Code advisory committee urges review of possible UMB anchor problem; committee updates accessibility and seismic work

Ned Fenny, chair of the Code Advisory Committee, and Kirk Means of DBI described the committee’s role and current agenda items to the Building Inspection Commission. They outlined multiple subcommittee projects: administrative bulletins to document interpretations, accessibility subcommittee work (including destination-elevator touch-screen requirements), a proposed ordinance on water-bottle filling stations, and green/building-efficiency topics.

Of particular note, Fenny raised a potential safety/design concern about epoxy anchors used on some unreinforced masonry (UMB) buildings: anecdotal reports suggest some anchors may have been installed to a shallow depth and may not be engaging both wythes of double-brick walls, reducing expected tieback strength. He recommended a targeted review of plan-check documents (for example, sampling roughly 25 plan sets) to determine whether the issue is isolated or widespread before policy action.

Commissioners asked for staff support and resources to review plan sets and for clearer pathways to surface subcommittee recommendations to the full Commission. The Code Advisory Committee asked for more consistent Building Inspection Commission representation at its meetings to ensure continuity and better handoffs when recommendations move from subcommittee to the BIC.