Residents Complained About Balconies At Evacuated Condo: City

WAUKESHA, WI—Residents reported worsening balcony conditions at the Waukesha condominium that was abruptly evacuated on Thursday.

The Waukesha Fire Department ordered the evacuation of Horizon West Condominium, located at 315 N. West Avenue, on Thursday night because of deteriorating structural conditions at the building, the city said.

The City of Waukesha posted an update on Facebook on Friday.

The removal of the balconies on the building revealed issues of the structural frame of the building as well as the structural columns.

The fire department cited an "imminent threat of collapse due to compromised conditions of existing structural columns," the city said.

As a result of recent inspections, the city’s chief building inspector found the condominium building to be unfit for human occupancy effective Thursday, the city said.

Waukesha Fire Chief Steve Howard, together with city leaders, deemed it imperative to immediately evacuate the residents.

The city provided a history of the interactions with the Horizon West Condominium Association:

• In June 2020 the city received a complaint about the conditions of the balconies at the Horizon West Condominiums and ordered the balconies to not be used by residents. The city ordered the structural issues with the balconies be remedied, as well as ordered the owner to conduct an engineering analysis and provide it to the city.
• There were additional inspections throughout 2020 and 2021 by the fire department as the condominium association attempted to hire contractors and rectify the issues at the building.
• On Sept. 21, the city ordered fencing installed around the building due to the worsening condition of the balconies and falling debris dropping from the structures.
• In October 2021, the Horizon West Condominium Association began removing the balconies.

"The removal of the balconies revealed deficiencies of the structural frame of the building as well as the structural columns. Additional inspections occurred by the fire department and the city’s third party independent structural engineer, and the engineer for the building throughout November," the city said.

On Nov. 30, a preliminary structural report revealed deficiencies in the load-bearing structure of the building. The city then began discussions on next steps.

The city received additional data late afternoon on Thursday which led to the conclusion that the building was unsafe, the city said.

As of Friday, 65 residents were evacuated and the building was secured.

The Salvation Army provided 23 rooms for temporary housing.

"This morning, the city in conjunction with all parties have reviewed a proposed plan to provide immediate temporary shoring and support to stabilize the structure in order to mitigate any imminent structural collapse," the city said.

Condo owner contractors have installed "structural shoring on the building to provide some immediate structural integrity," the city said.