Historical Buildings to Be Surveyed for Quake Rules

The Culver City Redevelopment Agency will conduct a survey of all city buildings constructed before 1933 to help the City Council prepare a law setting stronger earthquake safety standards.

The survey is intended to identify buildings the agency believes to be of historical and architectural significance but that may face demolition if the city adopts the proposed law. Buildings constructed before 1933 were built before the state mandated earthquake standards involving the construction and design of new buildings.

The agency staff suggested that the city should know which of its buildings it may want to preserve for historical, cultural or architectural significance before officials prepare the ordinance. Other cities that have adopted earthquake safety laws have found themselves forced into demolishing some buildings officials later determined to be historically significant, the staff reported.

The law, being prepared by the city staff, may require the demolition of buildings considered unable to survive a major earthquake. State officials have said that the state may impose stronger earthquake standards on the cities if local governments fail to adopt their own earthquake safety laws, the staff reported.

Agency members decided to use agency funds for the survey, to be conducted by a consultant, because most of the pre-1933 buildings in Culver City are within the city’s three redevelopment districts, created to improve blighted areas of the city.

The agency also adopted its 1986-87 budget, which includes $68 million in projected revenue and $56 million in expenditures.