Costa Mesa OKs Study of Cracking at Homes : Heavy Construction Near Area of Shifting Soil to be Part of Focus of $35,000 Geological Probe

After reports from more than 70 homeowners that cracks have suddenly appeared in their walls, patios and swimming pools, the Costa Mesa City Council voted Wednesday to spend $35,000 on a geological study to determine the cause of the shifting soil.

The two-month study by Leighton & Associates Inc. of Irvine will focus in part on whether the problem is linked to the construction of South Coast Plaza’s 18-acre annex on the west side of Bear Street and the Arnel Development Co. apartment and office building project next to the freeway.

Feeling the Vibrations

“As far as the vibrations from the pile driving, you can stand in my game room and feel it through your feet,” said Howard Matloff, whose home on Azalea Street is 50 feet from one of the construction sites. “My rear wall is cracked. My pool is leaking water to the tune of an inch a week . . . . Something has got to be done.”

While council members decided to proceed with the study, they lifted the ban on construction they had imposed when the issue first came to their attention on Sept. 10. Two members of the council said that the city was in danger of being sued by the developers if the ban continued because further construction delays would mean large financial losses. The ban affected the area bordered by Fairview Road, Sunflower Avenue, Bear Street and South Coast Avenue.

“If, in fact, it turns out that the problems were caused by the builders, then it’s the builders’ problem to mitigate the damage,” Costa Mesa Mayor Norma Hertzog said. “If we were to shut down construction and it is not the builders, then we would definitely have a lawsuit.”

Tempers flared throughout the five-hour hearing, which was packed with more than 100 residents and developers.

Resident Orville Amburgey told the audience that soil movement in Costa Mesa was not unusual and that he had grown accustomed to doing house repairs since he moved to the city in 1966. Asked by Councilman Dave Wheeler if anyone had asked him to speak Tuesday night, Amburgey said Hertzog “asked that I come here.”

Hertzog explained, “I just wanted to show that there are other areas that have this problem and that there are solutions.” She later admonished homeowners that if they wanted to sell their homes someday, “all this publicity will not help.”

Groundwater Removal

Questioned by Wheeler about whether continued construction and the removal of groundwater could be causing the cracks, Iraj Poormand, chief engineer for Leighton & Associates said, “Number One, some of the cracking is very old. But, yes, indeed, it could be responsible for exacerbating conditions. That is what we’ll be looking for.”

About 100 gallons of water per minute is being pumped from a 20-foot-deep excavation for the shopping center annex on Bear Street. Residents suspect that the land is slipping due to the water removal.

But representatives for both mall owner C.J. Segerstrom & Sons and Arnel Development Co. argued otherwise.

“They live on expansive soil,” said Harry Rinker, a general partner with Arnel. “It’s been going on for years.”

Robert Break, )an attorney for Latham & Watkins who spoke on behalf of the Segerstrom company, said: “We are confident that we have not contributed to the problem.”

Still, residents were not entirely reassured.

“I think this body owes the people of Costa Mesa a real hard look at what they allow--the size and type of construction,” said Stephen Eakin, who lives across from the Arnel development and has watched his new siding and windows crack in the last two months.

“I know this soil is expansive and moves, but what is happening in the last six to eight weeks is not normal. This is extremely unusual.”