Any opposed. Okay. The minutes will be approved. Item 12. Review and approval of the minutes of the special joint meeting of the planning and Building Inspection Commission of june 20, 2019. Move to approve. Second. There is a motion and second . Any Public Comment on the minutes. Seeing none are all commissioners in favor . Any opposed . Thank you. Our next item is 13. Adjournment is there a motion to adjourn . Move. Second. You are now adjourned at 110 4 00 a. M. Thank you. 1 10 47 a. M. A way of life in San Francisco. When the next major quake hits, the city hopes a new law requiring seismic upgrades to five story buildings will help keep more residents safe and sound. Tell me a little about the soft Story Program. What is it . Its a program the mayor signed into law about a year and a half ago and the whole idea behind it was to help homeowners strengthen buildings so that they would not collapse. Did you the soft Story Program apply to all buildings or building that were built in a certain time frame . It only applies to buildings built in the time frame of 1978 and earlier. Its aimed at wood framed buildings that are three or more stories and five or more units. But the openings at the garage level and the street level arent supported in many buildings. And without the support during a major earthquake, they are expected to pancake and flatten ~. Many of the buildings in this program are under rent control so its to everybodys advantage to do the work and make sure they protect their investment and their tenant. Notices have gone out to more than 6,000 owners of potentially atrisk properties but fewer than onethird have responded and thousands might miss an important deadline in september to tell the city what they plan to do. Lets talk worst case scenario. What happens in a collapse . Buildings have the tendency of rolling over. The first soft story walls lean over and the building collapse. In an earthquake the building is a total loss. Can you describe what kind of strengthening is involved in the retrofit . One of the basic concepts, you want to think of this building kind of like rubber band and the upper three floor are very rigid box and the garage is a very flexible element. In an earthquake the garage will have a tendency to rollover. You have to rubber band analogy that the first floor is a very tough but flexible rubber band such that you never drive force he to the upper floors. Where all your damage goes into controlled element like plywood or steel frame. So, here we are actually inside of a soft story building. Can we talk a little about what kinds of repairs Property Owners might expect . Its a very simple process. We deliberately tried to keep it that way. So, whats involved is plywood, which when you install it and make a wall as we have done here already, then you cover it with this gypsum material. This adds some flexibility so that during the earthquake youll get movement but not collapse. And that gets strengthened even more when we go over to the steel frame to support the upper floor. So, potentially the wood and the steel it sounds like a fairly straightforward process takes your odds of collapse from one in 4 to one in 30 . Thats exactly right. Thats why were hoping that people will move quickly and make this happen. Great. Lets take a look. So, lets talk steel frames. Tell me what we have going on here. Well, we have a steel frame here. There are two of these and they go up to the lower floor and there is a beam that go across, basically a box that is much stiffer and stronger. ~ goes so that during the earthquake the upper floor will not collapse down on this story. It can be done in about two weeks time. Voila, youre done. Easy. For more information on how to get your building earthquake ready, welcome to the epic center did you know you may be eligible for a 3 thousand redefeat beating hell learn about the Stay Safe Program hi, everybody im patrick chief resigns director for the city and county of San Francisco welcome to another episode of stay safe im here with jennelle for the California Earthquake Authority shell talk about brace and bolt good to see you. Earthquake brace and bolt the first Incentive Program of california Mitigation Program as jointly managed by the Earthquake Authority and the california gvrnz of department of emergency services. And what is the mission. Brace and bolt is 3,000 up to a homeowner that retrofits the equivalent in a singlefamily. Were down owe epic center the public demonstrates weve built a mock house so i dont in the take a look at it and and show you what were talking about were in a model house in the epic center to demonstrate a variety of things jen i will i want to focus on the portion of the house and tell us how brace and bolts help to keep the home safe. This is a particular foundation and that mockup shows the first floor right here and, of course, this one is the concrete foundation and this short wall that is in between those two youre first floor and the concrete foundation is called a cripple it is a short wall this is a particular vunltd in 0r8d homes theyre designed before metamorphic coddling codes and will slide off the foundation. If you come to my home look at the previous work. So see if any anchor bolts between the wood and this mud and concrete foundation that is a collar bolt. What if i dont have enough space power a think collar bolt and we have Foundation Plates made by a company where a flat plate that is bolted to the concrete foundation and screwed into this flat mechanism. If i applied to a bolt what is a it coffer what type of work should you do in my hope. Up to 3,000 funding with the collar bolts or Foundation Plates and plywood up to the top of the short triple wall that going around. What are the tips. You want to make sure the Capital Improvement plan emancipation proclamation he will the short wall is less than 4 feet tall youll use the provision to adopt it to the city of San Francisco so a contractor can use that. So if i have a typical house over a garage and did that quality for the program. That would qualify for the program you need an engineer to design the riefrt it is not specific for that kind of house it is really theyre looking for short cripple walls maybe a couple of steps up. So jen i will if i want to find out more information. Earthquake brace begin . Good morning. Today is wednesday, july 17th, 2019. This is a regular meeting of the abatement appeals board. I would to remind everyone to please turn off electronic devices. The first item on the agenda is roll call. President , here. Vice president lee . Here. Commissioner clinch . Here. Contribution commissioner mccarthy . Here. Commissioner walker . Here. Commissioner konstin is excused. Next item, b, is the oath. Will all parties giving testimony today please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony youre about to give is the truth to the best of your knowledge . Yes. Thank you. You may be seated. I wanted to state for everyones information that the department will present its case first and the appellant, each side has seven minutes to present their case. Next theres Public Comment and members have three minutes each to speak. And then lastly theres rebuttal time of three minutes for the department and then the appellant. Our next item is actually i wanted to make a brief announcement that case number 6861 has requested a continuance, so that case will be continued for 30 days. Is there anyone here to speak or Public Comment . Okay. Seeing none, our next item is item c, approval of minutes. Discussion and possible action to adopt the minutes for meeting held on april 17th, 2019. Okay. Are there any corrections or comments regarding the minutes, as presented . I move. I accept the minutes. Second. Okay. Moved and seconded. Thank you. Theres a motion and a second to approve the minutes. Is there any Public Comment . Seeing none, all commissioners in favor . Aye. Any opposed . The minutes are approved. Next item is case number 6862, 2945 becky, nancy and stanley. Action requested by appellant to obtain a 90day extension to do the work. Would staff like to come forward . Good morning. My name is mauricio hernandez, chief building inspector for Code Enforcement process. So the summary is work without permit, over excavation and removal of a retaining wall, at the rear lot and hazardous condition. A notice of violation was issued back in august of 2018. Number regards to the excavation that was observed. Two building permits, one for shoring and the other one for remediation to comply with a notice, repair the retaining wall. And also provide [inaudible] in regards to the damage done to the foundation. As you can see on the back, theres some picturing showing the damage. This is the foundation of the existing adjacent property. The retaining wall is the one on the already removed and thats the exposed soil conditions of the adjacent property. Staff issued order of abatement. And 3 20 2019 the owner was given enough time, he was also given an extension of the hearing, in order to correct this. Theres only two permits filed to correct the conditions. One for the retaining wall. And then the other is to comply with notice of violation prior to shoring and all of the repairs done to the foundation. The staff recommendation is to uphold the order of abatement and impose [indiscernible] commissioner clinch . Can i ask a question . Are you done yet . Do you know the condition today, since its been about a year. I believe its still the same. We havent gotten any progress. I was reviewing the file and we havent had any action from the owner, since we issued the order of abatement. Okay. Has the neighboring property weighed in on this at all . Yeah. We actually issued a notice of violation for the neighboring property. But we have that on hold, because theyre not at fault here. So we are working we are actually trying if you look at the whole chronology of the actions, we are trying to work with them, because we know that theres a civil matter to all this. A civil dispute in all of this. Theres two properties involved. But at the same time we still need those permits to be issued, we need the shoring, we need the assessment report. And by looking at the file, the assessment report was never given to our inspector. I see. Thank you. Is there cooperation from the other neighbor . And these are the pending issues that they actually have to sign a waiver to allow them to perform the work. Has that waiver been issued . I apologize. I dont have an answer for that, because i know at one point we had a meeting with the owner. And, you know, again there was more of a civil dispute saying we didnt cause the damage, so why are we needing to be doing the work. Yeah. Well, i dont think thats the question is obviously its very clear who has to do the mitigation work. But it needs the cooperation of the person that is affected by it. So the question is is there a situation where the neighbor is not given the legal autonomy, to go ahead and get the work done . Assuming they are. Like i said, we had a hearing for the other property. Yes. Around the same time as this one. We did send it back to staff, because they were yes. But there is cooperation. Is there the signed letter, which is what the Department Needs to process a set of drawings from that neighbor . Maybe mr. Sweeny can tell me the exact name of that form thats needed. Well, its a building permit. But theres a letter stating that your Structural Engineer has power. Theyve filed two permits, both should have been over the counterrer. Theyve been sitting there now for 11 months. Why are they not processed . They havent come in to do it. Its a simple overthecounter permit. They filed two permits. Why have the permits not been issued . Theyre here. You can ask them. If to file the permit, you have to have a letter from the neighbor. Or we wouldnt have accepted it. So what were trying to establish here, if this is procedurally not the procedural problem, because both parties are not cooperating. Just trying to establish this. Its suppose to happen immediately, not within a year. Thats very Important Information here. We need to know who is holding it up. There is two permits. Both the permit for the adjoining neighbor wouldnt have been accepted, but it was. Because its on filed status. But this is sandy conditions, out in the sunset. So is the delay because the permit applicant has not come in to pick them up . According to what i saw on the board, these are just form 8s. Theyre overthecounter. If they would like to. What they did, they went in and they filed it. Often times we see that as a way of delaying enforcement action. I see. One more time if you look at the screen, there was actually a note provided to them on the permit. If you look at the note on 8 29 18. Temporary fix is not efficiently compensated for the loss of support under foundation. So one thing they never provided more information on the permit itself. So i dont think its something that the other owner is actually stopping the job or the permit itself. The nextdoor neighbor is not here, right . No. And the actual notice of violation was actually two things. Obtain the service of a structure engineer to assess the situation and how to proceed in a safe manner. That was one of the items that we asked for. [bell ringing] the second was obtain a permit with plans to cover this work done as intended. Okay. Any other . Im still trying to ask the staff, do we have the letter allowing the neighbor to work . I mean, i know we were given other reasons, incomplete set of drawings. I just want to know. Is the cooperation and letter approved the neighbor to do the underpinning work on . The permit thats being shown up there was accepted. We would not have accepted it without a letter from the neighbor giving permission for the engineer to file it. Okay. So, yes, it has to be there somewhere. We dont have it here with us. Okay. Thats okay. Thats important. Thank you. So were were thinking this as incomplete set of drawings right now at this point, based on the information thats on the application . They went before tom lee. Tom lee asked for more information. They never came back. Okay. Thats important. Thank you. The appellant can come forward. Use the mic, please. Okay. I want to show you what we were trying to do. We were trying to clean up a planter box. So im going to put a picture of it right here. This is the planter box that we were trying to clean up. We just hired a handyman and he just used a shovel, bucket and the back of his truck. He had no intention of breaking this wall. The wall fell down on its own, after he excavated it. Now were trying to fix it. We contacted officerrertore officer tora who tried to full the first permit, because he was not successful. I guess thomas lee requested calculations and albert advised that he didnt think we needed calculations. He said we needed photos of inside the neighbors property. So ive been in conversation with the neighbor about that. And he absolutely refused to give me photos of inside his property. Hes okay with us doing the work on the outside, as long as you do the work outside, hes okay with it. I have correspondence showing that he wants all of the work done outside. Im happy to share that with you guys. Okay. Any questions . Okay. Okay. Thank you. All right. Is there any Public Comment on this item . Theres no Public Comment. The department have rebuttal . Appellant have anything additional youd like to say . Im sorry. Mauricio is coming. Thank you. So the violation that was issued provided clear protective action to the owner. If you look at the whole scope of the investigation, we did provide enough time for the owner to work with the department. Even the fact that we provided an extension of a hearing. And we refer back to staff, so they can work with us, but again we still have the unsafe condition. We still have, you know, permits on issue. We still have no, you know, corrective action done at this time. Okay. So for the record, just go over again the sequencing of dates. I mean, i know its in the packet. Yeah. The first action, extensions and the like. Okay. The case was opened last year, in august of 2018. Note was issued. The same day the next day that we were out there. We gave them 30 days to comply. On december 11th, we referred to Code Enforcement. January 15th we prepped for the directive hearing and on the 23rd of january, it was a continuance was requested. To march 5th, 2019. So we we consider that continuance and we worked with them and provided a continuance of the hearing. After that, you know, the case was prepped for the hearing again. Thats when we provided the order of abatement, because we have no again we have no issued permit and we still have no shoring. I mean, if we had a structure engineers report, then we can work with them and say, okay, look, yeah. We can work with you. At this time on the file we never the owner never provided that first item, which was that report. Okay. Thank you. Any rebuttals . This is the photo that shows i met up with a Structural Engineer. Albert was going to provide a free consultation that date to me. But he said you need to do emergency shoring right now. So we got a contractor out to do the work. And then this is the emergency shoring that he did and submitted to the city for approval. And then i followed up later on, per the city, with another inspector to get permission to do the shoring work. So i sent a letter to the neighbor, will you give me permission to do this work. And i guess at that time, a week later, he went to the city and said does he need to sign my letter. And he was told he did not need to sign my letter, because all of the work is suppose to happen on my side. And, you know, so he didnt sign my letter to get permission. I think the inspector was joe mcduffy and he called me and told me so directly. So, therefore, we didnt get any permission from the neighbor on the emergency shoring work. But i know that hes happy that its done. So his property is secure. So were working to install a new retaining wall. This is this was 2 feet and 20 feet long. Were planning to install a new