Issue Vertical access to the second floor of an office building.
The applicant is requesting an extension of the Final Order previously issued on February 26, 2008. Construction did not commence within one year of that date, rendering the existing Final Order null and void. The applicant agrees to all conditions previously attached to the current Final Order.
Analysis: The applicant is requesting a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to the second floor of an existing office building that is undergoing a $35,000 alteration. There are 2,200 square feet on the upper level, which is the location of the alteration. Quotes of $44,800 and $38.780 were submitted, which are greater than the cost of proposed construction. According to the applicant, the building, which was constructed in 1940 is not structurally sound enough to accommodate the addition of an elevator. No changes are planned to existing toilet facilities or kitchen.
Project Progress:
The project is in plan review.
Items to the 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.