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Management for Vie Lofts believes there are no questions about the structural integrity of the building.
A mandatory evacuation was given to the apartment located at 817 Chestnut St. on Friday by the San Marcos Fire Marshal due to concerns in response to safety concerns about building stability and means of egress.
San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens said the fire department was called to the apartment complex Friday after they were made aware of issues with a stairwell, which rendered it unusable by occupants as a means of emergency egress. Stephens said they discovered a second stairwell that was unable to be used as well.
Vie Management, however, said in its statement that it had an engineer on site Monday to inspect the building and it believes the issues noted by fire department don’t affect the building’s structural integrity.
“The City of San Marcos fire department did express an initial concern with one stairwell (there are three stairwells in the building) and a door frame both of which need to be repaired,” Vie Management Co-Founder and CEO Derrick Milam said in a statement. “These two concerns do not have a direct connection/impact with the structural integrity of the building.”
According to Vie Management, the City of San Marcos has requested a new safety evacuation plan.
“The city has assured us they will provide feedback within 24 hours of receiving the plan,” Milam said. “Our goal is to have that new plan submitted to the city by the end of the day on Wednesday, and once submitted to the city, we are hopeful that we will be able to quickly facilitate returning students to their home.”
As the 164 residents of Vie Lofts await for their apartment to reopen, the complex announced that it will be reimbursing all students a prorated amount for the number of days they will be displaced.
Vie Lofts will remain closed until further notice.
