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DBI reports progress on soft‑story retrofit outreach and compliance
Summary
DBI told the commission it has identified about 4,900 vulnerable buildings under the mandatory soft‑story program, with nearly 1,000 retrofit completions and about 1,100 permit filings underway; tier‑2 compliance among 15+ unit properties was reported at about 85%, with ~80 properties noncompliant moving through enforcement.
President McCarthy and DBI leadership gave the commission a status update on the department’s mandatory soft‑story seismic retrofit program and related outreach on Oct. 19. DBI reported the program has identified roughly 4,900 vulnerable buildings and that close to 1,000 property owners have completed retrofit work. Another ~1,100 property owners have filed permits and are expected to start retrofit work well ahead of the program completion deadline described during the meeting.
The department noted recent outreach at community events and workshops (including multilingual materials and sessions) and said staff have run more than 120 workshops and reached over 10,000 people in the past 18 months. DBI reported roughly 85% compliance last month among tier‑2 properties with 15 or more units but said more than 80 properties remain noncompliant and will proceed through the code enforcement process; code enforcement staff have begun posting notices of violations.
Commissioners emphasized the need to balance tenant safety with minimizing tenant displacement, and DBI staff said enforcement actions are being coordinated with the housing department and other city partners. The department indicated it will continue outreach and enforcement and will return to the commission with program developments as needed.
