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Smarter Codes Spur Reinvestment |
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Why are many communities unable to tap a valuable, though aging, asset—their existing building infrastructure? Redeveloping underused buildings could boost local economies; revitalize neighborhoods; and meet growing demand for additional housing, industrial, and retail space. However, complex, outdated local building codes often impede the ability of many communities to rehabilitate and reuse existing buildings. As a result, some States and localities are examining and rewriting their building codes to spur reinvestment in existing structures. A timely HUD report, Smart Codes in Your Community: A Guide to Building Rehabilitation Codes, provides a thorough yet easy-to-follow guide for developing smart codes—construction codes that encourage alteration and reuse of existing structures.
Smart Codes reviews the general regulatory environment governing reuse of existing buildings and provides examples of recent State and local efforts to reduce regulatory complexities. The report also discusses HUD's 1997 Nationally Applicable Recommended Rehabilitation Provisions (NARRP). Adapting New Jersey's innovative Rehabilitation Subcode, NARRP provides a model rehabilitation code that other States and jurisdictions could adopt. NARRP rests on two principles: predictability and proportionality. HUD's model provides predictability because rehabilitation requirements for
a particular project are clear from the beginning. NARRP ensures that code requirements are proportional to the extent of work, making rehabilitation more affordable.
NARRP borrows four concepts from New Jersey's Rehabilitation Subcode:
- Six categories of work: repair, renovation, alteration, reconstruction, addition, and change of occupancy.
- Work area: the portion of the building affected by repair or alteration.
- Supplemental requirements: additional requirements, such as installing fire sprinklers, triggered by extensive work areas.
- Four hazard scales: provide predictability by clearly relating specific requirements to specific increased
hazards in the existing buildings.
The report recommends strategies for adopting smart codes similar to NARRP at the local and State levels. To begin this process, the report recommends creating a local stakeholders' committee to articulate problems that exist with a community's current regulatory approach to renovating existing buildings. Additional strategies include exploring other options and models that exist and comparing these models with current local regulations. The report also recommends that communities should establish followup procedures, such as training for code enforcement officials, after they adopt new rehabilitation codes.
Order Smart Codes in Your Community:
A Guide to Building Rehabilitation Codes from HUD USER for $5. Please use the order form. The report can also be downloaded from the HUD USER website at www.huduser.gov.
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