Introduction of an Ordinance to Amend
Title 9, Chapter 1, of the Burbank
Municipal Code to Establish Mandatory
Earthquake Hazard Reduction Standards
in Existing Wood Frame Residential
Buildings with Soft, Weak, or Open-Front
Wall Lines by Establishing Mandatory
Retrofit Regulations and Approval to
Amend the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget
City Council
September 10, 2024
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
PURPOSE
• Information, transparency, and
awareness.
• Proposed opportunity to
• Enhance safety
• Conserve parts of the City
• Reduce the risk of collapse
• Make buildings more
earthquake safe
• Consider tenants and
building owners
• Residential Wood-framed
Structure
• Must be at least two-story
• Constructed to building code
standards enacted prior to
January 1, 1978.
• Open ground floor, such as a
parking garage or tuck under
parking.
• Poor performance in previous
earthquakes, susceptible
to collapse.
WHAT IS A
SOFT STORY?
• Design compromises the building’s
overall stability.
• Lack of structural support in the
ground floor.
• Can lead to excessive lateral
movement, causing the upper
floors to collapse during seismic
event.
WHAT IS A
SOFT STORY?
(CONTINUED)
Source: Soft Story Buildings - Critical Structures (critical-structures.com)
• Without strengthening,
the weak soft-story may
suffer structural damage
or complete failure
during and/or after an
earthquake.
WHY IS IT
NEEDED?
Source: Soft Story Buildings - Critical Structures (critical-structures.com) 5 NORTHRIDGE
EARTHQUAKE
AFTERMATH (1994)
6 NORTHRIDGE
EARTHQUAKE
AFTERMATH
7 • May 26, 1998
• Voluntary Soft-Story Retrofit
• November 3, 2007
• 2007 CBC Adoption, Soft-Story
Retrofit to remain voluntary
• October 1, 2019
• Council instructed staff to
develop Soft-Story
Program
BURBANK
SOFT-STORY
RETROFIT
HISTORY
8 • City of Burbank
• Estimated 675 Soft-Story
buildings.
• 35 Soft-Story Retrofit
permits issued since 2008
• 5% compliance rate
• City of Los Angeles
• 12,347 Soft-Story
buildings
• 9,377 Soft-Story Retrofit
permits issued since 2015
• 76% compliance rate
HOW HAVE
WE DONE?
9 SOFT-STORY
RETROFIT
SYSTEM
TYPES
• Moment Frame
Custom design or use
proprietary product
• Shear Walls
10 SOFT-STORY
RETROFIT
SYSTEM TYPES
(CONTINUED)
• Cantilever Column
Systems with Grade
Beam
• Deep Pole Foundation
• Typically require soils
report investigation
11 SOFT-STORY
RETROFIT
SYSTEM TYPES
(CONTINUED)
12 • Requirements:
• Screening report
• Engineered plans and
calculations
• Plan check and permits
• Construction and inspections
• Reciprocity
• Time Period
COMPLIANCE
13 TIMELINE
TASK TIME
LIMIT
SUBMIT SCREENING
REPORT
1 YEAR
SUBMIT RETROFIT
PLANS
2 YEARS
OBTAIN PERMIT 3 YEARS
BEGIN
CONSTRUCTION
4 YEARS
COMPLETE
CONSTRUCTION
WORK
5 YEARS
14 • Violation
• Recordation of violation
• Building may be vacated
NON-COMPLIANCE
15 • Building Official issues
order to buildings
• Sent to owner per last
property tax assessment
roll
ORDER
16 • Acknowledgement/Appeal
Procedure
• One extension may be
requested after completions
of screening report and/or
plans have been approved.
ADMINISTRATION
17 • Beverly Hills
• Culver City
• Los Angeles
• Pasadena
• West Hollywood
NEIGHBORING
CITIES
RETROFIT
ORDINANCES
18 NEIGHBORING CITIES WITH
MANDATORY PROGRAMS
• City of West Hollywood (2017)
• City of Santa Monica (2017)
• City Pasadena (2019)
• City of Beverly Hills (2019)
• Culver City (2021)
• City of Los Angeles (2015)
• Soft-Story Website
• Dedicated Email Address
• Community Meetings
• April 25, 2024
• May 15, 2024
• Landlord Tenant Commission
• August 5, 2024
• Board of Building and Fire Appeals
• August 13, 2024
• SEAOSC Task Force
• August 22, 2024
• August 30, 2024
OUTREACH
20 • Concerns
• Costs
• Reciprocity
• Direct screening of building
• Tenant Impact
• Program Highlights
• Pass through cost
• Owner-oriented screening form
• Reciprocity
• Less invasive standards
OUTREACH RESULTS
• Fiscal Year 2024 -25 Budget
• Request $112,000 for
consultant costs to support
staff.
0 *Cost is fully recovered
from plan check and
permit fees*
FISCAL IMPACT
22 CONCLUSION
Proposed City ordinance
considers existing
buildings with a soft story
condition and considers
stakeholders needs to
provide a path for safety
and protection of
property.
23 [email protected]
(818) 238 -5220
Mario Osuna, P.E., CASp, CBO
Asst. Community Development Director- Building Official [email protected]
Albert Lopez, P.E.
Principal Plan Check Engineer
[email protected]
CONTACT
24