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Committee advances ordinance to inventory and encourage voluntary seismic retrofits for certain concrete and tilt‑up buildings
Summary
The committee voted 3-0 to forward an ordinance that would require screening of potentially at-risk reinforced concrete and tilt‑up buildings, establish voluntary retrofit standards and provide a 20‑year exemption from mandatory retrofit if owners meet those voluntary standards.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on April 21 unanimously recommended an ordinance that would launch a program to screen potentially at‑risk concrete and tilt‑up buildings in San Francisco and add voluntary seismic retrofit standards to the building code.
Supervisor Mirna Melgar introduced the ordinance and thanked Office of Resilience and Capital Planning and Department of Building Inspection staff for leading a multi‑year, multi‑stakeholder process. Brian Strong, the City’s Chief Resilience Officer, described the proposal as “really historic,” noting it follows earlier programs such as the unreinforced masonry retrofit program and the soft‑story retrofit program. Laurel Matthews of the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning presented details: the proposal would require owners of identified possible concrete or tilt‑up buildings to hire an engineer to submit a screening checklist to the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). Matthews said owners could expect engineering fees of about $300 to $3,200, there will be a six‑month program setup phase followed by an 18‑month compliance window, and DBI will run outreach, maintain a program webpage and staff a hotline.
The ordinance also establishes voluntary retrofit standards. As presented, an owner who retrofits to one of the voluntary standards would be protected from a mandatory retrofit requirement for 20 years. The Building Inspection Commission recommended the ordinance unanimously but offered multiple technical amendments; those amendments were read into the record by Matthews and included clarifications, relocated exemption language, and definition refinements.
During public comment, seismic‑safety advocates and engineers (including representatives from SPUR, the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, the San Francisco Apartment Association, and individuals with post‑quake experience) supported the screening and voluntary standard approach but several speakers urged the City to plan toward a mandatory retrofit program and for financing assistance for small property owners. Laurel Matthews said the city has initiated a FEMA grant to develop a financing guide and expects that work to conclude in about a year.
Chair Melgar moved incorporation of the Building Inspection Commission’s amendments and forwarding the ordinance with a positive recommendation; Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen and Member Bridal Mahmood voted aye. The committee recorded 3 ayes and passed the motion.
No mandatory retrofit deadlines or funding commitments were adopted at committee; the ordinance, as presented, focuses on inventory/screening and voluntary standards and directs DBI and the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning to undertake outreach and program setup.
