SF supervisor says housing developer knew about Millennium Tower sinking before selling units

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco supervisor is launching an investigation into whether there was political influence in getting the Millennium Tower approved.

WATCH VIDEO: Luxury skyscraper Millennium Tower sinking in downtown SF

Supervisor Aaron Peskin and his staff reviewed 1,600 pages of documents from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection and he said there are gaps in those records, specifically documents that addressed the sinking issue. "We're going to find out who knew what and when they knew it," Peskin said.

Those are overriding questions Peskin wants answered about the Millennium Tower's sinking.

WATCH VIDEO: Residents meet to discuss sinking of Millennium Tower

It was reported last month that the tallest residential skyscraper in San Francisco, built in 2008, is tilting and sinking.

The towers have tilted two inches and sunk 16 inches so far, much more settlement than developers expected.

After reviewing the documents, Peskin says the rapid settling was no secret and there may have been political interference to get the project done. "The Millennium Corporation, a luxury housing developer, knew before they sold their first unit that the building was sinking more than they had projected," Peskin said.

The records, Peskin says, reveal that city building inspection engineers were concerned early on about the settlement.

A letter addressed to project engineers in February 2009, just a year after the building was completed raises many of those questions.

But the supervisor says the responses to the letter are missing from the records.

Nevertheless, just six months later the city gave the developers the green light. "On August 26, 2009, the city and county issues a final certificate of occupancy for those units we knew or should have known at that time that the building was sinking," Peskin said.

The Millennium Tower Homeowners Association issued a statement saying that they "find troubling the allegation that a public agency sought to keep secret the building's condition."

The homeowners association has launched its own investigation and considering a lawsuit.

The management arm of the Millennium Tower has yet to get back to ABC7 News.

Click here for a look at more stories and videos about the Millennium Tower in San Francisco.