10-30-1979 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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. Page .26 October 24 , 1979 Mr. Peter Erickson Office of Hearing Examiners Page 2 Many of the proposed amendments contradict national standards or are only nominal changes from existing requirements . Many of the proposals are lauditory goals which should be encouraged by proper incentives, but which become unreasonable, excessive burdens on all property owners and taxpayers if 'made mandatory. - The building code is and should remain a minimum code for the protection of public health and safety. Inclusion of many of these amendments would change the intent of the code into a required design manual without provision for attainment of equal results through alternative methods of design. Too many of the amendments have become "specification" requirements rather than "performance standards" . The City and I strongly oppose this type of change. I do not intend to belabor comments on individual sections as this has been adequately done by the North Star Chapter. We support their findings in all cases. However, we do wish to make the following specific comments: 1. The existing regulations have not been given a fair trial to determine areas needing change. Clarification of existing requirements is reasonable; superseding existing unproven requirements is not. 2 . Conflicts with national provisions have not been adequately � explained or justified. ' 3. Provision of handicapped facilities should accommodate all persons but some provisions specifically exclude one or more classes of citizen, including the temporarily handicapped (1.18813) and or actually endanger persons not handicapped in certain ways (1. 15503) . 4 . Section 1. 15505 is an impossible goal without halting all construction or remodeling of small businesses and/or causing wholesale non-enforcement. There must be reasonable exceptions to ramp accessible areas. Remember - not all handicaps prevent climbing stairs! 5. If standards are to be created, they must be uniform without placing the building official in the precarious position of arbitrating between an owner and an activist.