CITYOF �
SANJOSE
CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY
FILE NO.
LOCATION OF PROPERTY
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
CERTIFICATION
Attachment B - Statement of Exemption
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement
CHRISTOPHER BURTON, DIRECTOR
STATEMENT OF EXEMPTION
ER23-173
Citywide
The City proposes to implement a Soft Story Seismic
Ordinance and Subsequent Retrofit Implementation
Program. A study conducted by the City identified
approximately 3,500 soft-story buildings within the City that potentially could fail during a high-magnitude earthquake resulting in loss of life and property and impede the City's disaster recovery. Under this Program, the City will assist owners of these buildings with the costs to retrofit their buildings to the latest seismic standards.
Under the provisions of Sections 15301(b) of the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as stated below, this project is found to be exempt from the environmental review requirements of Title 21 of the San Jose Municipal Code, implementing the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, as amended.
15301. EXISTING FACILITIES
Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use (the key consideration is whether the project involves negligible or no expansion of use).
(f) Addition of safety or health protection devices for use during construction of or in conjunction with existing structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment, or topographic features including navigational devices
ANALYSIS
Background
Older buildings in the City were constructed to previous building code standards that were less stringent with respect to seismic safety. One type of seismically collapse-prone buildings is commonly known as "soft story".
The term "soft story" refers specifically to older, wood-frame multi-story buildings with an especially weak, flexible, or otherwise vulnerable ground story. Often (but not always), the soft story deficiency is indicated by large openings in the ground story walls, typically due to garage doors, open parking stalls, or large storefront windows. These buildings, built before current building codes, have ground stories with a tendency to collapse when shaken hard enough. Thus, soft-story buildings pose risks to life and property that may be disastrous during a major earthquake.
To address this potential risk to life and property, the City is proposing a new Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Ordinance and Implementation Program. This program will:
200 E. Santa Clara Street, 3
rd FL San Jose, CA 95113 tel (408) 535-3555 www.sanjoseca.gov/pbce 1