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Esplanade retail development gets more time to make concrete, waterproofing repairs

Jodie Wagner
Palm Beach Daily News
A pedestrian uses an umbrella during a storm at The Esplanade in this 2021 photo. Years of water intrusion has caused concrete damage to the building structure, and repairs are ongoing.

Decades of water intrusion have taken a toll on The Esplanade retail development in Palm Beach, prompting its management to make much-needed repairs.

The property, which hired a structural engineering firm to conduct a thorough safety review following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside in 2021, earned unanimous approval from the Town Council Jan. 11 for a time extension to continue work on a handful of waterproofing and concrete repair projects.

Esplanade Property Manager Yvonne Jones told council members that in the process of wrapping up this work, which has been ongoing and centered on the building's second floor, additional concrete and roof drain damage was discovered.

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"As our work at the Esplanade has progressed, we have learned of new areas requiring immediate attention to ensure the safety of our tenants, customers and visitors alike," Jones said. "Namely, there are approximately 360 feet of pipes running from the roof drain through the ceiling of the second level of the Saks store with significant signs of deterioration. These must be repaired to prevent a catastrophic leak from happening."

Additionally, Jones said, concrete damage was discovered in the structure's garage. Spalling caused by salt air and water intrusion was found in several areas, requiring immediate repairs.

The council agreed, citing safety as its main priority.

"This is very much a safety issue with the concrete and the pipe," council member Julie Araskog said. "I think there is no other choice but to make the repairs."

Town code requires that all Worth Avenue construction work to stop on Oct. 31 of each year, but council members granted an additional time extension for The Esplanade.

The property also received an extension in October for the concrete repair work on its second floor.

The most recent request for an extension expands the scope of that work, said Wayne Bergman, the town's Planning and Zoning Director.

"This repair work has been underway for quite some time," he said.

Drain line replacement work is expected to take place soon, and should take about three days to complete, Jones told council members. That work will take place overnight.

Officials from the Esplanade received permission from the Town Council Jan. 11 for a time extension to continue work on a handful of waterproofing and concrete repair projects.

Concrete repairs in the garage are expected to begin March 15 and take about six weeks to complete, Jones said.

The majority of that work will be done in the basement, but additional repairs will need to be made to the structure's ramp, where concrete degradation has occurred.

Additional work at The Esplanade will begin around May 1, when a roof deck replacement project is scheduled to begin.

That work is expected to take about four months to complete, Jones said.

The Esplanade also is looking at replacing the building's first-level walkway, which has significantly degraded during the past 40 years, Jones added.

That work was recommended by McNamara Salvia, a structural engineering firm that went through the entire building and identified areas that needed to be worked on, Jones said. The building itself is sound.

The Esplanade hopes to begin the walkway work May 1.

"Over the past 40 years, all of the waterproofing has completely deteriorated," Jones said.

The 142,229-square-foot Esplanade retail development opened in 1980, and was redeveloped in 2000 with the addition of Neiman Marcus.

Major tenants include Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Badgley Mischka, Christofle, Emilio Pucci, and Akris.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.comHelp support our journalism. Subscribe today.