantime residents were not allowed to enter the building for fear of structural damage. Residents in the neighboring building were not evacuated but were prohibited from driving into their parking garage as a safety precaution in case there was any structural damage to the building.

An engineer’s report from March claimed that “A significant volume of water is pouring through the interface between the ceiling slab and the column.” The report went on to cite other infractions and irregularities and concluded by recommending that the circular driveway and ramp be closed off.       Although residents were not permitted to enter the building, Red Cross workers did a sweep of the building checking all apartments for people and pets that didn’t make it out. Equity Residential said they will reimburse tenants who need to stay at area hotels. However, many tenants are not sure they want to return out of fear that this might just be the beginning of something worse about to come. “I don’t want to be in my apartment if the building is unsafe. God forbid the whole building collapses, I’m too scared” said one longtime resident who asked not to be identified.

There were no injuries reported, but if it had been an hour or two earlier, things could have been very different, said one resident.

Tags: garage Hackensack Prospect Ave