Should the city of Austin pass the ordinance, new home builders would be required to provide access designed for disabled and elderly individuals, regardless of where the funding to build the home comes from. Heretofore, the city’s ‘visitability standards’ applied only to those homes built with public funding. The proposed requirements compel the builder to include at least one ramp or no-step entrance at a first floor entrance, 32 inch wide doorways with level thresholds, 36 inch wide hallways and first floor rest room walls reinforced for possible installation of supporting grab bars.
Protest was raised by home builders who said the requirements are not worth the added cost to build the house for the convenience of 1 percent of the population. One home builder cited a figure of an additional $5000 added to the cost of a home to widen the door ways because of the additional square footage. But the city claims the cost would be a more reasonable $200 to $500.
Austin has passed other ordinances that have added to the cost of building and inspections. In the past year, water and energy conservation ordinances have passed and there’s another upcoming proposal requiring point-of-sale energy efficient retrofits. Adding the proposed ‘visitability’ ordinance to the already high cost of home building is angering home builders and buyers alike. In response, the city scaled back the requirements a bit, including a waiver for houses on rough terrain.
A scaled down version of the ordinance passed on Wednesday, June 18.
