Santa Rosa Approves Longer Work Hours For Rebuilding From Fires

SANTA ROSA, CA — The Santa Rosa City Council Tuesday unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that exempts work to rebuild after the area's wildfires from the city's noise ordinance.
The city's Planning and Economic Development Department requested the urgency ordinance that allows an extension of construction hours in the Resilient City Combining District where the fires occurred.

The ordinance gives the city manager the authority to establish hours for exterior construction to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday with the ability to extend them between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday for certain activities that are critical to completing housing construction.

During the first year of rebuilding, builders found that pouring concrete for foundations needs to occur before 7 a.m. during times of significant regional demand for concrete, and framing needs to occur during the early morning or evening hours to reduce workers' exposure to high
temperatures.

Under the urgency ordinance, builders also will have give 48 hours notice in writing to the owners of occupied homes within a 150-foot radius of any construction that will occur before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. but no later than 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Oct. 8, 2017 Tubbs and Nunn fires damaged or destroyed 3,000 homes and 100 commercial structures in Santa Rosa.

Residents who still live in structures in the burn areas that include Fountaingrove, Hidden Valley and Coffey Park were exposed to significant noisy construction activity from machinery, planning and economic development department officials said in a report to the city council.

Many property owners also have requested quiet hours throughout the week, according to the planning officials.

— Bay City News Service