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Committee backs extension for soft‑story seismic retrofits to give owners COVID‑era relief
Summary
The Land Use & Transportation Committee duplicated and forwarded an ordinance to extend the deadline for seismic retrofits of Tier 4 soft‑story buildings from Sept. 15, 2020 to Sept. 15, 2021, citing COVID‑related delays that left about 41% of Tier 4 properties incomplete.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Land Use & Transportation Committee on Sept. 14 duplicated and sent to the full Board an ordinance to extend the deadline for required seismic retrofit work on Tier 4 soft‑story wood‑frame buildings to Sept. 15, 2021.
Chair Aaron Peskin opened the item and turned the presentation over to Tom Temprano, an aide to Supervisor Mandelman, who said the extension is intended to reduce disruption to small businesses and residential tenants amid the COVID‑19 pandemic. Temprano said the ordinance responds to requests from building owners, tenants and small‑business stakeholders "to allow additional time for property owners to complete retrofit construction on a timeline that reduces disruption to our already beleaguered and struggling small businesses and minimizes impacts on residential tenants who are sheltering in place or working from home."
John Murray of the Department of Building Inspection told the committee the citywide program—established in 2013—has high compliance in earlier tiers but that Tier 4 remains incomplete. Murray reported that of the 1,024 Tier 4 buildings identified, about 41% had not completed retrofit work; he said the primary barriers were cost and COVID‑related delays to starting construction.
No public commenters spoke on the item. The committee voted to duplicate the file and continue it to the call of the chair, then voted to transmit the existing file to the full Board for hearing on Sept. 15, with Chair Peskin affixing his name as a co‑sponsor. Roll call votes recorded Supervisors Preston, Safaei and Peskin as "Aye."
The measure as advanced would move the Tier 4 compliance date back one year to give owners more time to schedule construction and reduce the likelihood of business closures triggered by mandatory work during the pandemic. The ordinance does not, on its face, change enforcement mechanics or penalties; committee members discussed using a duplicated file to consider additional non‑substantive amendments (for example, aligning fire alarm installation deadlines) before final Board action.
The full Board will hear the ordinance on Sept. 15.
