THE WAVE HOTEL

Issue: Vertical accessibility to the raised first floor guest rooms and the basement.

Analysis: The applicant is requesting a waiver from providing vertical accessibility to the first floor guest room level which is accessed by a 60 inch wide stair. Because of life safety requirements, this is insufficient width to install a lift. The stair to the basement level is 46 inches wide and would also be too narrow for a lift in this area. The basement stair is located within two shear walls, making it technically infeasible to alter the area. The overall project will cost approximately $1.7 million; however, cost is not the main consideration for the waiver. It is the issue of altering the circa 1920’s building design to comply with recent codes and to ensure the historic character of the building is not damaged.

Project Progress:

The project is in plan review.

Items to be Waived:

Vertical accessibility to the first floor guest rooms and the basement, 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.

(4) 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.