Asch was the city’s liaison with the St. Anne Lofts project, which has been the subject of controversy since the developer began construction on an unauthorized fifth floor.

In a work session last Tuesday, East Lansing City Council addressed the issue with Asch on hand to answer its questions. During the meeting, Asch said he should have issued a stop-work order once the fifth floor was noticed by the city, but opted not to.

“This is one of those cases where you try to make a judgment call,” he said of the meeting. “We felt they had a good track record and were proceeding as they should to build a safe building.”

However, the structure’s integrity was called into question after a portion of the fourth floor collapsed under the weight of construction materials.

A stop-work order was issued for the project last week, and East Lansing City Council will revisit the matter during its scheduled July 10 meeting.