DATE:

May 19, 2004 (Wednesday)

TIME:

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

LOCATION:

1660 Mission Street, Suite 2001

Note:

Public comment is welcome and will be heard during each agenda item.  Reference documents relating to agenda are available for review at the 1650 Mission Street, Suite 302.  For information, please call Alan Tokugawa at (415) 558-6004.

1.0

Call to Order and Roll Call and confirmation of quorum.

(2 minutes)

2.0

Approval of minutes of the Regular Meetings of April 21, 2004.

(5 minutes)

3.0

Discussion and possible action regarding any proposals or issues related to revising the 2001 San Francisco Plumbing Code.  The proposed action will be to direct the Technical Services Division (TSD) to continue, revise, or delete the work on these proposals.

(30 minutes)

4.0

Status regarding Draft #21 of a proposed Administrative Bulletin AB-059, “Mitigation of Asbestos Hazards During Alteration or Demolition,” including a draft of a companion brochure describing asbestos hazards.

(5 minutes)

5.0

Discussion and possible action regarding a Board of Supervisors Resolution 234-04 (File No. 040418) urging the Mayor’s Office of Homelessness, the Department of Building Inspection, and the Planning Department to investigate the viability of using Jim Reid’s Shelter-One (the smallest house in San Francisco) as a potential homeless shelter in a test pilot project. [Supervisor Gonzalez]

(20 minutes)

6.0

Subcommittee Reports:

(20 minutes)

a.

Housing Code Subcommittee: 
Subcommittee Chair:  Jim Reed
Subcommittee Member:  Jerry Cunningham, P.E.

Report, discussion, and possible action regarding proposed revisions to the 2001 San Francisco Housing Code (SFHC), Chapter 12, Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO), and related issues.  These proposed revisions include:

i.

SFHC Section 1208, Exemptions, delete Section (a)1 exempting existing buildings with proof of compliance, to require additional upgrades at time of each sale;  SFHC Section 1212 Required Measures and Postponements, add additional measures that are to be completed after existing 6 items have been done, and prioritize such measures.

ii.

SFHC Section 1209, Limitation of Expenditure, and 1210, Improvements, adjust the dollar amounts that trigger RECO and limitations for RECO based on other types of cost index.

iii.

SFHC Section 1210,Energy Conservation Requirements Upon Major Improvement, Metering Conversion, Residential Condominium Conversion, or Complete Inspection, clarify and or confirm compliance with RECO requirement upon sale of condominiums, and how and when compliance will be confirmed.

iv.

SFHC Section 1212, Required Energy Conservation Measures, add to list of required measures a required conversion of certain lights (bath, kitchen, hall, etc.) from incandescent to fluorescent, or otherwise limited lumens per watt standard, or install occupancy (motion) sensors and /or timers.

v.

SFHC Section 1212(a)1, Required Energy Conservation Measures, upgrade RECO attic insulation requirements from R-19 to R-30.

vi.

SFHC Section 1217, Rules, review and develop rules to allow confirmation that required RECO energy work has been completed; add requirements for reporting and audit of enforcement, especially when completion is deferred to new owner.

b.

Fire and Life Safety Subcommittee:        
Subcommittee Chair:      Jerry Cunningham, P.E.
Subcommittee Members:   Charles Breidinger, P.E., Carolynn Abst, AIA, Nicholas Palter

Discussion and possible action regarding any proposals for revising the 2001 San Francisco Building Code and issues relating to fire and life safety. These proposed revisions include:

i.

Revision to Table 5-A by adding a footnote that codifies 1-hour property line wall equivalents for existing building alterations.  This revision could also be developed as an Administrative Bulletin.

ii.

Revision to California Building Code Section 1003.2.9.1, Exit Illumination, and California Energy Code Sections 130, 150, etc, dealing with level of lighting required for safe exiting by senior citizens or other visually impaired persons.

Discussion and possible action regarding consistent interpretation of requirements under Administrative Bulletin AB-037, Non-Complying Exit Separation in Existing Group B, F-1, M, S-1, and S-2 Occupancies.  Specifically, the discussion will focus on the fire-resistive requirements for intra-tenant partitions that create complying tenant “compartments” for purposes of equivalent exit separation.  The possible action will be to direct TSD to clarify or revise this administrative bulletin as determined.

c.

Administrative & General Design Subcommittee  
Subcommittee Chair:      Fredric Freund
Subcommittee Members:            Arnold Lerner, AIA; Zachary Nathan, AIA; Tony Sanchez-Corea.

Discussion and possible action regarding any proposals for revising the 2001 San Francisco Building Code and issues relating to general design and administration.  These proposed code changes include:

i.

Revise San Francisco Building Code Section 106.3.1, Application for Permit, to add a new section or revise existing subsections to require the submittal of separate “existing” and “proposed” plans to reduce confusion during plan check and field construction.

ii.

Revise San Francisco Building Code Section 1701.5, Special Inspection – Type of Work, by adding to the special inspection types a required periodic inspection for all sound transmission assemblies.

d.

Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Subcommittee:         
Subcommittee Chair:           Charles Breidinger, P.E.
Subcommittee Members:    Jim Reed;  Jerry Cunningham, P.E.

Discussion and possible action regarding proposed revisions to the 2001 San Francisco Plumbing Code and related issues.  These proposed revisions include:

i.

Revision to Mechanical Code Section 104.1, Additions, Alterations, or Repairs, that would require mechanical equipment to be upgraded to higher standard of energy efficiency for additions, alterations, or repairs to commercial buildings.

ii.

Add provisions to Mechanical Code Section 104.4, Maintenance, to require re-commissioning or tune-up with certification by a licensed mechanical engineer or other approved professional for commercial buildings exceeding a designated size or by energy use or by other parameters.

iii.

Revise California Energy Code to add a new Section 100(h); or addition to San Francisco Building Code Section 1701.5; or expand California Mechanical Code Section 116.5, Other Inspections; or add San Francisco Electrical Code Article 89-24(g), regarding certification of installation of HVAC or other energy systems by design-engineer-of-record or other responsible licensed person, and limited to the “area of remodel” for alteration of existing commercial buildings, and to building-wide systems when applied to new buildings.

iv.

Revise San Francisco Electrical Code Article 089, Administration; add Section 120, or revise Section 149(b)D of the California Energy Code, to require an upgrade of fluorescent lighting from T-12 to T-8 or T-5, or to meet a designated lumens per watt standard if funding to support this upgrade is available, in all or designated commercial buildings.

e.

Structural Subcommittee:
Subcommittee Chair:           James Guthrie, S.E.
Subcommittee Member:   J. Edgar Fennie, AIA;  Michael Fretz

Report regarding:
i.   Special Inspection for signs and awnings
ii.  Update to structural standards in 2001 California Building Code
iii. Preliminary results of CAPSS program
iv. DBI requirements for geotechnical reports

f.

Disability Access Subcommittee
Subcommittee Chair:      Lee Philips
Subcommittee Members:   Arnie Lerner, AIA.,  Zachary Nathan, AIA;
Tony Sanchez-Corea, III; Nicholas Palter

Discussion regarding future topics for Subcommittee agenda, including proposed revisions to San Francisco Building Code.

g.

Green Building Subcommittee:
Subcommittee Chair:  To be selected
Subcommittee Members:  Carolynn Abst, AIA; Charles Breidinger, P.E.; James Guthrie, S.E.; Arnold Lerner, AIA; Zachary Nathan, AIA; Nicholas Palter

Discussion and possible action regarding proposed revisions to building and energy codes enforced by DBI, including:

i.

San Francisco Building Code Appendix Chapter 15 – Add Section 1521 requiring that insulation be added as part of a reproofing system for commercial buildings up to 3 stories.

ii.

San Francisco Mechanical Code, Sec. 302.3, or California Energy Code, Sec. 111, to add requirement that “Energy Star” compliant appliances be installed as replacements of existing appliances as well as new installations.

iii.

San Francisco Building Code, former Chapter 53A, to readopt the Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance (CECO).

iv.

California Energy Code, add a new section 100(d)5 to prohibit electric resistance heating in new and alterations of residential construction.

v.

California Energy Code, Section 119, to place limits on public area and outdoor lighting lumens per watt, including porch and garage lighting.

vi.

California Energy Code:  early adoption of the revised California Energy Code, especially provisions for outdoor lighting.

7.0

Status of on going programs within Technical Services Division:

(10 minutes)

a.

Update on Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety  (CAPSS).

b.

Report on seismic retrofit of “soft” stories within wood-frame structures located at corners of city blocks.

c.

Report on other current TSD activities related to code and procedure development.

d.

Update on status of proposed codes for California.

8.0

Secretary’s report on upcoming events, announcements and tasks for the CAC.

(5 minutes)

9.0

Committee Member’s and Staff’s identification agenda items for the next meeting, as well as current agenda items to be continued to another CAC regular meeting or special meeting, or a subcommittee meeting.  CAC discussion and possible action regarding administrative issues related to building codes.

(3 minutes)

10.0

Public Comment on items not on this agenda but within the jurisdiction of the Code Advisory Committee.  Comment time is limited to 3 minutes or at the call of the Chair.

11.0

Adjournment.