San Francisco Sun

SAN FRANCISCO—Today, the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning, a division of the City Administrator’s Office, revealed stakeholder recommendations for the formation of the Concrete Building Safety Program (CBSP).

The CBSP Stakeholder Engagement Report marks the initial phase in establishing a new seismic safety initiative targeting vulnerable concrete buildings during significant earthquakes. City Administrator Carmen Chu expressed gratitude towards the collaborative effort involved in the creation of the report, emphasizing its significance in enhancing the city's resilience and preparedness for future seismic events. Chu stated, "San Franciscans survived and rebuilt this City after the 1906 earthquake and Loma Prieta. We understand how programs like our soft-story retrofit program help save lives and pre-emptively reduce damage. As we look to the future, this report is a valuable first step and roadmap toward a focus on concrete buildings."

The CBSP forms part of the San Francisco Earthquake Safety Implementation Program (ESIP), a comprehensive 30-year strategy aimed at enhancing seismic safety within the city. Brian Strong, Chief Resilience Officer and Director of San Francisco’s Office of Resiliency and Capital Planning, highlighted the importance of the stakeholder report in fortifying concrete and tilt-up buildings against earthquakes. Strong noted, "This stakeholder report is critical to understanding what it will take to make our concrete and tilt-up buildings more resilient to earthquakes."

Additionally, Patrick O’Riordan, Director of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, emphasized the significance of the CBSP report in preparing the city for seismic events. O’Riordan stated, “Resilience is a product of preparation. And earthquake preparation has four main components: evaluation, financing, outreach, and construction - each of which is thoughtfully addressed in this report.”

The collaborative effort and community engagement process that led to the development of the CBSP report were commended by Sarah Atkinson, Hazard Resilience Senior Policy Manager at SPUR. Atkinson praised the integration of diverse stakeholder perspectives in the report and highlighted its importance in enhancing the city's seismic sustainability. Atkinson remarked, “The CBSP report, the result of a comprehensive community engagement process, integrates multiple stakeholder perspectives and outlines recommendations which meld complex technical, economic, and process strategies into an ordinance which addresses this public safety concern with an appropriate time urgency.”

The CBSP Stakeholder Engagement Report is available for review to provide insights into the recommendations and strategies outlined for the Concrete Building Safety Program.