HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - Letter dated January 26, 1996 to all contractors, architects, engineers Ai
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i CITY OF AMES
P.O.BOX 811 AMES IOWA 50010
Community-University-Opportunity
FIRE DEPARTMENT/INSPECTION DIVISION
January 26, 1996
TO ALL CONTRACTORS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, INTERESTED PARTIES:
On January 4, 1996, the Building Code Board of Appeals approved a finalized list of the
proposed changes to the Ames Municipal Building Code. We will be holding a public
hearing on the proposed changes at our monthly code workshop on February 8, 1996, at
7:00 p.m. in Room 135 of the City Hall Building. The 1994 Uniform Building Code is
proposed to be adopted with the same local changes as we currently use with the 1991
UBC except for the following three items.
1. Current projects are required to be started within 180 days after the permit is
issued, and show continuous progress every 180 days, thereafter, until the project
is complete.
The new wording will read 180 days to start the project," as is now, but change to
read "show progress every 60 days, thereafter, or be approved by the Building
Official." This change is recommended because of numerous complaints from
neighbors of construction projects where work begins and becomes unsitely for the
neighborhood for months or years thereafter. Also, the Board felt the Building
Official shall become more aggressive in defining continuing progress, but provide
leniency in case of inclement weather or material delays.
2. Return to the wording in the UBC requiring an egress window in every basement.
Currently, we are less restrictive by requiring egress windows in finished
basements only. This change is proposed because of the numerous complaints of
homeowners spending thousands of dollars installing egress windows in
basements immediately after purchasing a new house. A great majority of
basements get finished within five years after the house is built.
The majority of builders already build to this standard. The most recent homes built
for the City's affordable housing program meet the egress standard as stated in the
UBC. The Des Moines Metro Building Official's Group already have this
requirement in Des Moines and surrounding suburbs. The board is also concerned
about liability for the City of Ames in case of a death or injury.
3, Require the same quality of footings for a wood pole structure as we require for a
steel structure. In both cases the buildings are pre-engineered, but the foundations
of the pole structures are based on past practice, generally, and are not based on
standard engineering practices. Steel structures, however, generally have
engineered foundations and are designed to withstand the forces placed upon them
and have continuous frost footings along the perimeter. There have been several
local concerns of uplift forces on pole structures where damage has occurred.
There have also been problems with frost penetration under the floor slab. The
Board prefers to see these two types of structures treated equally.
The Building Code Board of Appeals will be asking the City Council to approve the three
additional changes at a council meeting on February 27, 1996, and also will be asking that
they direct the city attorney to draft an ordinance adopting the 1994 UBC with local
revisions. Our goal is to adopt the 1994 UBC and local revisions for implementation on
April 1, 1996. It is my understanding that most of the design professionals, manufacturers,
and suppliers are already following the 1994 UBC and, therefore, these requirements shall
not surprise anyone with an April 1, 1996, implementation date. Please contact a Board
member or the Building Official if this is not the case.
After the public hearing we will proceed with our code workshop (time permitting). If you
cannot attend, please call or write to the Chairman of the Board, Dave Delagardelle, or the
Building Official by February 8, 1996.
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JEFF PEARSON
BUILDING OFFICIAL