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San Francisco health, planning and building officials advance Article 38 proposal but flag implementation hurdles
Summary
The Health Department and DBI presented amendments to Article 38 to require enhanced ventilation (MERV‑13 performance), aligning CEQA and building review; officials praised public‑health goals but raised technical, fire‑safety and Title 24 obstacles and called for clearer implementation guidance for small buildings.
Health and building officials briefed the Building Inspection Commission on proposed amendments to Article 38 that would require enhanced ventilation systems for qualifying residential developments, aiming to codify a MERV‑13 performance standard and coordinate CEQA mitigation with plan review.
The presentation, led by Karen Cohen of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, described how the update would modernize review across Health, Planning and DBI and said the changes already exist as options for developers; codification would standardize performance expectations and could reduce costs in some cases by aligning reviews.
“The goal is to protect indoor air quality,” Cohen said, and staff described examples of designs now being reviewed, from single‑family furnace filters to mid‑rise central systems and novel filter boxes attached to so‑called Z‑duct corridor intakes. Cohen said the department has tested prototypes and…
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