The City of West Hollywood invites residents, property owners, and community members to attend an informational meeting regarding upward rent adjustments for seismic retrofitting of rent stabilized properties. Two meetings will take place; each meeting will cover the same information. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, February 24, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard; the second meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard.

In 2017, the City Council of the City of West Hollywood formally adopted an Ordinance establishing a framework for the seismic retrofitting of certain types of existing buildings. The City’s Building and Safety Division worked with structural engineering consultants to survey the City’s existing building stock and cataloged every building in West Hollywood. The City’s Ordinance for the mandatory seismic retrofitting for soft-story residential and commercial buildings will become effective April 1, 2018. Owners of these properties will be required to have an engineer assess their properties and complete any seismic retrofitting work within five years of receiving notice from the City.

Currently, a landlord may apply for an upward rent adjustment if total operating costs for the building exceeds rent. The City is currently reviewing the application process and the two community meetings will provide an opportunity for property owners, managers, tenants, and community members to provide input on possible revisions to the application, including a direct cost pass-through option. In addition, staff will be available to answer questions about the seismic retrofit ordinance and the state’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which provides financing for upgrades.

The City of West Hollywood is a densely populated city with many buildings that are not retrofitted to withstand larger earthquakes. The City’s goal is to take a proactive approach to increase life-safety and minimize damage in the event of a major earthquake. While no building is absolutely earthquake-proof, retrofitting existing buildings will protect the safety of the people who live and work in West Hollywood, and lessen the economic impact following a major earthquake. For additional information about the City’s Seismic Retrofit Program, please visit www.weho.org/seismic.

For more information regarding the community meetings on upward rent adjustments for seismic retrofitting in rent stabilized properties, please contact Pete Noonan, the City of West Hollywood’s Rent Stabilization and Housing Manager, at (323) 848-6596 or at pnoonan@weho.org.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Seismic Retrofit Program, please contact Cynthia Zabala, the City of West Hollywood’s Acting Building Official, at (323) 848-6892 or at czabala@weho.org.

For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.