Companies That Own, Manage Site of Berkeley Balcony Collapse Offer Condolences

The company that manages a downtown Berkeley apartment complex where six people were killed and seven were injured in the collapse of a balcony early Tuesday morning is offering its condolences to their family members and friends. Greystar, which is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has offices in San Francisco, said in a statement, “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the deceased and those injured in this tragic accident.”

The collapse occurred on a fourth-floor balcony at the Library Gardens apartment complex at 2020 Kittredge St. at 12:41 a.m. Tuesday. Five of the six people who were killed were in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, which allows visitors to participate in work and study-based exchange programs. The other victim was 22-year-old Ashley Donohoe of Rohnert Park.

Greystar said, “As the property management company, we have taken precautionary steps to limit access to other balconies at the apartment complex as law enforcement completes its investigation.” The company said, “The safety of our residents is our highest priority and we will be working with an independent structural engineer and local authorities to determine the cause of the accident. We will share more details as we have them.”

Private equity group BlackRock of New York City, which serves as the investment manager for a real estate fund that owns the building, also expressed its condolences.

BlackRock said, “We are terribly saddened by the tragic accident at Library Gardens and our hearts go out to the victims and their families. The loss of young life is truly heartbreaking and our sincerest condolences go out to all the families and communities affected by (Tuesday’s) terrible accident.”

The firm said, “We are in close contact with the building’s management company and an independent structural engineer is being dispatched to conduct a thorough review of the situation.”

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BlackRock said the real estate fund for which it serves as investment advisor bought the property from its original developer after construction was completed in 2007. BlackRock didn’t disclose the name of the real estate fund.

Berkeley city spokesman Matthai Chakko said today that an investigation by city building inspectors determined that the third-floor balcony to Unit 305, the floor below where the balcony at Unit 405 collapsed, was structurally unsafe and presented a collapse hazard.

On Tuesday evening, the city’s building and safety division ordered the property owner to remove the balcony within 24 hours, Chakko said. In addition, balconies at two other units at Library Gardens have been red-tagged, which means that access to them is prohibited, Chakko said.

By Bay City News

Photo credit Mark Kelly KPIX via Twitter