Engineers and commissioners press DBI for quality-assurance on soft-story retrofits after public complaints

During public comment May 17, structural engineer David Bono told the Building Inspection Commission that he and other engineers and contractors have observed clear construction deficiencies in completed soft-story retrofit projects — some projects had received certificates of final completion and were later found to have violations. "Someone's gotta step up," Bono told the commission, urging DBI to perform quality-assurance reviews and to coordinate with the Code Advisory Committee.

Commissioners responded by asking DBI to investigate and prepare a presentation on program performance and quality assurance, noting that the city will receive a large volume of permanent applications in the coming years for soft-story retrofits. Commissioner Walker asked DBI to gather documentation and suggested inviting Bono and the structural subcommittee to advise on concrete fixes to plan-check and inspection procedures.

DBI staff acknowledged the concern and recommended presenting a department update or a staff report at a future meeting and developing administrative bulletins to clarify plan-check and inspection expectations. Commissioners requested that DBI identify specific process gaps (for example, plan-check variance across counters and addendum handling) and return with a timetable for a briefing to the commission.

Ending: DBI committed to follow up, coordinate with the Code Advisory Committee, and prepare a report or presentation to the Commission outlining quality-assurance options and any recommended changes to plan-check or field inspection procedures.