Morning Headline: Action News Goes Undercover At Goldtex

Wendy Salzman at 6 ABC filed a report yesterday on the newly renovated and rebuilt Goldtex apartment building at 12th and Wood. Developed by the Post Brothers, the building was the site of a fierce battle between the building trade unions and the company, which chose to use both union and non-union labor for the construction and renovation. Though the building is still partially under construction, tenants have moved in and Licenses & Inspections has approved temporary occupancy of the eighth floor.

Action News sent a reporter in with a hidden camera to see what the units with lofts are like. The lofts have pull-down stairways that, when extended, block the door to the apartment. According to L&I, the lofts are approved as utility spaces, not living spaces, but a Goldtex sales rep tells the undercover reporter that the loft can be used as a bedroom with a twin or double bed. This, says Post Bros. co-owner Mike Pestronk, is an error on the rep’s part, as is a listings photo that portrays the loft as a living space. The photo below is from a Craigslist ad shows a loft space as rather inhabited.

A firefighter union rep told Action News that in his opinion the loft ladder looks like a hazard because it would make it more difficult to exit the apartment in the event of a fire. The Action News video is below. As of press time, the Post Brothers’ Matt Pestronk had not returned a call for comment.