Downloads
Presentation from the National Development Council
This presentation focuses on financial incentives that exist, such as PACER or that could exist, including a retrofit credit program.
Executive Summary of Report to City of Seattle from The National Development Council.
The National Development Council (NDC) identified potential financing and funding mechanisms, with an emphasis on strategies to assist property owners who would face financial difficulties related to URM retrofit requirements, and develop strategies to mitigate those financial impacts. NDC, along with experts in the fields of construction, finance, and economics, estimated retrofit costs, researched best practices in peer cities, examined economic impacts of retrofits, and studied a comprehensive set of potential funding sources. (May 2019)
Full Report to City of Seattle from The National Development Council.
The National Development Council (NDC) identified potential financing and funding mechanisms, with an emphasis on strategies to assist property owners who would face financial difficulties related to URM retrofit requirements, and develop strategies to mitigate those financial impacts. NDC, along with experts in the fields of construction, finance, and economics, estimated retrofit costs, researched best practices in peer cities, examined economic impacts of retrofits, and studied a comprehensive set of potential funding sources. (May 2019)
A URM upgrade financing proposal from stakeholder groups.
Working groups, consisting of a cross section of stakeholders solved for: 1) physical and economic displacement of tenants of URMs; 2) delays in regulatory review and approval of retrofit applications; 3) engineering challenges and estimated cost of meeting the proposed technical specifications; and 4) the lack of an incentive structure not just for seismic, but also for environmental upgrades.
The document contains the Retrofit Credit proposal and working group recommendations which offer a pragmatic approach to addressing this critical challenge that is: a) technically and financially feasible; b) meets the needs of all stakeholders; and c) successfully protects Seattle’s URM buildings from the impact of the next big earthquake.
An information sheet from the National Trust for Historic Preservation Research & Policy Lab that explores, “the value of URMs and potential opportunities for financing their retrofit and continued use.. modeled on the City’s URM Policy Committee’s recommendations.”
The city of Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is considering a mandate for all unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings to undergo a seismic retrofit to reduce the risk of injury and loss of life in the case of an earthquake. Unreinforced masonry buildings are typically multiple-story, redbrick structures found in many of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and commercial centers. URM buildings are known to be unsafe in the case of an earthquake as they are built without steel reinforcement or sufficient structural connections between the building’s walls and other structural elements. A seismic retrofit can significantly reduce a URM building’s risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake. Collapsed buildings can endanger the lives of the building’s occupants and nearby pedestrians, block public rights-of-way for emergency response, and delay overall recovery from the earthquake. (2019)
This memo outlines a proposed standard for retrofit of unreinforced masonry buildings. The proposal was developed by the Unreinforced Masonry Building Technical Committee, with much assistance from the Structural Engineers Association of Washington Existing Buildings Committee (SEAW). The goal of the proposed standard is to establish a cost-effective retrofit requirement that would be effective in reducing the likelihood of collapse of URM buildings during an earthquake. The standard is intended to protect the lives of building inhabitants and those nearby, but would not be expected to prevent all injuries to people and buildings. (2011)
Click to Download Meeting Notes from the Mandatory URM Stakeholder Meeting