Some neighbours of Kelowna’s new Brooklyn at Bernard tower say they’re frustrated by the constant vibrating and shaking in their homes.
“It’s affected me in my health,” area resident Lee Gilbert said. “It’s like having something constantly at your ear and constantly at your feet.
“The cutlery in the back of the house jingles.”
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The quivering is caused by the construction of Mission Group’s new 25-storey Brooklyn at Bernard tower.
“It gets to a point where the dishes are rattling in the cupboard, and it’s getting hard to keep the coffee in the cup,” neighbour Jim Lee said.
Gilbert said the vibrations are causing cracking in his condo, and his door no longer slides shut properly.
Mission Group said it is following the city’s noise bylaws.
“I understand that the piling is disruptive, and we’re trying to get out of there as fast as we can, just to get out of people’s hair. We want to disrupt them as little as possible,” said Dan Martynov, Mission Group’s project manager.
The Mission Group is monitoring the situation and will address damages with the building owners directly, he added.
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Martynov said the vibrating part of the construction is expected to last another two weeks.
“After that it will be regular high-rise concrete construction, so concrete pour, obviously noise from jack-hammering, but nothing as far as piling noises,” Martynov said.
Neighbours, however, are worried about the invisible and long-term effects the vibrations will have on their older buildings.
“If the city is issuing a building permit for a building like this, they need to look after the residents in the neighbourhood, and they haven’t done that,” Lee said.
“It doesn’t make much sense to issue a building permit to put up a building if all the other ones are going to fall down,” he added.
But the city said once the building permits are issued, it’s a private matter.
“We have been in contact with Mission Group, who have told us they’re in communication with the neighbours, and they’re monitoring any damage and will be discussing any repairs,” said Doug Patan, Kelowna’s building and permitting manager.
“We have a lot of construction with Brooklyn, Ella, One Water Street soon,” Patan said. “It’s going to be a very noisy, busy downtown for probably the next three to four years.
Gilbert said the constant shaking and rattling is driving him to find a new home, as two more towers are planned for the same area in the next few years.