Geotechnical report: earthworks done so far on Block 7 have to be redone; problems can be observed from Chaster Road
(By Newsdesk)
There are serious problems with the earthworks done for the development on Block 7 of Gospel Rock, where developer Greenlane Homes intends to build 360 residential units and several commercial buildings.
The Coast Clarion has obtained a November 18, 2020 report by KONTUR Geotechnical Consultants Inc., a firm working for the developer, which says all work done since September on the “Village Crescent” area of the project needs to be redone.
“To date, the second lift of material placed is not considered satisfactory,” the KONTUR report reads. “The material is saturated and loose. The material also contains some organics/rootlets/twigs and other unsuitable material. This lift should be stripped, removed, and replaced.
“Previously approved areas have become disturbed and saturated and can no longer be considered satisfactory. These areas should be properly stripped, replaced, and re-compacted.
“Appropriate measures to adequately control both groundwater seepage and surface water runoff must be implemented by the contractor.”
Des Delaney worked as a part-time construction consultant with the developer’s firm Greenlane Homes for the project from November 2019 until November 16, 2020 and saw what happened on the site from close by. He is full of praise for Maycon Construction Management Ltd., a local company which arranged for land clearing on the site in the summer of 2019, and says Maycon was very cautious and stayed twenty to thirty metres away from an environmental area that is to be protected.
After the clearcut of the development area, very little happened, partly due to the pandemic. In August, Greenlane introduced a Vancouver-based firm called “JKCE” to Delaney as the general contractor. Dhanda Trucking & Demolition Ltd. of Surrey was sub-contracted to scrape off topsoil and rough in roads.
Delaney helped with the transition to make both firms understood what was required in terms of safety and the job being done properly. Earthworks started during the first week of September.
On October 19, 2020, the Town of Gibsons issued the geotechnical and environmental development permits. KONTUR was to supervise the geotechnical work and Diamond Head Environmental Consulting Ltd. was in charge of monitoring the environmental zone.
On November 16, Gibsons director of planning Lesley-Anne Staats, planning assistant Kirsten Rawkins, building inspector John Hardt and natural-assets technician Michelle Lewis did a walk-through of the site with the general contractor, as required by the development permits. The town subsequently requested KONTUR’s geotechnical reports and on November 18 learned the work had to be redone.
According to sources, the developer stopped all earthwork on the site in the first week of December.
The Coast Clarion asked mayor Bill Beamish if the Town issued a stop work order because of the conclusions of the KONTUR report. And if the Town did not, what was the reason? The mayor did not respond.
“My understanding is that the site work includes moving dirt and cutting trees, but I cannot confirm the exact dates this occurred,” Staats told The Coast Clarion in an email. “I’d suggest contacting the developer for that information.”
The developer did not return calls.
On December 21, the Town issued a stop-work order over a breach of the environmental development permit. Two trees had sustained broken branches and one tree suffered “minor scarring” during earlier tree removal, the Town said.
“I cannot tell you when the stop-work order will be lifted; only that the developer is working towards providing the Town with information required to lift it,” Staats told The Coast Clarion in an email on January 28.
Industry sources told The Coast Clarion they were not impressed when they observed the activities of the contractor on Gospel Rock from Chaster Road. The chain-link fence is installed outside the property line and runs in zig-zag fashion. When it was erected, the holes in the ground for the poles were not marked, creating a danger to the public. The ditches near the gate were filled, creating flooding on Shaw Road. The gate is not installed properly, and the contractor’s office trailer sits on an angled foundation and lists 15 degrees.
For the work to continue, the Town’s stop-work order needs to be lifted and a servicing agreement put in place so the developer can get subdivision approval and apply for a building permit. Industry sources put the cost of this agreement at about $10 million: the developer must provide a letter of credit for 120 per cent of the construction cost of the roads and water and sewage lines.
Construction consultant Delaney who was involved with the project outlined the plan: the Shaw-Inglis connector road must be built, as this is the route for the main water service to the development. This involves tree-cutting. The sanitary line must be installed down to Gower Point Road along the eastern boundary, which requires more tree-cutting and blasting. Further blasting is required for the eastern road to Prospect Place, another part of the project, and all roads and services must be installed for the site, as well as the hydro and gas connections within these roads.
Tree-cutting must be done before nesting season starts in April, or the project will be further delayed.
Town Council does not need to approve the servicing agreement; Town staff has the authority to do that.
“There is no application for a servicing agreement,” director of planning Lesley-Anne Staats told The Coast Clarion in an email on January 28. “The developers have provided the information needed to prepare a servicing agreement, and the Town is reviewing that information.”
Did the surveys include a hydro-technical one? It sounds as if the areas to be built on could benefit from one? It seems that the Coast has much underground water, as well as unstable ground such as Gospel Rock, which could make such sites unsuitable for mammoth developments such as this one?