One of the problems with retrofitting properties to make them safer is motivating people to actually do the work. Building code changes are generally not retroactive which means that a building owner need not comply with new standards unless remodeling projects are extensive enough to trigger the application of the new code.
Case in point is the City of San Francisco which for years has worked to eliminate soft-story buildings that are prone to collapse in an earthquake. (Soft-story buildings are wood-framed, multi-story units that have either a garage or retail space that result in the removal of some of the building supports.) Since the program has been voluntary and the incentives to comply minimal, very few building owners have been willing to foot the expensive retrofit that involves installing a reinforcing steel frame. The City estimates that retrofitting the 2,800 most vulnerable buildings would cost $260 million but could save as much as $1.5 billion in earthquake damages.
Mayor Ed Lee has taken the unusual step of submitting legislation that would mandate the retrofitting of buildings of at least three stories and containing five or more dwelling units. Surprisingly for San Francisco (where politics is a blood sport), the Mayor seems to have the support of the Board of Supervisors (which functions as our city council) and the San Francisco Apartment Association, which represents landlords, even though funding details have not been worked out. Tenants groups are not yet onboard over concerns that the costs will be passed directly to tenants in a city where rents are already astronomical.
Mandating mitigation is politically risky and there's sure to be a lot of pushback on the Mayor's proposal. The success of the project will rise or fall on the answer to the age-old question, "Who pays?" There will no doubt be considerable discussion and compromise. But it is the right thing to do and it seems that the elected officials in San Francisco are willing to step up to the task.
For more information, see the story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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