WHEREAS most communities are trying to build housing and neighborhoods that will allow their citizens to age in place without having to move so they can remain connected to their community; AND WHEREAS building codes only allow accessible building standards to be applied on multi family housing and do not apply to single family dwellings or townhouse development: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that provincial and federal building codes be amended to allow communities to apply accessible building standards to all residential classes.
Ministry of Public Safety Solicitor General - Minister of State for Building Code Renewal Standards for the design and construction of adaptable housing were added to the BC Building Code and came into effect on December 31, 2009. Adaptable housing is designed and built so that accessibility features can be added easily and inexpensively after construction. It particularly benefits individuals whose mobility is limited due to age, disability or illness, making it easier for them to age in place and function more independently in their own homes. The standards currently apply solely to single-storey suites in new residential multi-unit buildings, wherever adaptable housing is either required by local government bylaw or built voluntarily. This approach provides consistency in how adaptable housing is designed and built, while giving local governments the flexibility to decide whether they want to require it. The adaptable housing standards were developed by a working group of representatives from all parties involved in residential construction. The process required extensive negotiation and a significant time commitment from group members. Application of the standards was intentionally limited to multi-unit buildings, because the Building Code already requires a level of accessibility in this building type and it represents a reasonable starting point for adaptable housing. Expanding the scope of the existing standards to include multi-storey single-family dwellings and townhouses would be technically challenging and would likely require even more time and effort. It has not been identified as a priority at this time due to resource limitations.