Many allegations have been made from all parties regarding the slope failure that occurred Saturday in the River Mist neighborhood. The latest allegations against Pulte Homes, the owner of the subdivision, and Centex Homes, who initially built the wall:
-The City alleges that Centex did not acquire a permit to build the faulty retaining wall, saying:
"As a result of Centex Homes' failure to acquire a permit for a collapsed retaining wall in the Rivermist subdivision, the City of San Antonio has taken several necessary steps to provide immediate monitoring of construction activity and increased security at the subdivision, including the forming of a City team charged with researching compliance and permitting regulations of retaining walls in Rivermist and setting up a residence assistance line....The City will continue to monitor the Rivermist subdivision closely and take any further necessary steps needed to hold the builder and developer accountable."
Pulte Homes responded:
"In response to the City of Planning Services and Development comments regarding a permit for the retaining wall: the retaining wall was constructed by a company that specializes in the construction of retaining walls. That company constructed the retaining wall following construction plans prepared by an engineer licensed by the State of Texas. We have every reason to believe that the retaining wall was built in accordance with those engineered plans because the construction process was supervised continuously by an independent geotechnical engineer. In fact, those engineers were on site daily for several months observing and supervising the construction process. It is the company’s belief that Centex followed industry standards and we have reached out to the City to better understand the issue."
-KENS 5's James Munoz reported that in 2007, the builder knocked down the retaining wall and rebuilt it.
Pulte Homes responded:
"In regards to the retaining wall, there were some reports that we previously repaired the retaining wall. Centex did fully rebuild this retaining wall in early 2007 following indications that the wall was not performing to expectations. The decision was made to completely rebuild the wall and substantially reinforce its foundation. Again, the wall was constructed by a company that specializes in constructing retaining walls of this nature and was designed by a licensed professional engineer for this specific location. The wall was built in accordance with those plans and the construction was supervised continuously by that engineer and separate geotechnical engineers."
River Mist Homeowners have not taken any specific action -- including filing a lawsuit -- against Pulte Homes. But homeowner Gil Morales told KENS 5's Chris Sadeghi, “There are things we can do as whole community if we act as one person. We are pushing unity, first of all.”
Pulte Homes has set up a website -- rivermistinfo.com -- to provide updates for homeowners. Their latest press releases can be found at this link.
