FULLERTON : Safety Drive Will Affect Structures

A list released last week of 127 unreinforced masonry buildings--those most dangerous in an earthquake--shows that Fullerton has more than any other city in the county, building official Chuck Daleo said.

The city will send notices to owners of all the buildings telling them they must either upgrade the structures or demolish them.

“During an earthquake, these buildings are potentially dangerous,” Daleo said.

In the coming weeks, the City Council plans to adopt deadlines by which owners must comply with the new earthquake ordinance. The ordinance is in response to a state law requiring all cities to adopt stricter standards.

The list of 127 potentially unsafe buildings includes churches, restaurants and businesses. Once further inspections are complete, some may have to be closed and protective covers installed over the sidewalk to prevent debris from hitting pedestrians during an earthquake, Daleo said.

Owners and tenants contacted last week said they were unaware the city was preparing new requirements.

“Nobody ever told us anything,” said Benny Saracini, co-owner of the Il Ghiotto Restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue in Fullerton. The restaurant has been identified as potentially unsafe in an earthquake.

His family has leased the building for 2 1/2 years and had never heard that the building was made from unreinforced masonry, Saracini said.

Doris Smith, co-owner of the Montessori Child Development Center on Chapman Avenue, said she and her husband wanted to knock down the 1908 building several years ago but could not because it is on the city’s list of historic buildings.

Instead, they invested $1 million to renovate the building and add seven classrooms around it, she said. Now, the city apparently will require them to spend more to strengthen the building for earthquakes, she said.

Except for dance and computer classes, the old building is not used by children at the school, she said.

The ordinance also requires owners of pre-1974 “tilt up” buildings to make modifications. A tilt-up building is one constructed with poured-concrete walls that are lifted and attached to the foundation, Daleo said. The roofs are not adequately attached to the walls in tilt-up buildings built before 1974, Daleo said. Several of the buildings in San Francisco that collapsed during the October earthquake were built with tilt-up construction, he said.

Although all California cities must require owners to strengthen unreinforced masonry buildings, Fullerton is the first city to require upgrades to tilt-up buildings, Daleo said.

The state’s Seismic Safety Commission might use Fullerton’s ordinance as a model for other cities, he said. Fullerton has 220 tilt-up buildings probably requiring upgrades.

Upgrading the buildings costs about $1 per square foot, Daleo said. Upgrading an unreinforced masonry building costs $8 to $12 per square foot.

Houses and apartments of four units or less will be exempted from the requirements.

The city’s Redevelopment Agency is considering offering loans to owners of the old unreinforced masonry buildings in redevelopment areas. All but seven of the 127 buildings are in redevelopment areas, Daleo said.

BUILDINGS FACING RENOVATIONS

These are some of the more prominent buildings that probably will need major renovations to meet Fullerton’s new earthquake standards for unreinforced masonry buildings. A total of 127 buildings, mostly concentrated around Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue, will be affected.

Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave.

Self-Realization Fellowship, 142 E. Chapman Ave.

Montessori Child Development Center, 2025 E. Chapman Ave.

Fox Fullerton Theatre, 510 N. Harbor Blvd. (closed for renovation).

Angelo’s & Vinci’s Cafe Restaurant, 516 N. Harbor Blvd.

William’s Hardware Store, 114 E. Commonwealth Ave.

Il Ghiotto Italian Restaurant, 136 E. Commonwealth Ave.

Security Pacific Bank, 101 N. Harbor Blvd.

Fullerton Music Centers, 121 N. Harbor Blvd.

Allen Hotel, 412 S. Harbor Blvd.

Masonic Temple, 501 N. Harbor Blvd.

Source: Fullerton building office