just north of La Quinta out by the convention center? Apparently construction has stopped and everybody is getting sued because it is LEANING. It looks like it's at least 30 stories tall.

What I've heard is the parking structure is leaning into the residential building. I think the parking structure will be demo'd.

(edit: fixed misspelling)

[This message has been edited by MLK_87 (edited 8/6/2008 10:01a).]

it is leaning and the builders/contractors are trying to figure out how to straighten in out; one plan is to just tear it down and restart.

Read about it here:

http://www.alicedonahue.com/News/tabid/59/ctl/ArticleView/mid/829/articleId/179/Ocean-Tower-South-Padre-Shifting-in-the-Sand.aspx

According to Alice it's very good news.

quote:

---

Construction was temporarily halted at Ocean Tower condos, on the north end of South Padre Island and the building delay on these 151 high priced, ocean view condos, has raised some concerns.

Construction crews are still on site at the luxurious Ocean Towers condos, but work has been delayed.

Cameron county officials say, after inspecting they realized, this 31 story high skyscraper is slowly settling into the sand.

Column cracks in the parking garage structure concern former developers, but real estate agents and other experts, say, there isn't much to worry about.

What apparently happened is the tower and parking garage were mistakenly built connected and the tower is not leaning, but the parking garage structure did not settle. The connection of the garage to the tower caused cracks at the junction points because of the unsettling.

Developers hope to resolve the situation and resume construction in just a few days. They say sinking is not un-heard of for buildings being built so close to the ocean.

---

quote:

---

UPDATE 2 July 2008 - read official letter to buyers here

very good news for the Ocean Tower project - the building will be safer and stronger than ever, just delayed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch news story video


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We see this as a great opportunity to get a bargain right now on what will become the finest quality built tower - in the best location - on South Padre Island. The views and amenities are unmatched, and the units are the some of the largest on the Island. Make your offer contingent on the problem being fixed, the building permit issued and as always - get legal advice.

A rare opportunity to take advantage of the insurance and investment companies losses and their desire to regain momentum.

Anchoring a skyscraper like ocean tower is done by driving long concrete and steel piles down through the sand into the underlying ground surface. The friction between sand and so much concrete and steel is sufficient to hold the foundation above in place.

The added weight of attaching the garage and Olympic size pool to the tower simply created to much shear weight to one side. The solution could involve separating the two structures, so that they independently stand on their own pilings.

And even if the worse was to be, and they had to start over, how many buildings of this magnitude get a second shot? What they learned from 1st try, would prove invaluable for the re-build.

---

quote:

---

The building has a settling problem. Engineers are trying to figure out what to do about it, how to correct it," says Cameron County Building Inspector Noe Benavidez

The building is outside the town's city limit, and is not come under the jurisdiction of the town's codes, which conform to the International Code Council's requirements.

Jay Mitchum, the Island's building inspector, said that the depth and diameter of pilings depend on engineering studies, but that in most cases the pilings are sunk at least as deep as the building is tall.

---

Man after reading more into it this project is doomed. Apparently, the pilings to support the structure underground were only 95 feet and should of been 200 feet. Looks like they are going to demolish it. Poor Domit, started building left and right in McAllen and got the balls for this $75,000,000 project on the island. Somebody didn't do their homework.

somebody's nads are going to become detached for this!

95 feet instead of 200?

UN FRIGGIN BELIEVABLE!!!

This is strange all the way around???

Material Inspector?? Did they not have someone monitor the pile driving???

Structural Engineer?? Either confirmed that 95' piles are adequate or GC haphazardly installed?

Either which way this falls out some heads are going roll.

is there 200 feet of soil on the island?

the island isnt floating...

http://www.themonitor.com/news/tower-30842-ocean-building.html

Wow.

quote:

---

The company that owns the unfinished Ocean Tower condominums on South Padre Island announced today that the building will be demolished.

"After careful consideration, we believe it is in the best interest of all parties involved, including the people of South Padre Island, to demolish Ocean Tower. Unfortunately, multiple engineering studies have led us to the conclusion that it is not economically feasible to complete the building and to provide the caliber of condominium tower that we intended to build," Ocean Tower's management stated in a press release.

More than 98 percent of the materials used to build the structure will be recycled

Construction of the 31-store Ocean Tower was stopped in 2008 after it was found to have experienced differential settlement of more than 14 inches, which caused cracks in the buildings beams and columns.

---

That is a lot of money that is going to be recycled.

Free fireworks show in November.

Bye, bye eye sore!