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Dear Councilmember Alexandra Stillman :

It is a scientific reality that multistory buildings on Alluvial Soil do not do well in earthquakes, because:

1. Alluvial soil, when involved in an earthquake, turns to “jello”. The nature of soil size and shape combined with interstitial water creates a mobile, nonsupporting base.

2. Multistory buildings, due to the laws of physics, resonate. That means a 7.5 quake on the ground floor becomes a 9.2 quake on the 7th story.

Even though multistory buildings are an excellent way to concentrate population and conserve agriculture land. They are a disaster waiting to happen on alluvial soil. I remember seeing a “earthquake engineered” building that had undergone a 7.6 earthquake in Japan. It was all welded steel. And, yes, the steel building maintained it’s integrity. However, the building rested at an angle of 20 degrees. One wonders about the fate of the office workers, working on the “down side” of the floor.

I would urge you to set the height limit of the Gateway Plan to a maximum of four stories. We can live with that today, we can live with that tomorrow.

Regards, Craig Knox