The Santa Clarita City Council is expected Tuesday to discuss adopting California’s updated building codes, as well as traffic signal upgrades and increasing its city bus fleet.

Every three years, the state publishes new building standards that the city is required to enforce to comply with California law. Now onto its second reading and public hearing, council members will vote Tuesday whether to adopt the new ordinance that repeals the 2016 building code.

The law does allow for local jurisdictions to amend the standards where it sees fit. Santa Clarita has proposed amendments such as higher fire classifications for roofing materials; improved seismic design and construction provisions for wood-framed structures; prohibition on un-reinforced concrete foundations; and a prohibition on permanent wood foundations.

While this cycle includes “fairly moderate” changes, energy conservation is perhaps the one to watch out for, according to John Caprarelli, a city building official. The code would “regulate anything from the design and installation of buildings and lighting systems “to enhance the efficiency and reduce energy use,” read a city staff report.
The 2019 building code will become effective and enforceable starting Jan. 1, 2020.

Traffic signals
After being annexed into the city, nine traffic signals along Plum Canyon Road, Golden Valley Road and Sand Canyon Road could soon have signal controllers and advanced intersection control software with the adaptive signal operation and backup batteries. Upgrades are estimated to cost nearly $200,000, according to the staff report.

Buses
The City Council will consider authorizing a contract of $2.52 million with Gillig Corp. for the purchase of four 30-foot natural gas buses, which “allow the city to continue to improve fleet reliability, take advantage of new vehicle designs and technology to improve the customer experience, reduce emissions within the region, and improve the overall fuel economy of the city’s bus fleet,” according to the staff report.

Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd.