ADMIN NOTE: Do you know that there are concerns about the geotechnical reports that have been done for DevNW on the Floral Hill Terrace development? We can’t afford to not have the most current examination of the planned land parcel that 22 buildings will be home for 40 households.
Seems prudent to be especially vigilant about geotechnical surveys being current given that much of our valley is built on fill and lightning has struck before. Previous studies have identified risks when assessing other developments in LHV that ultimately were not pursued. Some studies (like the one done for the development in the Moon Mountain area) identified issues but the original plans avoided those areas. Subsequent developers changed the plans and did not do a new report for the new plot design. Fingers pointed at that as the precipitating problem with the three houses that started to slip. Here’s the KEZI news coverage on that situation.
The ankle bone connected to the leg bone,
The leg bone connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the thigh bone…
EUGENE, Ore. – Demolition began in the Moon Mountain community in South Eugene as crews began tearing down a new house as it was beginning to slide down the hillside it was built on.
PLI Systems was contracted to assess the soil where the slide occurred to investigate its cause and to try and save the two separate homes that are on both sides of the home involved in the slide. The owner of PLI Systems, Manuel Castanda, said they believe they can save the two homes. He also said the main home that was sliding down the hill has been doing so for the past two weeks at a rate of six inches per day.
Crews began tearing down the house from the front while tarps covered the sliding hill in the back. The tarps are used to prevent more sliding while crews work to support the soil.
Nearby neighbor, Roy Haugland, lives just underneath the home being demolished by the construction crews. Haugland has also lived on the mountain since the mid 1990s and saw the woods behind his home turn into an ever-expanding housing development.
Haugland said the area experienced a landslide back in 2012, and since then he has questioned the developments handling of building up the area.
“These retaining walls are made out of boulder, they’re beginning to pooch and actually one has started tumbling out,” Haugland said. “I was very concerned.”
Glenn Hoernig also lives in the Moon Mountain area and voiced his opposition to the idea of building homes since it was first announced back in the late 2000’s.
Hoernig said he felt the home builders and the City of Eugene should have put better protocols in place to prevent a slide from happening.
“This piling of a bunch of dirt on it and then sticking a house on it when it’s going to erode away is something the city probably should consider revising its standards for what’s required,” Hoernig said.
Neighbors along Rockcress Road feel that the whole street could be a problem in the future while others do not see it as a major issue. However, all agreed that the slide and demolition has opened their eyes about the area they live in. Haugland said it was only a matter of time before a home would suffer from landslide.
“The three houses were doomed from the beginning… there may be one more that is questionable however there is engineering looking to see if it will be okay,” Haugland said.
Both the City of Eugene and the home builder Monte Vista Homes said they followed established codes and protocol before building. This included having several geotechnical engineers inspecting the mountainside.
“I feel sorry for those families because they went into this thinking, they were maybe going to have their lifetime home here,” Haugland said. “Then after three years to see it demolished, I feel really sorry for them.”
Noah Chavez joined the KEZI 9 News team in January 2023 as a news reporter. If you have any story ideas for Noah, you can email him at noahchavez@kezi.com.
OTHER ARTICLES ABOUT THE LANDSLIDE
https://nbc16.com/news/local/storm-damage-forces-evacuations-of-east-eugene-homes-one-sliding-off-foundation Includes video clip.
https://kval.com/news/local/home-demolished-in-landslide-developer-investigating-cause
