Community & Economic Development Committee (ced)
June 27, 2022

Soft-Story Retrofit Policy
Status Update
CED Committee - June 27, 2022
Item d(5)
Raymond Riordan – Director, Office of Emergency Management Lisa Joiner – Deputy Director, PBCE, Building Division
Background
• What is a Soft-Story building?
• Existing wood frame, multi-unit residential building of two or more stories that contain 5 or more dwelling units, and the ground floor contains parking, large windows or garage doors, or other similar open floor or basement space, that causes soft, weak, or open-front wall lines. www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Background
• Why are we concerned?
• Due to the open nature of the lower-level walls, that level of the building is less able to resist an earthquake than the stories above. • These buildings have a greater than average risk of collapse during an earthquake, displacing and possibly physically endangering residents. www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Background
• 2014
• City Council directed staff to explore ways to incentivize soft story building retrofits • 2017
• City Council ranked the development of a soft story retrofit program as the City’s overall 8th policy priority
• 2018
• Housing Department briefed City Council on the intent to submit a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) application to support development of a soft story seismic retrofit incentive program
• HMGP Application submitted to CalOES
• 2019
• Application forwarded to FEMA
• 2021
• April – contacted by FEMA to modify the grant application into two phases • June – revised application re-submitted
• September – Phase 1 grant awarded
www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Phases
• Phase 1
• Inventory of Soft Story buildings
• 1,100 structures, mostly with vulnerable low-income residents • Development of the ordinance
• Including both voluntary and mandatory measures
• Public outreach
• Input on Ordinance
• Pilot submittals to FEMA
• Phase 2
• Construction retrofit work
• Financial Support
• Low disruption
www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Current Status
• April 2022
• Request for Proposal (RFP) launched to obtain consultant for much of the Phase 1 work.
• Staff member identified within current PBCE staff that meets FEMA’s requirements for historic/environmental reviews.
• Help streamline the future review process with FEMA
• May 2022
• RFP closed
• Respondents evaluated
• June 2022
• Oral interview conducted with finalists
• Consultant selected
www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Upcoming
• August 2022
August 9: return to Council with a memo to approve the proposed consultant to start work
• Winter 2022
Return to Council to discuss/approve the Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Ordinance
• Once Phase 1 work is complete, Phase 2 can start. Another Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application is not required.
www.sanjoseca.gov/building
Soft-Story Retrofit Policy
Status Update
CED Committee - June 27, 2022
Item d(5)
Raymond Riordan – Director, Office of Emergency Management Lisa Joiner – Deputy Director, PBCE, Building Division