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Madrid Plaza residents warn building may be unsafe after quake-era damage; commission to seek housing inspection
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Summary
The president of Madrid Plaza condominium in San Juan told a House commission that the building—s infrastructure and fire-suppression systems remain unfinished, reserve accounts were drained and older residents face risks; lawmakers said they would request a structural assessment from the Department of Housing.
Raiza Gutiérrez Oliveras, president of the Madrid Plaza Condominium in San Juan, told the House Commission on Older Adults and Social Welfare on Sept. 10 that her building of about 170 families — more than half older adults — is at risk because reserve funds were missing, contractors were paid for unfinished work and critical systems remain inoperable.
Gutiérrez said the board that took office in April 2025 discovered two closed accounts (reserve and buyback), full payments to contractors for incomplete plumbing and electrical work tied to hurricane repairs, and overdue utility balances that threatened service cutoffs. She said the current board used emergency reserve funds to stop service interruptions and that residents are still living with unsafe, incomplete common areas.
At the hearing she summarized the practical effects: elevator outages, darkened stairwells and corridors when power is lost, and an incomplete fire-suppression transfer switch and pump work that left the building’s firefighting capacity compromised. She told the commission her board paid $74,886 to begin a utility plan and cited a larger outstanding balance to aqueducts that she said had reached about $249,616.56 (figures provided during testimony).
Witnesses and legislators raised alarm about structural safety. During question period, representatives and other deponents described conflicting engineering assessments for a separate Ponce building (Madrid Plaza—s parallel example from Ponce) and urged a prompt structural inspection. Representative Carlos Johnny Méndez and other commissioners agreed to seek assistance from the Department of Housing and to consider a site visit and an engineer assessment for buildings with potential collapse risk.
Why it matters: Madrid Plaza houses a high proportion of older residents for whom elevator outages and loss of water or power present significant health and safety risks. Incomplete fire-suppression systems increase the hazard in the event of an emergency.
What was requested: The commission said it would refer the testimony and documentary evidence to the Department of Housing and asked the deponents to provide bank statements, contractor invoices and DACO complaints to the committee record. Representative José Cheito Hernández asked that an engineer from the housing agency or another certified structural engineer evaluate the building as soon as possible.
What was not resolved: The commission did not authorize emergency funding or an immediate takeover; it requested further documentation and indicated it would pursue agency referrals to determine next steps.
