Issue: Vertical accessibility to the second floor of an office building.
Analysis: The applicant is requesting a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to an existing office building undergoing alterations of $19,140 for framing and build out; $5.800 for plumbing upgrades and additional sheet metal, textures and electrical work. During the three previous years, $46.939 was spent for electrical work, duct work and replacement of exterior windows and doors. $89,400 and $89,270 estimates were submitted as the cost to install an elevator and $61.600 for installation of a platform lift. A letter from a structural engineer was also provided to substantiate that it would be structurally impractical to modify the building so it could sup[port an elevator or lift.
Project Progress:
The project is in plan review.
Items to be Waived:
Vertical accessibility to the second floor, as required by Section 553.509, Florida Statutes.
553.509: Vertical accessibility - Nothing in sections 553.501-553.513 or the guidelines shall be construed to relieve the owner of any building, structure or facility governed by those sections from the duty to provide vertical accessibility to all levels above and below the occupiable grade level, regardless of whether the guidelines require an elevator to be installed in such building, structure or facility, except for:
(1) Elevator pits, elevator penthouses, mechanical rooms, piping or equipment catwalks and automobile lubrication and maintenance pits and platforms;
(2) Unoccupiable spaces, such as rooms, enclosed spaces and storage spaces that are not designed for human occupancy, for public accommodations or for work areas; and
(3) Occupiable spaces and rooms that are not open to the public and that house no more than five persons, including, but not limited to equipment control rooms and projection booths.
Waiver Criteria: There is no specific guidance for a waiver of this requirement in the code. The Commission’s current rule, authorized in Section 553.512, Florida Statutes, provides criteria for granting waivers and allows consideration of unnecessary or extreme hardship to the applicant if the specific requirements were imposed.