Hotel sinking, but not sunk Hotel sinking, but not sunk (March 11, 2005)

Four Seasons continues to roll out plans for opening as city officials keep close watch

by Jocelyn Dong

Construction is continuing and preliminary job-hiring has begun at the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto, despite reports the structure is sinking into the muddy ground.

"There's not an issue," said Pamela Hild, marketing director for the new luxury hotel, located along U.S. Highway 101. "The buildings always 'settle.' It's nothing new."

Last month, the company revealed that the expected summer opening would be postponed until October due to construction delays.

Chris Gale, chief building official for the City of East Palo Alto, said the soil under the building is compressing under the weight of tons of concrete and steel.

"It did happen at a higher rate than anticipated," Gale said. As a result, his department forced the developer to hire a third-party design engineer to review the original foundation plans. A city building inspector is also reviewing building reports daily and monitoring construction at least once a week, he said.

At this point, the sinkage has "slowed up significantly since the last survey report," and is not threatening the structure's integrity.

"We've asked for parameters (to determine at) what point would the building fail. We're quite a ways from that. We're not in a panic," Gale said.

Ground stability is a common problem along the Peninsula, said Gale, who used to work for Foster City and dealt with similar soil conditions. For buildings that continue to sink but don't have structural damage, engineers can try a variety of solutions, from pumping grout in underneath at high pressure to creating an "outrigger" foundation for additional support.

Hild admitted that the ground settling was hampering one construction step: installing a glass wall that faces the highway. Currently, white tarps cover the spaces where the windows will go.

"Until the settling stops, you don't want to put up that glass wall," she said, adding that the Four Seasons company wants everything to be "perfect."

Striking a positive note, Hild said the hotel is accepting resumes at its 1023 Chestnut St. office, although the major hiring effort won't start until June or July, when there will be a job fair.

The hotel is expected to create 300 jobs, 30 percent of which have been reserved for East Palo Alto residents, based on a deal with the city. Already, the hotel is offering training in customer service and technology work for those interested in the few positions open now. Senior Staff Writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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