ITEM 8-A
Council Meeting: October 11, 1994 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Adopt an Emergency Ordinance to Amend
the Potentially Hazardous Buildings Ordinance in Order
to Extend the Time Period for Submission of Engineering
Reports
INTRODUCTION
This staff report recommends that the City Council adopt an
amendment to Ordinance #1748 (CCS) related to the repair and
retrofitting of potentially hazardous structures in order to
extend the deadline on the requirement for owners of damaged
soft-story structures to submit engineering reports.
BACKGROUND
On June 21, 1994, the City Council adopted an emergency ordinance
relating to the repair and retrofitting of potentially hazardous
structures, including soft-story structures. The ordinance
requires that within 120 days of the effective date of the
ordinance, or by October 21, 1994, owners of soft-story buildings
damaged by the earthquake submit an engineering report
demonstrating whether the building complies with the Earthquake
Design Standards contained in the Uniform Building Code.
Due to the fact that it has taken longer than anticipated to
identify the soft-story buildings damaged by the January 17
Northridge Earthquake and prepare the notice, staff is
recommending that the deadline be changed to February 1, 1995.
This extension will give property owners a reasonable time period
in which to obtain the required engineering report.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
This recommendation will have no budgetary or financial impacts.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt an amendment to
Section 4 of Ordinance #1748 as reflected in Attachment "A" to
extend the deadline for the submission of engineering reports on
damaged soft-story structures.
Attachment "A": Amended Ordinance #1748
Prepared by: Suzanne Frick, PCD Director
Paul Casey, Acting Senior Planner
Tad Read, Associate Planner
ORDINANCE NUMBER (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
AMENDING SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 8.04.172
REGARDING REPAIR OF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS STRUCTURES
AND DECLARING THE PRESENCE OF AN EMERGENCY
WHEREAS, numerous buildings and other structures in the
City of Santa Monica experienced substantial damage due to the
January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake and its aftershocks; and
WHEREAS, an evaluation of the damage reveals that
because of construction methods certain structures are especially
susceptible to damage in the event of major earthquakes and pose
a substantial risk to public health, safety, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, for the reasons set forth above, and for the
protection of the public health, safety and welfare, on June 21,
1994, the City Council adopted an Ordinance regarding repair,
reconstruction and reinforcement of potentially hazardous
structures;
WHEREAS, that Ordinance required, among other things,
that the owner of any soft story structure damaged by the January
17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake or its aftershocks submit an
engineering report to the Building and Safety Division within 120
days of the effective date of the Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, it took more time than anticipated to identify
and notify owners of their obligation to submit an engineering
report pursuant to the Ordinance due to the excessive number of
such soft story structures damaged by the earthquake; and
WHEREAS, it is consequently necessary to allow
additional time for owners to prepare and submit such engineering
reports; and
WHEREAS, absent this amendment, owners would be
required to submit engineering reports by October 21, 1994 which
is insufficient time for compliance;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MONICA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 8.04.172 is
amended to read as follows:
8.04.172 UAC Section 206(h) added-
Repair, Reconstruction, and Reinforcement of
Potentially Hazardous Structures.
Section 206(h) of the Uniform
Administrative Code, 1991 Edition, relating
to Repair, Reconstruction, and Reinforcement
of Potentially Hazardous Buildings, is added
to read as follows:
Division 1.00 Definitions. As used in
this Section, the following terms shall be
defined as follows:
(a) Non Ductile Precast Concrete
Building. Any structure designed and
constructed with concrete elements that are
cast in other than their final position.
(b) Non Ductile Reinforced Concrete
Building. Any structure designed and
constructed with poured in place reinforced
concrete.
(c) Soft Story Building. Any structure
or portion of a structure classified as soft
story in the Uniform Building Code as adopted
by the City of Santa Monica.
(d) Steel Frame Building. Any structure
designed or constructed with steel frame
elements of load bearing and lateral load
resistance systems.
Division 2.00 Determination of Occupant
Load and Building Type. For purposes of this
Section, the occupant load of each structure
shall be determined by the Building Official
in accordance with the Uniform Building Code
as adopted by the City of Santa Monica and
shall be applicable to both vacant and
occupied structures. For purposes of this
Section, the structure type shall be as
defined in the Earthquake Design Section of
the Uniform Building Code as adopted by the
City of Santa Monica.
Division 3.00 Scope. The owner of any
structure identified in this Section shall,
within the time limits set forth in this
Section, cause the structure to be evaluated,
repaired or retrofitted to conform to the
criteria specified in this Section.
Division 4.00 Soft Story Construction.
(a) By February 1, 1995, the owner of
any soft story structure damaged by the
January 17, 1994 Earthquake or its
aftershocks, where the cost of repair is less
than 50% of the replacement value of the
structure, shall submit an engineering report
prepared by a licensed engineer ("engineering
report") to the Building and Safety Division.
The report shall be based on a non-rotational
lateral analysis and shall demonstrate
whether the building complies with the
Earthquake Design Standards contained in the
Uniform Building Code in effect at the time
the structural engineering report is
submitted to the City. If the report
concludes the structure does not comply with
the standards, the structure shall be
strengthened within the timelines of Division
7.00 of this Section and according to the
following standards:
(1) Calculated story drift shall
not exceed 0.04/Rw or 0.005 times the story
height for structures having a fundamental
period of less than 0.7 seconds. For
structures having a fundamental period of 0.7
second or greater, the calculated story drift
shall not exceed 0.03/Rw or 0.004 times the
story height.
(2) Use K=2.1, the buckling factor
for a cantilever column, for the design of
the steel columns.
(3) Do not allow the principle of
diaphragm rotation in wood frame buildings to
distribute the design lateral force(s).
(b) Within 120 days of notice to the
owner by the City, the owner of any soft
story structure not damaged by the January
17, 1994 Northridge earthquake or its
aftershocks, shall submit an engineering
report to the Building and Safety Division.
The report shall be based on a non-diaphragm
rotational lateral analysis and shall
demonstrate whether the structure conforms to
the Earthquake Design Standards contained in
the Uniform Building Code as adopted by the
City of Santa Monica. If the report
concludes the structure does not comply with
the standards, the structure shall be
strengthened within the timelines of Division
7.00 of this Section and according to the
standards listed in subsection (a) above.
Division 5.00 Tilt-up Buildings
Constructed to Pre-1976 Building Code.
Within 275 days of the date of notice to the
owner by the City, the owner of any Tilt-Up
building constructed to pre-1976 Building
Code standards shall submit an engineering
report to the Building and Safety Division.
The report shall demonstrate whether the
structure conforms to the Earthquake Design
Standards contained in the Uniform Building
Code in effect at the time the report is
submitted to the City. If the report
concludes the structure does not comply with
the standards, the structure shall be
strengthened to comply with the standards
within the timelines of Division 7.00 of this
Section.
Division 6.00 Non Ductile Reinforced
Concrete and Non Ductile Pre-Cast Concrete
Structures. Within 275 days of the date of
notice to the owner by the City, the owner of
any non ductile reinforced concrete or non
ductile pre-cast concrete structure shall
submit an engineering report to the Building
and Safety Division. For structures over
three stories in height, the report shall be
based upon a dynamic lateral-force analysis
and for structures three stories or less, the
report shall be based upon a straight lateral
load analysis. The report shall demonstrate
whether the structure conforms to the
Earthquake Design Standards contained in the
Uniform Building Code in effect at the time
the report is submitted to the City. If the
report concludes that the structure does not
comply with the standards, the structure
shall be strengthened to comply with the
standards within the timelines of Division
7.00 of this Section.
Notwithstanding the above, as to any
soft story structure with occupied square
footage other than parking or storage on the
first floor of the building, construction
shall be completed within 2 years from date
of engineering report submittal.
For purposes of this Section, "date of
engineering report submittal" shall be either
that date upon which the report was due to be
submitted to the City, or the date of actual
submittal to the City, whichever is earlier.
Division 8.00 Historical Buildings.
Buildings designated as historically or
architecturally significant landmarks on
national, state or local historical registers
shall comply with this Section. At the
Building Official's discretion, modifications
to the standards set forth in this Section
may be made on a case by case basis, so long
as such modifications are consistent with the
provisions of the State Historical Building
Code.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code
or appendices thereto, inconsistent with the provisions of this
Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further,
are hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to
effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. This Ordinance is declared to be an urgency
measure adopted pursuant to the provisions of Section 615 of the
Santa Monica City Charter. It is necessary for preserving the
public health, safety, or welfare as set forth in the Findings
and Purpose section of this Ordinance.
SECTION 4. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or
phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or
unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of all
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby
declares that it would not have passed this Ordinance if any
portion, section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase would
subsequently be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall
attest to the passage of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall
cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper
within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall be
effective upon its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
MARSHA JONES MOUTRIE
City Attorney