No permit for failed wall
Centex, the Texas-based developer that Pulte Homes acquired last year, did not have a permit for “an improperly constructed retaining wall” that collapsed Sunday, causing damage to at least three homes and forcing the evacuation of dozens of families, according to city officials.  About 300 homeowners from subdivision, many now angry, frustrated and living in a hotel, left the meeting with the builder, saying they still had plenty of questions about safety, future property values and possible rains later this week.  “We got a bunch of runaround,” subdivision resident Richard Gutierrez said. “We just want a guarantee that this won't happen again, and they can't even do that.”  “Everyone was asking them, ‘Would you stay in these homes?'” resident Belinda Riggs said. “‘How can you guarantee that our kids won't be hit by those rocks that are crumbling?'”

No permit for failed wall

By Jennifer Hiller and Vianna Davila
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When questioned about permits earlier in the day, Damon Lyles, president of Pulte in San Antonio, said he was not aware of any problem with permits, adding that engineers designed the wall. He also said repair work had been done on the wall in the past, but offered no details.

The company said it was still waiting for geotechnical information and didn't have answers about what had caused the land above the retaining wall to cave in.

“We're doing what we can, and we're being very open,” Lyles said.

A spokeswoman for Pulte, Valerie Dolenga, said construction plans approved by the city typically include retaining walls. She said the company is looking into what permits it has for the site.

It wasn't immediately known if the issue of the permits was raised at the meeting Pulte representatives had with property owners at the Drury Inn and Suites at Loop 1604 and Interstate 10.

About 300 homeowners from subdivision, many now angry, frustrated and living in a hotel, left the meeting with the builder, saying they still had plenty of questions about safety, future property values and possible rains later this week.

“We got a bunch of runaround,” subdivision resident Richard Gutierrez said. “We just want a guarantee that this won't happen again, and they can't even do that.”

“Everyone was asking them, ‘Would you stay in these homes?'” resident Belinda Riggs said. “‘How can you guarantee that our kids won't be hit by those rocks that are crumbling?'”

Many who had hoped for details were disappointed. And even as the majority of evacuated residents were allowed back into their homes, doubt about the long-term stability of the houses in the subdivision remained.

“They really didn't have any specifics for us, just that they would have a Web site up in 72 hours that would answer our questions,” Stephanie Chavez said. “That doesn't seem sufficient for us. We asked for things in layman's terms, and they couldn't answer us. They say they isolated it, but what have they isolated?”

The shifting ground in the subdivision raises questions about San Antonio's rapid suburban development, which has pushed farther into the Hill Country. Retaining walls and terraced neighborhoods have become increasingly common in the past decade.

Sanchez said such retaining walls require permits but are not inspected by the city.

“That's something we're going to have to do is put together a plan to evaluate other neighborhoods and retaining walls to make sure we do have permits for those,” Sanchez said. “Where we don't, we're going to require for them to pull permits from engineers.”

Char Miller, a former director of urban studies at Trinity University, said the collapse exemplifies the pressure put on the land as the city grows.

“It's a reflection of the broader thrust of subdivision development pushing out into the Northwest, into the hills,” Miller said. “The demand for land has been so pronounced that they're now building in areas that you would have avoided earlier.”

Emergency officials said 25 homes were still considered unsafe to permanently reoccupy. Of those, three were considered unstable and were completely off-limits, with residents forbidden from entering to retrieve belongings, said Melissa Sparks, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

Residents in the remaining unsafe homes were allowed back inside in 15-minute spurts to collect essential belongings while a police officer and firefighter stood watch.

On Sunday morning, neighbors had noticed a small gap between their back porch and yard quickly grow several feet deep. Officials evacuated several streets around 11 a.m. and said crevices measured from 12 to 15 feet deep, and from six to eight feet wide.

Sparks said it remained unclear Monday exactly how much the land shifted overnight. Early in the day, authorities estimated the ground was moving at a rate of about four inches every hour, Sparks said.

Dozens of residents in the neighborhood near West Hausman Road and Loop 1604 waited to be escorted into their homes to pick up medicine, identification and other immediate needs. Most of those awaiting entry were still in clothes they wore Sunday.

First-time homebuyers Francis and LeAnn Dinh thought they'd built their dream home.

But they saw those dreams crumble Sunday.

“We're not staying here,” said Francis Dinh, who has lived in the home with his wife for six months. “We're not confident in the safety of our home.”

The couple, who were allowed Monday to retrieve some belongings, have already called a real estate agent.

About 55 other houses that had been evacuated were deemed safe midday Monday while engineers, working for Pulte were moving dirt and trying to shore up the hill above the cracked retaining wall. The homes that remain in danger include some on top of the hill and some below.

A Fire Department technical rescue unit, trained on skills such as rappelling and trench rescue, began evaluating the land shift Sunday night to determine how close engineers could get to investigate the cause of the problem. They remained in the neighborhood to ensure the safety of residents and the engineers, officials said.

Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. is the firm that designed the subdivision, but it's not clear if the company also designed the retaining wall that cracked. The company did not return a call seeking comment, and Pulte officials Monday night said they did not know who engineered the wall.

Of the 337 houses planned in the subdivision, 305 are occupied, according to housing researcher Residential Strategies Inc. The company said home construction began in 2005.

Centex has two remaining vacant homes for sale there and one under construction. The company said that it has done well in what has been a tough real estate market for builders.

It was on pace to finish its three Rivermist neighborhoods — Rivermist, The Hills of Rivermist and The Arbor of Rivermist — in two more years. It has 68 vacant lots remaining among those three communities, according to Residential Strategies.

Home prices in The Hills at Rivermist range from $196,900 to $255,750, with some homes as large as 3,644 square feet, according to the company's Web site.

On Monday, several residents in the area reported problems with their foundations or cracks in the walls.

When the separation began Sunday, Francis Dinh was in the process of using mortar to fill in a crack several feet high that formed on the side of his house.

But the Dinhs had little time to consider that crack, or much of anything else Monday, when they were briefly allowed back into their home.

LeAnn Dinh and her husband's nephew Jonathan, who also lives in the house, raced through the two-story structure, grabbing financial documents, clothes and keepsakes, including her wedding dress.

Jonathan Dinh compiled a small list of things he needed to retrieve, including shoes, clothes, hats, schoolbooks, and “b-ball” tickets for Monday's Spurs game.

“Are you guys gonna help us pack?” he asked the firefighter and police officer who escorted them to the site.

He briefly debated leaving behind the fish in his fish tank. The firefighter produced a white bucket. Unable to find his aquarium net, Jonathan improvised. Using his hands, he pulled out two large goldfish and an algae eater. The smaller fish would have to fend for themselves.

Beyond the material objects, the Dinhs want to be compensated for what they've lost — more than $270,000 so far invested in the home, including the building costs and price of the land.

And though emergency officials assured LeAnn Dinh she'd return home soon, walking out the front door with several trash bags and boxes holding her belongings came with a feeling of finality.

“We'll find our next dream home,” she said.

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