D.C. Adds New Safety Requirement in Wake of Recent Collapses

In the wake of the recent building collapse in Surfside, Florida as well as an apartment building under construction in Washington, D.C., the District's "Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs added several enhancements to building safety review on Friday," reports Naomi Starobin. The new rules, which apply to both multi-family residential developments and commercial properties, require that "all building owners must notify the District of any unsafe conditions and file engineering plans when unsafe conditions are being repaired" and call for a review of all active projects by the developer of the collapsed D.C. structure, 10Square Development. "In a statement, Mayor Muriel Bowser said 'The tragedy in Florida and the frightening collapse of a building here in DC have created a new sense of urgency to find these problems before they put people in danger.'"

"So far, the city has not determined the cause of the Kennedy Street building collapse, in which one construction worker was trapped and suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries." The investigation of the Surfside collapse, whose death toll stands at up to 95, also remains ongoing.