It is generally acknowledged that the city of San Bruno is located
in a geographic area of high seismic risk, due to its proximity to
both the San Andreas and Hayward faults, and may reasonably be expected
to experience moderate to severe ground shaking in the event of a
significant local earthquake. Such ground shaking could result in
serious injury or loss of life due to damage or collapse of buildings.
Historically, unreinforced masonry buildings have been shown to be
especially vulnerable. The purpose of this chapter is to promote public
safety by identifying those buildings in the city of San Bruno which
exhibit structural deficiencies in their capacities for earthquake
resistance, and by determining the severity and extent of those deficiencies
in relation to their potential for causing injury or loss of life.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
For purposes of this chapter the following definitions apply:
means a licensed civil or structural engineer registered
by the state of California.
is as published by the International Conference of Building
Officials, Whittier, California, as currently adopted by the city
of San Bruno.
means any building containing walls and/or columns constructed
wholly or partially of masonry without at least fifty percent of the
reinforcement required by the 1985 edition of the UBC, and includes:
are defined as follows:
"Essential building:"
any building housing a hospital or other medical facility
having surgery or emergency treatment areas; fire or police stations;
municipal government disaster operation and communication centers.
"High risk building:"
any building not classified as an essential building, having
an occupant load of one hundred persons or more.
"Medium risk building:"
any building not classified as an essential building, having
an occupant load of twenty persons or more.
"Low risk building:"
any building, not classified as an essential building, having
an occupant load of less than twenty persons.
are as defined in the 1985 edition of the UBC.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
Owners of all URM buildings in the city of San Bruno, except
as exempted below, shall be required to have an engineering report
submitted to the city's department of planning and building, to determine
the existence, nature, extent and severity of structural deficiencies
in their buildings' capacities for earthquake resistance which could
result in damage or collapse with possible injury or loss of life.
(a)
Exempted Buildings. The following buildings are exempted from complying
with this chapter:
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
Owners of buildings included in the scope of this program shall
be notified within six months of the enactment of this chapter by
the department of planning and building of the city of San Bruno that
each such building has been included in the city's list of potentially
hazardous URM buildings, and is required to have an engineering report
submitted to the city.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
At the time of building owner notification, the department of
planning and building shall file with office of the county recorder
a certificate stating that the subject building falls within the scope
of this chapter, has been included in the city's list of potentially
hazardous URM buildings, and is required to comply with the provisions
contained herein. At such later time as each such identified building
has either been determined as excludable from the city's list by further
investigation, or has undergone mitigation of its hazards to the satisfaction
of the chief building inspector, the department of planning and building
shall then file with the office of the county recorder a certificate
stating that the building has been removed from the potentially hazardous
classification.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
Owners of identified buildings shall submit engineering reports
to the department of planning and building of the city of San Bruno
as follows:
(a)
Timeframe. Engineering reports shall be submitted within eighteen
months of building owner notification.
(b)
Authorized Preparers. Engineering reports shall be prepared by civil
or structural engineers, as previously defined herein, who are familiar
with seismic analysis and design.
(c)
Purpose. The purpose of each such engineering report shall be investigate,
in a thorough and unambiguous fashion, a building's structural systems
that resist earthquake forces, and to evaluate their adequacy to resist
the seismic design forces as specified herein.
(d)
Engineering Standards. The engineering standards to be used in preparation
of engineering reports shall be the 1985 edition of the UBC and 1985
City of Los Angeles Division 88 Standard for URM Buildings, as modified
by Appendix A of this chapter.
(e)
Format. The format for engineering reports shall be as outlined in
Appendix B of this chapter, or other equivalent format approved in
writing by the chief building inspector.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
A letter of intent shall be submitted within ninety days of
submittal of each engineering report, and shall describe in general
fashion how the building owner intends to approach hazard reduction
of his or her building. Options available to the building owner for
approaching hazard reduction include, but are not limited to, the
following:
(a)
Structural rehabilitation of the building to meet or exceed the seismic
provisions of the engineering standards referenced herein.
(b)
Change in use of the building to a residential or warehouse occupancy
exempted from compliance with this chapter, as previously described
herein, as may be allowed by other city ordinances.
(c)
Sale of the building to a new owner, who shall then bear the responsibility
of hazard reduction.
(d)
Vacating the building pending further investigation of possible alternatives.
(e)
Demolition of the building, or portions thereof, to eliminate the
potentially hazardous conditions.
(f)
Any building which qualifies as "historical property" as determined
by an appropriate governmental agency under Section 37602 of the Health
and Safety Code shall be retrofitted in accordance with the State
Historical Building Code.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
The department of planning and building shall review the documents
submitted for each identified building for conformance to this chapter.
The department of planning and building may, at its option, engage
the services of consulting civil or structural engineers to assist
in evaluation of documents submitted. Costs of each such review shall
be recovered by fees assessed upon the building owner at the time
of submittal of documents, based upon the time required for review
of any structural rehabilitation plans subsequently submitted for
building permit purposes for work directly related to compliance with
this chapter. Copies of engineering reports submitted shall be available
to the public for review at the department of planning and building
upon request.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
Owners of each identified building shall provide each of their
tenants with written notification that a seismic investigation of
their building has taken place, and that the engineering report documenting
the investigation is available for review at the department of planning
and building. Such notification shall occur within ninety days of
submittal of each engineering report.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
Nonconformance with this chapter is unlawful. Violation constitutes
a misdemeanor and may also be subject to civil prosecution under the
laws and ordinances of the city of San Bruno.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
The department of planning and building shall prepare annual
progress reports to the city council on the implementation of this
chapter through the end of calendar year 1994.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
The interpretation of the director of planning and building
shall prevail on matters relating to the implementation of this chapter.
(Ord. 1508 § 1, 1990)
