Construction on a parcel adjacent to Northwest Talus Drive near Shangri-La Way was stopped Friday, Nov. 13, following hillside earth movement. The city has reported the hillside is safe but the incident has left area residents shaken.

Alpine Crest resident Jillian Hostenske told the Issaquah City Council Monday night that she was on her way home after the ground movement occurred and she described the scene as “a nightmare” of worry.

Hostenske said she worried her home had become “toothpicks” — dropping a handful of the hygienic implements on the podium for effect — as she came to a site with work trucks and an officer directing traffic who could not direct her past a closed road home. She added that she doubted statements that the area was safe.

“I don’t know how anyone could have determined that,” she said.

But according to Mayor Fred Butler and staff reports, geotechnical engineers from the city and developer Triad Associates have continued to monitor the site since Saturday and have not seen any new movement.

Monitoring devices for slope and groundwater were installed over the weekend, as well as Monday and Tuesday. Butler said that city staff have been working to keep members of the community notified of progress on the site of the movement, including the Talus Homeowners Association.

“All construction actually has stopped,” Butler said.

Triad ceased construction on the parcel, designated as Parcel 9, after the movement was detected Friday night and installed a temporary buttress from rock and concrete. Ninety homes were slated for construction on the site in 2016.

Work to monitor the safety of the parcel is expected to continue for several weeks, according to city reports.