$3,000 payments offered to tenants with vehicles trapped in unsafe Glen Burnie building garage

A $3,000 payment will be provided to help cover transportation expenses for people whose vehicles have been trapped for weeks in the parking garage beneath the Empire Towers building in Glen Burnie, Maryland, which was evacuated and deemed unsafe on July 9, according to an email sent to tenants.

Approximately 100 people were evacuated and left without access to their vehicles after unpermitted construction work in the parking garage caused ceilings to sag and exposed rebar.  

The email stated that shoring work is underway to stabilize the building. However, there is no timeline for when employees will be able to retrieve their vehicles.  

"We further recognize the inconvenience that has been caused by vehicles in the garage being inaccessible since July 9," the email reads.

Those who have been without a vehicle for weeks because of the work on the parking garage are asked to email empiretowers@rosenbergmartin.com with the name, address, email, phone number, name of the tenant and suite number, description of the vehicle (make, color, year, model, and license plate number), and the location of the vehicle.

"Upon receipt, we will verify the above information and you will be contacted regarding the payment," the email said. "Given the number of vehicles that remain in the garage, we anticipate a large number of responses.  As such, our response time may be delayed, but we will get back to you as soon as possible."  

A previous email sent to tenants said that an engineer's analysis determined it is not safe to remove the vehicles within the next 90 days, and no one will be allowed to enter the building for the foreseeable future.