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Apartment Building Construction | Comments Off on Lawsuit, other delays interrupt ‘greener-than-green’ River Market apartment construction – Kansas City Star
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Federal investigators on Monday pieced through the charred skeleton of an under-construction apartment building in Oaklandto determine if the blaze was accidental or intentionally set.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a national response team to examine the fire site at 2302 Valdez Street, which caught fire early Friday and forced several hundred evacuations.
4-Alarm Fire Engulfs Building in Oakland
The four-alarm blaze engulfed what would have been a mixed-use apartment complexexpected to house 196 homes and up to 31,500 square feet of retail space upon completion next spring.
No one was injured by the fire, but at least 700 people living and working in the area around the blaze were asked to leave their homes and businesses while crews battled the flames and worked to dismantle a structurally unstable crane marred the fire.
The crane was successfully removed Saturday evening, allowing many evacuees to slowly return home.
As mostevacuees returned home Sunday, a new evacuation order was issued for a neighboring building.
About 7 p.m. Sunday, glass and debris began falling from the building at 180 Grand Ave., leading to the closure of that building, fire officials said. The evacuation order at the building would remain in place until an investigation to determine its condition, officials said.
The blaze comes on the heels of three separate fires at construction sites in the area between July 2016 and May 2017. The ATF is offering a $110,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for those blazes. The reward does not mention the most recent blaze.
Published at 5:49 AM PDT on Jul 10, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago
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Federal Investigators Examine Oakland Construction Site Fire - NBC Bay Area
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Apartment Building Construction | Comments Off on Oakland housing developers are on edge after spate of apartment fires, but determined to keep building – San Francisco Business Times
Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle
A massive fire at a downtown Oakland construction site as seen from the Oakland Hills on July 7, 2017 at approximately 5:25 am PST.
A massive fire at a downtown Oakland construction site as seen from the Oakland Hills on July 7, 2017 at approximately 5:25 am PST.
Firefighters battle a building fire at Valdez and 23rd Streets in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, July 7, 2017.
Firefighters battle a building fire at Valdez and 23rd Streets in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, July 7, 2017.
A huge fire was burning at a construction site at Valdez and 23rd streets in Oakland Friday morning.
A huge fire was burning at a construction site at Valdez and 23rd streets in Oakland Friday morning.
The Fire Department, above, douses the smoldering remains of the seven-story building under construction that burned in Oakland on Friday morning as construc tion crews, left, begin to clean up.
The Fire Department, above, douses the smoldering remains of the seven-story building under construction that burned in Oakland on Friday morning as construc tion crews, left, begin to clean up.
An excavator rips down pieces of the smoldering remains of a seven-story building that was under construction in Oakland that went up in flames on Friday morning.
An excavator rips down pieces of the smoldering remains of a seven-story building that was under construction in Oakland that went up in flames on Friday morning.
A person in safety gear walks past an evacuated apartment building across the street from the smoldering remains of a seven-story building destroyed in a massive fire in Oakland on Friday.
A person in safety gear walks past an evacuated apartment building across the street from the smoldering remains of a seven-story building destroyed in a massive fire in Oakland on Friday.
Greg Williams watches construction crews remove debris after a seven-story building under construction in Oakland burned across the street from his bakery, Gregorys Gourmet Desserts.
Greg Williams watches construction crews remove debris after a seven-story building under construction in Oakland burned across the street from his bakery, Gregorys Gourmet Desserts.
The Oakland Fire Department douses hot spots from Fridays fire, top, as crews begin to clean up the remains of the seven-story build ing under construction, above.
The Oakland Fire Department douses hot spots from Fridays fire, top, as crews begin to clean up the remains of the seven-story build ing under construction, above.
Workers look up at the wreckage of a downed construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Workers look up at the wreckage of a downed construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
People at an adjacent building watch the removal of a damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
People at an adjacent building watch the removal of a damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Workers attach a cable to the front of a damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Workers attach a cable to the front of a damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Secondary cranes rise up along side a fire damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Secondary cranes rise up along side a fire damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
An excavator pulls down a fire damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
An excavator pulls down a fire damaged construction crane at the Alta Waverly mixed use building that was badly damaged in a major fire, in Oakland, CA, on Saturday July 8, 2017.
Some residents return to homes following massive Oakland blaze
Residents of one apartment building evacuated due to the massive fire in Oakland on Friday were allowed to return their homes late Saturday after crews toppled a giant fire-wrecked construction crane, officials said.
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Erik Logan announced the reopening of the Grand Apartments at 100 Grand Ave. shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday.
In the event the removal of the crane is successful you will be able to return to your homes today, management of the Grand Apartments at 100 Grand Ave wrote in a letter to residents earlier in the day.
Residents of 100 Grand Ave. were back inside by 10 p.m., several said on Twitter.
On Sunday, Oakland Fire Department officials expect to enter the burnt-out husk of what was supposed to be the Alta Waverly apartment complex 196 market-rate units with ground floor retail.
They will be joined Monday by federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is dispatching personnel from around the country to help.
On Saturday, fire crews continued to shoot water at hot spots in the charred wreckage of the building, which caught fire around 4:30 a.m. Friday, sending flames and smoke above downtown Oakland before being contained a few hours later. No one was injured.
Workers knocked down much of the scaffolding surrounding the building as people watched from nearby streets.
The teetering crane, which was damaged in the fire and in danger of collapsing, caused fire officials to order the evacuation of residents in the surrounding areas. Officials worked Saturday morning on plans to remove the crane.
The developers of the burned building, along with their contractor, rotated the crane and pulled it down into an empty parking lot on Valdez Street on Saturday evening, according to Oakland Fire Department officials. Though the plan had been designed to avoid hitting any buildings, police officers went through the evacuated buildings to make sure all civilians were out of the buildings Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The crane was toppled safely shortly after 7:30 p.m.
City inspectors had not been able to enter nearby buildings to evaluate whether they remained structurally sound Saturday, said Sean Maher, a spokesman for the city of Oakland. Once the crane was removed, the plan was to fast-track those inspections.
Our goal is to return residents to their homes as swiftly as possible, but only once we've conducted these inspections to confirm it is safe for them to do so, he said.
Some neighboring buildings were damaged by the high heat, smoke and water, according to fire officials.
Residents such as Hernan Carrillo, a 50-year-old AT&T technician who lives in an apartment building next door to the charred construction site on Waverly Street with his wife and young son, are staying with friends as work at the fire site continues.
Carrillo was able to return to his apartment for a few minutes Friday night to gather belongings and assess the damage.
The roof has a bunch of holes, theres water damage in the bedrooms our bed is ruined, he said.
I was lucky to have a friend who had a space, he said. Otherwise Id be really worried about the housing situation. I wouldnt be able to afford anything at this time.
Carrillo has lived in his rent-controlled apartment for 12 years.
The seven-story Alta Waverly development was set to open next spring at 23rd and Valdez streets, according to a project website.
The Oakland architectural firm Pyatok designed the building for the Wood Partners development firm, and the construction was being done by Andersen Construction.
A group of displaced residents met with Angela Robinson Pion, a spokeswoman with the Oakland Fire Department, at the St. Vincent de Paul center Saturday afternoon to discuss future assistance and when they could potentially return to their homes. The center opened as a shelter for those who had been evacuated.
Samantha Pham, 55, was part of the group watching Pion on Saturday afternoon. Pham lives in an apartment building next door to the construction site with her husband and 14-year-old son. They had stayed at a motel Friday night, but their future housing plans were unclear.
I dont know whats coming next or where Im going to go, she said. Where do I stay? I have no answer.
Chronicle staff writer Rachel Swan contributed to this report.
Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Haleaziz
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Some residents return to homes following massive Oakland blaze - SFGate
If you want an idea of how justice works or maybe doesnt consider the saga of the neighborhood transient repeatedly charged with harassing members of Mark Zuckerbergs security detail outside the Facebook moguls San Francisco home.
One case went up in smoke after questions were raised about some of the details members. It turns out that three of the Zuckerberg guards who were due to testify had checkered records from their days as Oakland cops, which prosecutors worried could be damaging to the case.
And the latest case has the ring of deja vu but first, the backstory.
Facebook lawyers sought a restraining order in 2015 on behalf of 15 guards working round the clock outside the Dolores Heights home where Zuckerberg lives with his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. The guards said William Gordon Kinzer, a transient living in his car down the street, had repeatedly threatened them and made racist rants.
When Kinzer violated the order, he was sent to jail for three months. Once out, he continued to mix it up with Zuckerbergs security crew, authorities alleged. He was arrested in September and charged with felonies that included stalking, making criminal threats and violating his earlier stay-away order.
When lawyers from the public defenders office representing Kinzer started poring over the prosecutions witness list, they discovered that three of the guards were ex-Oakland cops with disciplinary records including for excessive force.
Prosecutors, fearing the ex-cops testimony might do more harm than good, responded by dropping them from the case. They wanted Kinzer to take a plea deal that would put him into counseling.
Kinzers lawyers rejected the deal, and in April, prosecutors blinked and dropped the charges. Kinzer, who had spent seven months in jail, went free.
End of story?
Hardly because on June 14, Kinzer, now 65, was arrested again this time after he allegedly drove his car menacingly toward Zucherbergs protective detail, then sideswiped a moving vehicle before speeding off. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of a series of misdemeanors that include disobeying a stay-away order, hit-and-run and driving without a license.
Guards in sport utility vehicles patrol outside the home of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan in San Franciscos Dolores Heights in 2015.
Guards in sport utility vehicles patrol outside the home of...
Two of the former Oakland cops with troubled records are still providing security for Zuckerberg. And as luck would have it, they were on duty when the latest incident took place, according to authorities.
As a result, just like last time, were told they wont be asked to testify if the case goes to trial. Prosecutors hint that other witnesses will be called to describe what happened.
But then, we know how that worked out the last time.
Incidentally, Zuckerberg spokesman Ben LaBolt said information about the security detail was confidential and that the Facebook boss had no comment.
Smoldering: Fridays fire at a seven-story apartment and retail complex under construction near downtown Oakland has put the spotlight on the expanded use of wood-frame construction in residential buildings.
In 2008, the states codes were rewritten to allow buildings under eight stories tall to use wood framing, over two floors of concrete. The construction method generally is much cheaper than the old way, which required noncombustible exterior walls typically, concrete and steel studs from top to bottom.
But experts tell us all that wood makes the buildings especially vulnerable during construction, before sprinklers and flame-resistant drywall are in place.
That proved to be the case in 2014, when a six-story, 124-unit apartment complex under construction in San Franciscos Mission Bay went went up in flames. The fire was later ruled an accident.
Similarly, a five-story apartment building under construction in downtown Emeryville, on the Oakland border, burned twice in the past year though in both those cases, investigators have concluded it was arson.
Nadia Lockyer could face battery charges in Tuolumne County.
Nadia Lockyer could face battery charges in Tuolumne County.
Sad saga: The roller-coaster marriage of former state Treasurer Bill Lockyer and wife Nadia whose sex and drug scandal cost her her job as an Alameda County supervisor has taken another downward plunge.
Nadia Lockyer, 46, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery of a spouse after she allegedly went on a drunken rage inside a vacation home in the Sierra foothills town of Twain Harte, according to Tuolumne County sheriffs officials.
Bill Lockyer suffered an undisclosed minor injury in the incident, authorities said. Sheriffs officials say they received a call from the house at about 10:55 a.m. about an intoxicated woman yelling and throwing things, though they did not identify the caller.
Authorities said Nadia Lockyer had a blood alcohol level of 0.22 percent when she was arrested well over the legal limit for driving. She was held for several hours before she was released on $5,000 bail, a Sheriffs Department spokeswoman said.
This is obviously an extremely difficult time for the family, and as they work through it, privacy is imperative, said Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for Bill Lockyer. Bill is focused on his kids well-being and his wifes health.
Nadia Lockyer resigned as an Alameda County supervisor in 2012 after a meth-fueled affair with a South Bay man, who allegedly assaulted her in a motel room and tried to blackmail her with an X-rated tape he had shot of the two.
Nadia Lockyer subsequently was in and out of drug rehab, and the couple appeared headed for certain divorce. That is, until two years ago when they reconciled and began making a new life for themselves in Southern California capped off when Nadia Lockyer proudly announced on her Facebook page that she had given birth to twin boys. The couple have one other son.
But just a couple days before her arrest, Nadia Lockyer sent out a more ominous Facebook message a complaint about the state of her 14-year marriage in which she declared, With a huge broken heart and bruises, Im filing for legal separation.
San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
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Mark Zuckerberg's SF security detail under siege - San Francisco Chronicle
How much does it cost to build an apartment building?
What does it cost to build an apartment building? There are a huge number of variables in such a question. For one thing, apartments come as low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise. For the purpose of this discussion we will look at the mid-rise buildings with five or more units in each. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the size of the average apartment is 861 square feet which assumes a "footprint" of approximately 24'x35'.
The building of single mid-rise complex would never be a "DIY" project and usually requires a knowledgeable contractor, an architect, a team of subcontractors, and cooperative owner to get the job done in a calendar year.
For the building of an apartment building with twelve units, the typical costs include:
What is included:
The basic structure of this building would be best if left in an uncomplicated "four square" design. Most owners rely on both an architect and a contractor, and the architect will require approximately 10 - 17% of the total building budget;
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Cost to build an apartment building - Estimates and Prices ...
For his new Construction Concerns, Gregory Havel looks at the historic ways towns and cities approached the idea of containing fires.
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The International Code Council (ICC) and Calidad and Sustentabilidad en la Edificacion A.C. (CASEDI) [Building Quality and Sustainability] are plea...
Jason Hoevelmann of Engine House Training shared a tutorial video on firefighting concerns in balloon-frame construction.
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The Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs has approved a change to prohibit the construction of tall wood-framed buildings.
Researchers at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden have initiated a conference and workshop on wind turbine fires to address fire safety issu...
A report from The Record examined fire safety upgrades proposed in the effort to rebuild the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex, which burned in...
In this week's training bulletin, Tony Carroll looks at lessons learned from the devastating 1978 Waldbaums Supermarket fire in New York City, whi...
In his new Construction Concerns, Gregory Havel takes a look at this fast-growing plant that has been used in construction for centuries in Asia, t...
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Building Construction - Fire Engineering
A quality general contractor should be experienced and knowledgeable about home construction. Some general contractors start out by working in the trade until they gain enough knowledge to obtain their general contractors license.
Bonding and insurance is incredibly important when it comes to building a new home or taking on a major remodeling project. Bonding means that a third party company has reviewed the professional and has granted him or her a certain amount of surety bonding. The bond helps protect the homeowner from financial damage if the contractor refuses to complete work or doesn't pay subcontractors. Insurance protects both the professional and the homeowner in the event of an accident, injury or damage to property. Ask to see all of these pieces of information and verify the dollar amounts.
A successful general contractor should be more than willing to share past projects with you as well as give you phone numbers for references. Be wary of the general contractor who doesnt offer this information. If you are hiring this pro for a large project, be sure to look at past projects and ask past clients about the communication style of the pro, how they felt during and after the project, and if they would hire this pro again.
Get clarity about how many other projects the general contractor might have at once. If you are one of several projects, how can you best get a hold of the contractor? Find out the general schedule (called a workback schedule) so you can see which subcontractors will be arriving on which dates, as well as the procurement schedule. Ask for a regular meeting with your general contractor to catch any delays or potential delays before they happen.
After your initial meeting with your general contractor in which the overall scope of work and expected budget is discussed, ask when you can review the contract. The contract should include all the details of the project as well as a breakdown of costs and payment schedule. Because this contract may be very lengthy, take the time to review so that you understand what work will be done. If you have any changes to be made, send them in writing and ask for a revised contract. Once the work begins, any changes should be noted on a change work order form.
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Denver's 10 Best Rated Apartment Building Construction ...
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