FLORIDA BUILDING COMMISSION
ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
June 8, 2010
Orlando, Florida
Minutes
Pending Approval
The Council meeting convened at 9:00 AM.
Members
Present: Jack Humburg,
Barbara Page, Catherine Powell
Members Absent: Chris Masal, Julia
Kates, William Riha
Following approval of the April 6, 2010 meeting minutes, the Council
reviewed the following applications for waivers of Florida Accessibility Code
requirements.
1. Pine
Creek Sporting Club
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to the upper levels of a tree
house structure with two elevated observation levels. The structure is located in a private, member
only club which includes a lodge, various types of shooting sports, helipad, recreational
field, toy barn, nature trails, horse stables, dog kennels, aviary and
volleyball and bocce courts. The cost to
construct the tree house is $36,000. The applicant is not claiming
disproportionate cost; however, the club maintains the law was never intended
to include an auxiliary feature of this limited nature in a rustic environment.
Application withdrawn by applicant
.
2. Superstein
Building
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all three floors of a building
containing an apartment and 11 hotel units.
There are three separate entrances to the building and the owner plans
to provide accessibility to the first floor via ramp at the northeast entrance. The first floor contains a lobby, the
accessible guest room and a guest room for the hearing impaired. According to the applicant, making the other
floors accessible would destroy the historic character of the building since
three exterior elevators would need to be provided in addition to the existing
stairwells serving the second and third floors.
The building is located in the historic Art Deco district.
Council Recommendation: Grant
3. University
of South Florida Basketball Training Facility
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to three rows of tiered seating
in the film room of a basketball training facility. Accessible seating is provided in the first
row. The project is a new, $8,500,000 athletic
facility that is in the design phase.
Council Recommendation: Grant
4. Hollywood
Golf
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to 9 holes of a new 36 hole
miniature golf course costing $1,000,000.
The course will include the playing area and a village with a Golf
Clubhouse, toilet rooms and storage which are fully accessible. The course is designed to permit persons with
mobility impairments to play nine holes of golf with alternate pin/hole
placements to provide the experience of playing a total of 18 holes in both
courses in the project. Signage and
score card information will also be provided for instructions on the accessible
route and pin placement. According to
the applicant, the cost of acquiring additional land would not be feasible to
create landscape features, unique hole layouts and water features.
Council Recommendation: Grant
5. Hernando
Elementary K
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all rows of seats in a
collapsible bleacher system in a gymnasium.
The project is new, $28,510,000, 166,695 square foot K-8 school
consisting of a three story classroom wing and three one story wings which also
include a cafeteria, and administration /media center. Seven wheelchair seating locations are
provided on the first level of the bleachers.
Council Recommendation: Grant
6. Orange
County Orlando Magic Recreation Center, Mildred Dixon Site
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all rows of seats in a
retractable bleacher system located in a new, $5,000,000 facility. The project will contain 24,400 square feet
and consists of a one story combination gymnasium, activity room, weight room,
cardio room and game room building. The
plans indicate that the 213 seat bleacher system will provide 6 wheelchair
seating locations with companion seats at the lower level bleachers.
Council Recommendation: Grant
7. Whispering
Pines Center
The applicant requested
a waiver for modifications to the requirements for 18” maneuvering clearance at
a doorway and to reduce the size of a toilet room grab bar from 42” to
36”. The project is an existing facility
and during the course of construction a structural column was found that
prohibits being able to provide the required clearance and grab bar. To do so would require extensive demolition
and reconfiguration of the space, including reducing classroom size. The scope of the project is renovation of 11
existing toilet rooms at a cost of $341,333.
Note: This request is not for a
waiver from a Florida specific standard, but from requirements of the federal
guidelines.
Council Recommendation: Dismiss. Commission cannot waive federal requirement but building
official may make determination that compliance is “technically infeasible”.
8. Winter
Park Community Center
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all rows of seats in a new
retractable bleacher system. The
building contains a gymnasium, meeting room, fitness room, teen classroom and
senior center. The gymnasium contains a
retractable bleacher system with accessible seating located in the first two
rows. The project will cost $9,000,000
and no estimates of additional cost to provide full accessibility were
submitted.
Council Recommendation: Grant
9. Alpha
Delta Pi Sorority
The applicant requested
a waiver from vertical accessibility to the second floor of a 14,239 square
foot building that was constructed in 1970.
The scope of the $120,000 involves a renovation to the second floor
bathroom to make it accessible. An
estimate of $33,000 was provided for the installation of a passenger elevator
to the second floor.
Council Recommendation: Grant
10. Kipp
School
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all rows of seats in a former
greyhound racing facility that is being converted to a charter school. The existing cast concrete bleacher system
was formerly used as the viewing area for the dog track and is being converted
to an interior auditorium. Eight
wheelchair seating locations are provided at the top of the auditorium;
however, three seats are on the ends of the rows. The project is being developed in stages and
the waiver request pertains to Phase II, costing $3,000,000 and includes the
auditorium renovation.
Council Recommendation: Grant with condition.
11. Kids
Inc. Daycare Facility
The facility is a
church with the sanctuary located above a lower level with classrooms in two
adjacent buildings connected by breezeways and open air stairs. The church arranged for a non-profit agency,
unaffiliated with the church, to operate the daycare center for low income
children up to three years of age. The
center will be located on the lowest levels of the two education buildings and
the lowest level of the sanctuary building, for a total of 8,805 square
feet. Each of the levels is accessible
at grade, but not vertically accessible internally. The project will cost $180,425 and $23,903
will be spent on improvements to provide accessibility, including accessible
door hardware and providing a new high/low drinking fountain. A platform lift would cost an additional
$27,500, raising accessibility costs to 32.7% of the budget.
Council Recommendation: Grant with condition.
12. Florida
State University – Johnston Building
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to all rows of seats in an
expansion of a building originally constructed in 1932 as a dining hall. Once completed, the building will provide new
classroom, lecture hall and studio space.
Three new accessible entrances will provide access to a central five
story atrium that will contain two elevators serving all floors in the
building. The classroom in question
contains six stepped platforms with 95 fixed seats and four additional
wheelchair seating locations located at the top and bottom levels. The project will cost $33,354,342; however,
cost is not the basis for the waiver request; and the applicant provided a
breakdown indicating $2,574,400 of the project budget has been allocated to
improve accessibility.
Council Recommendation: Grant with condition.
13. Soho
Beach House
The applicant requested
a modification to a final order previously issued by the Commission. The project is a historic hotel that is being
renovated and the addition of a new tower on the property. The original final order granted a waiver
from vertical accessibility to the second floor of the hotel. This area was intended for use as a guest
room; however, the applicant would prefer using it for two offices. The application has been submitted because
the proposed use of the area has been changed.
Council Recommendation: Grant modification of previously approved waiver.
14. Greenview
Hotel
The applicant requested
a waiver from providing an elevator with interior dimensions in compliance with
the current code. The elevator has a
door that provides a 33” clear opening and has interior dimensions of 33” x 150”. It is adjacent to existing stairs and
corridors and cannot be enlarged without encroaching on the means of egress.
The first guest room is elevated and due to structural constraints, cannot be
served by the elevator. The width of
steps from the lobby entrance level does not permit installation of the
inclined lift. The lobby is one riser
above the main entrance level and cannot be ramped because of historic
preservation requirements. The applicant
proposed to maintain a portable ramp to access into this area. Some of the rooftop additions proposed guest
rooms are intended to have a sunning area accessed by spiral stairs. This area cannot be served by an elevator
because the penthouse would violate zoning regulations.
Council Recommendation: Grant.