SAN FERNANDO : 135 Buildings to Be Demolished Due to Quake

Reflecting further damage from aftershocks and an inability on the part of owners to repair their buildings, about 135 of the 154 red-tagged structures in San Fernando will have to be demolished, city officials said.

“The aftershocks whacked a few of them worse, and a lot of the people don’t have the money to rebuild,” said Jim Eldridge of DGA Consultants, an engineering firm hired by the city to perform and process building inspections. “Also, a lot of the damaged buildings are 70 to 80 years old, and it doesn’t make sense to repair an 80-year-old building.”

The 154 red-tagged structures include 53 businesses, or about 6% of those in the city, and 198 residential units, or about 3% of the total, according to an updated damage assessment report.

The report estimates the cost of structural damage at $48.1 million.

Although sales tax is San Fernando’s largest source of revenue, Councilman Doude Wysbeek said the city will not suffer greatly from the loss of businesses. “Most of these businesses will come back,” he said. “There will be a temporary loss of revenue, but the (San Fernando) Chamber of Commerce tells me it will not be that much.”

Among the buildings red-tagged is the San Fernando courthouse, which brought many people into the city. Many of the city’s businesses have reported being severely affected by the courthouse’s closure.

The largest severely damaged structure, a 17,000-square-foot office building at 451 S. Brand Blvd., has already been demolished. The Northeast Valley Health Corp., a health care provider which also has offices in Van Nuys, was the building’s main tenant.

Estimates of the number of buildings to be demolished keep rising. Initial estimates done in February found only 21 structures needed to be demolished, but an updated assessment in April found that 53 buildings needed to be razed, and 66 had been knocked down as of Monday.

“We were always under the assumption that any building could be fixed,” said Howard Miura, San Fernando’s Planning and Community Development director. “But some were so damaged that we recommended demolition.”

Engineers have conducted 2,367 building inspections in San Fernando since the quake. In addition to the 154 red-tagged structures, 145 buildings housing 215 residential units and 30 businesses have been yellow-tagged, according to the report.

To speed up the rebuilding process, the City Council voted in March to waive all construction permit fees for repairs that began within 45 days after Jan. 17, half of the fees for work that begins between 46 and 90 days, and one-fourth of the fees for work that begins within 120 days.

The city has already issued 292 building permits, at a cost of $82,875. It expects to be reimbursed the total amount by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.