[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Auburn 9-15-2005
by Ord. No. 12-2005. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The provisions of this chapter are specifically enacted to further the
policy of the City of Auburn to provide that new, single-family homes, duplexes
and triplexes which are constructed with public funds, as herein described,
be provided with design features to provide accessibility and usability for
physically disabled people.
The following regulations shall be applicable to new, single-family
dwellings, duplexes and triplexes which receive City, state or federal assistance.
For purposes of this chapter, the funding includes: Community Development
Block Grants (CDBG) and federal and state construction funds, and any other
public funds.
In addition to the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building
Code as referenced in this Code, the following design requirement shall apply:
A.
Building entrances.
(1)
Applicable dwelling units shall be designed and constructed
to have at least one building entrance on an accessible route served by a
ramp or a slope, in compliance with American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) standards, with a maximum slope of 1:12, unless it is impractical due
to characteristics of the terrain. This entrance should have an accessible
door in accordance with ANSI. Any entrance at the front, side or back of the
dwelling is acceptable.
(2)
The aforementioned requirement may be waived by the Auburn
City Manager or his/her designee by issuing an "Exterior Accessibility Waiver"
only in instances of site impracticability. The individual requesting such
waiver shall file an application for the waiver, which will include providing
proof that the topographical conditions of the building site prevent complying
with the above despite proper grading and site preparation to improve accessibility.
An independent party shall make verification of the site's impracticability.
A good faith attempt must be made on the part of a developer to improve accessibility
of the site.
B.
Interior door criteria.
(1)
All dwelling units, whether or not on an accessible route,
shall be designed in such a manner that the doors be sufficiently wide to
allow passage into and within all premises by persons in wheelchairs. Lever
hardware is required.
(2)
Doors, except those serving closets less than 15 square
feet in area, within individual dwelling units intended for user passage must
provide a minimum clear opening of 32 inches.
C.
Accessible routes into and through the dwelling unit.
An accessible route shall be designed and constructed in such manner that
a thirty-six-inch-wide level route, except at doors, must be provided through
the main floor of the unit with ramped or beveled changes at the thresholds.
D.
Wall reinforcement in bathrooms. Reinforcement in the
walls shall be provided at designated locations as specified by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) for future grab bar installation.
E.
Light switches, electrical controls, thermostats and
other environmental controls. All applicable dwelling units shall be designed
and constructed in such a manner that all premises contain light switches,
electrical outlets, thermostats and other controls in accessible locations,
no higher than 48 inches and no lower than 16 inches from the floor.
F.
Usable first-floor kitchen with wheelchair maneuvering
clearance as set forth by the International Code Council (ICC)/ANSI A117.1
- 1998.
G.
Usable first-floor bathroom with wheelchair maneuvering
clearances as set forth in ICC/ANSI A117.1 - 1998.
The provisions of this code shall be incorporated in all City of Auburn contracts for new construction. This chapter shall only apply to newly constructed homes as defined in § 126-2. Conversely, this chapter shall not apply to projects utilizing the Home Repair Assistance Program or other similar programs which give assistance for rehabilitation of existing housing.
