May 9 2018 Portland City Council Proposed Unreinforced Masonry Amendments (no votes yet taken)

Below are the proposed amendments to the City of Portland Unreinforced Masonry Resolution

May 9, 2018  AMENDMENTS:  UNREINFORCED MASONRY RESOLUTION      ITEM 458                              

Direct Bureau of Emergency Management, Bureau of Development Services, and Prosper Portland to develop Unreinforced Masonry Building Mandatory Retrofit Implementation Steps and return to Council for adoption within one year (Resolution introduced by Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Eudaly) 

Saltzman amendment:

Require the wall to floor connections in 15 years as was recommended by the Policy Committee: Moved by Saltzman and seconded by Wheeler.

Fish amendments:

1. Add a final “WHEREAS” section that reads as follows:

WHEREAS, the City of Portland is experiencing a housing crisis, and therefore has an interest in ensuring that all options to preserve affordability have been explored, especially in URM buildings where public dollars have been invested to guarantee long-term affordable housing: Moved by Fish and seconded by Eudaly.

2.Strike a portion of the second and the entirety of the third “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED” section:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council directs staff to develop code language to strengthen triggers in the existing code related to seismic retrofitting of URM buildings, and to require mandator retrofits of Class 3 and Class 4 URM buildings as described in the Unreinforced Masonry Policy Committee Final Report, except not including wall floor ties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Class 3 and Class 4 buildings owner shall have twenty years to perform the described retrofits; and

Moved by Fish and seconded by Wheeler.

3. Add an additional “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED” section that reads as follows:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this working group shall be subject to the boards and commissions reforms adopted on November 8, 2017, via Resolution No. 37328, including mandatory conflict of interest disclosure; and

Moved by Fish and seconded by Wheeler.

Fritz amendment:

ADD the following text:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council will develop a financial plan to bring all City-owned unreinforced masonry buildings into compliance with the adopted mandatory seismic retrofitting standards based on the assessed costs to retrofit; and

Moved by Fritz and seconded by Eudaly.

 

Wheeler amendment:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council directs City staff to develop code language for the adoption of a mandatory seismic retrofit program for Class 1 and Class 2 URM buildings as described in the Unreinforced Masonry Policy Committee Final Report and return to Council for adoption within a year; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City Council directs staff to develop code language to strengthen triggers in the existing code related to seismic retrofitting of URM buildings, and to require mandatory retrofits of Class 3 and Class 4 URM buildings as described in the Unreinforced Masonry Policy Committee Final Report, except not including wall-floor ties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Class 3 and Class 4 buildings owner shall have twenty years to perform the described retrofits; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council directs City staff from the Bureau of Development Services, Prosper Portland, and Bureau of Emergency Management, to formulate a working group comprised of URM building owners, URM building tenants, and other subject matter experts, charged with further evaluating reasonable seismic retrofit requirements, support, incentives, and timelines, for Class 3 and Class 4 URM buildings, and return to Council within a year to report on their findings. This includes identifying specific strategies to achieve wall-floor ties including incentives, financing options, tax strategies, and hardship options. This also includes an evaluation of the impacts on insurances rates for seismically retrofitted buildings, including wall-floor ties.

Moved by Wheeler seconded by Fish.

 

No votes taken.