Woman Brings Property Damage Concerns To Downtown Developer
DENVER (CBS4) - New construction is quickly changing the landscape of downtown Denver and the demand for apartment buildings and condos seems to be one of the main drivers. While all of the development is a huge boon to the City of Denver, the construction is more than some of the current residents can bear.
"My issue is my breathing environment and my house getting hit," said DeeDee Cobb.
Cobb says her townhouse has been struck twice by construction traffic and her neighbor has been hit on several occasions.
Cobb purchased her townhome on the corner of Glenarm Place and Park Avenue in 2015. She knew there would be apartments built next door, but never thought the construction would cause physical damage.
The first time her home was hit, it was a sub-contractor with no license or insurance. The second time, she didn't catch the culprit, but had a feeling it was a result of construction traffic.
"I knew because every time they hit you and your siding falls down, they put a bunch of screws into your house," she said.
The quick patch job is still visible.
The new development is a 13-story apartment complex with a garage entrance just across the alley from Cobb's garage. Getting in and out is a tight squeeze for everyone so Cobb set up a security camera.
In one clip, the footage shows construction workers pulling back a chain link fence trying to help a truck that can barely make it through. In other clips, it takes a three or four-point turn to get in and out of the new garage without hitting the side of the townhouses.
"I'm in favor of building, just not if you're going to be hitting my house."
Cobb says the issues on the outside are just part of the problem. On the inside, she showed CBS4 silica dust which has accumulated from brickwork.
"As you can see it comes in around my window too, we can't keep anything clean. So I have an air purifier that runs."
She says after she complained, a representative of the apartment developer, Trammell Crow Residential (TCR), offered cleaning services. She said TCR also put a stop to construction traffic in the alley, but the damage is still visible and dust has coated the siding of most of the homes.
Cobb has also raised concerns about the exhaust system in the new parking garage. There are exhaust vents on every level of the parking garage, all pointed directly at her home.
"There's one pointed at my kitchen window so the exhaust is able to go into my kitchen window. If you go to my bedroom window, one's able to blow into my bedroom window and on my deck on the fourth floor deck, our HVAC is up there and they're able to get into my HVAC unit."
In November of 2015, Cobb had the opportunity to review the site plan and bring forward concerns with the city. She says at the time, the plan did not include the exhaust vents. The site plan was revised the following December and did include the exhaust vents, but public comment was over and Cobb says she was unaware until the vents were built.
Cobb has since retained an attorney and contacted the city as well as TCR. She cited the following concerns:
- Alley Garage
- Relocate the garage, or close the garage, or change the angle of ingress and egress from 90 degrees to prevent vehicular contact with my house.
"The garage is too close to our homes. The drive aisle is only 16 feet across. Normally, to make a 90 degree turn when there is ingress and egress, an unobstructed span of 24 feet is recommended. Jesse has an expert engineer who is looking into exactly what is possible. Trammell Crow hired security to watch the public alley in order to prevent their construction crew from crashing into our homes after I installed a security camera. Trammell Crow tenants will be moving into the complex, and I don't want them crashing into my home."
"The garage lights light up my house."
- Silica Dust
- The silica dust needs to be professionally removed from the exterior of my home and have my HVAC Unit cleaned.
"The silica dust is a carcinogen that was placed into the air by Trammell Crow that not only affected the residents of Park Row townhomes, but there is an elementary school across the street."
- Exhaust Vents
"Exhaust Vents with blowers are directed at entries to my house on every level including my garage, kitchen, bedroom, and fourth level deck where my HVAC unit is located (These vents were put in the architectural plans after public comment, and they were some of the most egregious additions)."
CBS4 reached out to Trammell Crow Residential with Cobb's list of concerns. In a response via email, TCR stated:
"We are committed to being a good neighbor in the community's we serve and understand the concerns these residents have expressed. We know that construction projects like these can impact our neighbors, and are working diligently to develop satisfactory solutions to each concern on a case-by-case basis."
