I am an engineer. Trained in California. You are well advised to get an engineer that is familiar with not only the codes in you area but also the conditions. I have been to
VB (love that place) and I am sure the foundations are significantly different designs that here in California or Kansas (previous poster). Remember that the soil conditions will also give significant strength to the recommended foundations. The need for shear reinforcement is more earthquake related and the expansive nature of the local soil may also play a part in the design.
The best advice is get a good structural engineer and he can walk you through it. There may be no issue at all but check with a local expert anyway.