As most of the building community is
already aware, the “new” 2007 California Building Code
Series (Title 24) was adopted by the State of California,
January 1, 2007, and has been available for purchase since
July 1, 2007. Ordinarily this would not be more than a minor
bump in the road for the industry. However, this year,
California has joined the rest of the United States in
adopting one or more “I-Codes.”
In 1994, all the major code
organizations consolidated forming the International Code
Council. As a result, Building Officials and Code
Administrators International (BOCA), Southern Building Code
Conference International (SBCCI), and International
Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) organizations ceased
to exist. California historically adopted a code produced by
ICBO, called the Uniform Building Code, which was last
published in 1997. The 2006 International Building Code is
now the base document for the 2007 California Building Code.
Of course, California amendments will still apply. Plumbing
and mechanical codes are based on the 2006 Uniform Codes
produced by the International Association of Plumbing and
Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). The 2007 California Electrical
Code is based on the 2006 National Electrical Code produced
by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). California
will now be using the most up-to-date code available and has
an opportunity to be a strong voice in the code development
process. By state law all jurisdictions must adopt the 2007
California Codes by January 1, 2008. The City of Modesto is
on schedule for this adoption.
How does this affect you?
To
the general public there will be very little difference in
the construction process. To the contractor and the designer
not familiar with the International Building Code, there
will be a learning curve. On the surface most will agree the
two codes are similar; however, there is a significant
difference in concepts. In most cases the end result will be
the same, but how you achieve that result is where some may
have difficulty. The International Building Code is more of
a performance based document (here is the standard; you
decide how to get there). The Uniform Building Code was much
more prescriptive (cookbook).
These codes are available from
many different sources. The ICC website has all of these
codes available for purchase along with other design
commentaries. (www.iccsafe.org) In addition, the California
Building Officials organization will be presenting several
opportunities for training.
Visit their website:
http://calbo.org/industry_pro/Training/Class.aspx
NOTE:
If you purchased a code book, make sure you have the
subscription service for the updates. There will be several
errata coming to correct errors in the text.
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Vintage Faire Mall Life Style Center
The plans for the underground utility
relocation permit have been received and are currently in
plan review. The plans for the 50,000 s.f. Life Style Center
are scheduled to be submitted the middle of September
2007.Macerich has tentatively lined up 2 upscale restaurants
and is working on finalizing agreements with several retail
businesses to fill the shell building lease spaces. Macerich
is planning to announce the names of the tenants in the near
future.
Pelandale/McHenry
The Pelandale McHenry Specific Plan
consists of about 84 acres located on the southwest corner
of Pelandale Avenue and McHenry Avenue. This project
proposes a maximum of 210 Low Density Residential units.
Pelandale McHenry Specific Plan Final
Environmental Impact Report is scheduled to be completed in
late October and to be considered by the Planning Commission
in late November
of 2007.
Woodglen Specific Plan
The Woodglen Specific Plan project
comprises approximately 80 acres located on the north side
of Pelandale Avenue between Tully Road and Carver Road and
proposes the development of up to 530 single family and
multiple family residential units. The Draft Environmental
Impact Report is planned to be completed by early 2008.
Gould
The permit for the 132,277 s.f. medical
office building was issued on April 16, 2007. This building
is being constructed on the east side of the existing
medical office building where the parking lot was located.
The contractor has demolished several surrounding
single-family dwellings and constructed parking lots in
order to install parking for the new building. The
caisson/foundation system is currently being installed as
well as the underground plumbing and electrical work.
Kiernan Business Park East
The Kiernan Business Park East project
site is located on the east side of Dale Road between
Kiernan Avenue and Pelandale Avenue. The specific plan is
proposed to be amended to include approximately 39 acres of
commercial and Medium High Density residential development
on the east side of Dale Road, and 114 acres remaining for
Business Park development. The Administrative Draft
Environmental Impact Report is expected to be complete by
the end of September.
Tivoli Specific Plan
The Tivoli Specific Plan is located on
the north side of Sylvan Avenue between Oakdale Road and
Roselle Avenue consisting of about 454 acres. This project
is proposing up to 3,241 residential units and approximately
67 acres of regional commercial development. The Planning
Commission consideration of this project is estimated to be
by December of 2007 with the City Council consideration to
occur in early 2008.
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Earlier this year, one of Modesto’s new car dealerships
brought forward a request to be allowed free-standing
monument signs in a C-3 (Highway Commercial) zone (and the
equivalent area in the County). This request was based in
part on a desire to participate in a standardized national
sign program which provides for a certain size and type of
sign.
The Planning Commission held a workshop to consider C-3
signs on August 27 and requested that staff prepare an
amendment to the Code to provide for certain free-standing
signs in this zone. The C-3 zone currently places most
reliance on wall-mounted signs. The Commission gave general
direction to:
• provide for moderate-sized monument-type free-standing
signs to provide for identification of each business
(grouped together on a single sign where several businesses
are in a single center),
• confine the use of “directional” signs to providing
directional information rather than also serving to identify
or advertise the business,
• move toward the elimination of existing “directional”
signs which also include business identification, thereby
reducing visual clutter.
The C-3 zone encompasses most of the newer commercial
areas ot town, which are either zoned C-3 or P-D (Planned
Development) but with reference to the C-3 zone for sign
regulations. This includes particularly McHenry Blvd. north
of Briggsmore Ave., the eastern end of Yosemite Blvd., and
portions of Crows Landing Rd. For areas along these strips,
such as the northern end of McHenry, which are not within
City limits but are within the City’s Sphere of Influence,
the County has adopted provisions making the areas subject
to the City’s sign regulations.
The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on October
15, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. to consider an amendment to the Code
to implement the above principles. Interested parties and
the general public are invited to participate in this
discussion. It is anticipated that the City Council will
have this item before them in November for a public hearing.
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Testing of the Building and Development Services Division
“Automated Phone Permit Access (IVR)” system continues and
should be ready for users by the end of this month. Included
in this newsletter is an insert listing the inspection
activities and their 4 digit codes that will go out with
each issued permit. Once implemented, these codes will
enable customers to schedule building inspections and
retrieve inspection results and plan check status via this
automated phone system. Inspectors will also have the
ability to post inspection results from their cellular
phone. This list, along with additional instructional
material, will be available on the City’s web site to assist
with this implementation.
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By accessing the City’s GIS web page at:
http://www.modestogov.com/gis/home/index.aspx
customers can now select a parcel manually by using the
zoom tool or use the “Find” feature (binoculars) in the
toolbar. Once an individual parcel is chosen the user can
click on the vertical “REPORTS” tab to the left of the
legend. A window opens to the left with a button labeled
“Permit Info”. Choosing this button will provide a list of
all of the building permits associated with that parcel.
Choosing the blue permit number will produce a report with
detailed information available in the Tidemark permit
database. The information is updated twice daily at 2 p.m.
and at 6 p.m. Try it out!
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Margaret James
Business Analyst
Business Development
Promoted 7/24/07
Jim Alves
Associate Civil Engineer
Land Development Engineering
Promoted 8/7/07
Dan England
Senior Civil Engineer
Land Development Engineering
Promoted 8/21/07
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Haven’t you
ever wanted to tell someone exactly what you thought of
them? Well, now you can! Whether you want to give someone a
well deserved “pat on the back” or you have some suggestions
of ways that we can make our service to you better, you can
have a voice. Please take the time to complete one of our
Customer Surveys. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
The survey
can be completed in our office or on-line by visiting the
CEDD web site at: www.modestogov.com/ced/survey/
Help us to
make our services better!
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This page was updated on: Sunday, November 16, 2008 6:24:50 PM
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Modesto, CA 95354
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