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DBI: Seven buildings red-tagged after Telegraph Hill rock slide; most downgraded as mitigation proceeds
Summary
Deputy Director Carla Johnson told the Building Inspection Commission that seven properties were initially red-tagged after the Feb. 27 Telegraph Hill rock slide; emergency scaling and mitigation allowed most to be downgraded to yellow, though two Montgomery Street buildings remain red-tagged pending further hillside scaling.
Deputy Director Carla Johnson told the Building Inspection Commission on April 2 that the Department issued red tags to seven properties after the Feb. 27 rock slide at the Telegraph Hill location and has been working to make affected buildings safe for reoccupation. The properties listed by the department were 412 Broadway (a nightclub), 426 Broadway (commercial restaurant with residential units above), 430–432 Broadway (mixed use), 1035, 1041 and 1047 Montgomery Street and 455 Vallejo, a 45-unit condominium complex.
Johnson said emergency hazard mitigation began within a week of the slide. Crews scaled loose rock from the face of the hill and began repairs, enabling several buildings to be downgraded from red to yellow tags to allow partial reoccupation. “Out of seven red tags, only two remain and the remaining buildings have been yellow tagged at this time,” she said.
She described the site work and preliminary geotechnical findings: consultants excavated test pits to look for fractures beneath the upper condominium and, verbally, the conditions “look stable” and the structural system for 455 Vallejo “is not at risk” based on the consultants’ investigative work, Johnson said. The department scheduled an on-site review with geotechnical consultants to examine the written report.
Commissioners pressed for details about the material that slid. Johnson said the event involved both rock and soil and that boulders contributed to debris piles behind some Broadway buildings, in places up to 14–15 feet high. She said some fill existed behind the upper retaining wall at the top of the slope and that mitigation included removing imminent hazards and cutting back portions of the retaining wall.
Several commissioners and staff discussed the hillside’s history — including past quarrying — and whether Telegraph Hill warrants enhanced, area-specific review or legislative changes similar to recommendations previously made for Mount Sutro. Johnson said the department already enforces stricter geotechnical review in landslide-prone areas but that a broader review of existing buildings and potential legislative steps would require coordination with the Board of Supervisors.
The director and staff said they will continue to coordinate with planning and geotechnical consultants, hold follow-up meetings at the Vallejo Street site, and bring further findings back to the commission once the formal geotechnical report is available.
The commission did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting; the department said two Montgomery properties will likely remain red-tagged until additional hillside scaling occurs and encouraged further interagency review to refine long-term mitigation and permitting responses.
