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San Francisco’s CAPS report urges targeted seismic retrofits and incentives for soft‑story buildings
Summary
DBI’s Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPS) study finds thousands of soft‑story buildings may need retrofits and recommends targeted incentives and policy options; staff and stakeholders urged financial supports to avoid displacing small businesses and owners.
Deputy Director Lawrence Kornfield told the Planning Commission that the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPS) is a multi-year study funded in part by a state geological-survey grant and designed to identify building types, soils, and community impacts that would most affect recovery after a major quake. Kornfield said the CAPS project has cost roughly $800,000–$900,000 to date and will continue for approximately two more years to study other major building types and post-earthquake repair standards.
Kornfield described the first CAPS product — an analysis of soft-story, wood-frame buildings three stories or taller with five or more dwelling units — and said the study highlights risks to affordable housing and small businesses. “This is a project... which will allow policymakers of the city to make policies that will mitigate the most substantial impacts,” Kornfield said.
Commissioners and public speakers raised an inventory question: staff said they have a generalized citywide survey that estimates roughly 2,900 to 4,900 soft‑story buildings may need retrofit work, but the city lacks a building‑by‑building inventory because that would require property-level surveys and verification. Commissioner Levitt urged incentives that reduce reliance on mandatory retrofit only, including tax credits or stimulus funding; small‑builder advocates asked for low‑interest loans and practical conditions for financial aid.
Speakers also raised tenant-protection concerns. DBI staff said retrofits typically affect ground-floor commercial spaces more than rental units and emphasized that the CAPS report addresses potential displacement and mitigation options for policymakers to consider. The mayor’s office and Board of Supervisors have reviewed the report; staff said a voluntary incentive program has been discussed and that some elements will come back for further stakeholder work before any mandatory program is advanced.
The commission requested clearer public guidance on code years, grandfathering, and whether and when the city attorney will be asked to evaluate CEQA and other legal constraints for long-dormant approvals. Staff said they will coordinate with the Mayor’s Office and the Board to develop policy options and outreach.
