Soft-story apartments, condos and commercial buildings that might need to be seismically retrofitted under a recently adopted city law are largely concentrated in the San Fernando Valley, the Westside and Hollywood, according to an analysis.
According to the Los Angeles Times Friday, city officials will send out formal retrofitting orders to about 13,500 soft-story apartments and condos starting next month and continuing through the fall, depending on the type of building, Building and Safety officials said.
The first to receive the orders will be properties with more than 16 units, while condos and commercial buildings will be the last to receive the order notices.
Property owners have two years from receiving the orders to hire a licensed engineer or architect to evaluate their buildings and develop seismic retrofitting plans. They also must complete the retrofit within seven years of the orders.
City officials said Friday they have already sent out courtesy notices to the owners of the buildings.
Many of the buildings are wood-framed and usually have tuck-under parking spaces, which are typical of apartment buildings throughout Los Angeles.
In addition to receiving notices, property owners can also find out if their buildings have been flagged for possible mandatory retrofitting by visiting the city’s Building and Safety website at https://www.ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServices/?service=plr.
The city has also put together a guide to its retrofitting program at http://ladbs.org/soft-story.
—City News Service