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DBI to centralize peer-review selection for tall buildings after Millennium Tower concerns
Summary
The Building Inspection Commission heard that DBI will change procedures so the department—not project sponsors—selects peer reviewers under administrative bulletins AB82 and AB83, a step introduced after the Millennium Tower settlement and to be implemented immediately under the city building code; additional AB82/AB83 amendments will return to the commission.
President McCarthy told the Building Inspection Commission on Oct. 19 that the Department of Building Inspection plans to change how peer reviewers are selected for tall-building projects in the wake of the Millennium Tower settlement. Under the announced approach, DBI will select future peer-review participants under existing administrative bulletins AB82 and AB83, rather than allowing project sponsors to participate in the selection process.
The change was described as effective immediately under provisions of the San Francisco building code cited by the president during the meeting. President McCarthy said the director has discussed immediate steps to ensure the integrity of DBI’s peer-review process and that staff-initiated revisions to AB82 and AB83 to improve the information DBI receives during permit review will be brought to the Building Inspection Commission for consideration, possibly at the November meeting.
Commissioners asked whether geotechnical and geological expertise were explicitly included on peer-review panels and whether reports would be required; staff answered that geotechnical specialists are already specified on the relevant administrative bulletins but clarified that geologist-level formation analysis is a distinct discipline that may require further review. The president and the director characterized the action as an initial step while more comprehensive AB82/AB83 changes are developed.
No formal vote was recorded on the announcement; staff indicated additional written language and a formal proposal would be prepared and circulated to commissioners and legal counsel. The commission was told the director and DBI staff will return with proposed language and implementation details for further review.
