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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBuilding Review Board - Minutes - 11/30/2017City of Fort Collins Page 1 November 30, 2017 Alan Cram, Chair City Council Chambers Michael Doddridge, Vice Chair City Hall West Andrea Dunlap 300 Laporte Avenue Tim Johnson Fort Collins, Colorado Bernie Marzonie Justin Montgomery Staff Liaison: Rick Reider Russ Hovland Chief Building Official The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6515 (TDD 224-6001) for assistance. Regular Meeting Minutes November 30, 2017 A regular meeting of the Building Review Board was held on Thursday, November 30, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Fort Collins Municipal Building at 300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. • CALL TO ORDER Chair Cram called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. • ROLL CALL PRESENT: Cram, Doddridge, Dunlap, Montgomery, Johnson, Marzonie ABSENT: Reider STAFF: Hovland, Van Hall, Schiager • PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None. • DISCUSSION AGENDA 1. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 27, 2017 MEETING Member Marzonie moved to approve the minutes of the April 27, 2017 meeting Member Montgomery seconded. The motion passed 6-0. Building Review Board City of Fort Collins Page 2 November 30, 2017 2. PRESENTATION ON “ENGAGE” SOFTWARE Christine Macrina presented information about the new Engage software for City volunteers. She explained the purpose of the software, and provided a general overview of its use. She said there will be upcoming training opportunities for board members. 3. ADOPTION OF THE BRB 2018 WORK PLAN Mr. Hovland introduced the item for discussion. Public Input None Board Questions and Discussion None Board Deliberation Member Doddridge made a motion to adopt the 2018 Work Plan of the Building Review Board. Member Johnson seconded. The motion passed 6:0. 4. CONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSAL TO MODIFY THE BUILDING CODE ADOPTION CYCLE Mr. Hovland explained that he is seeking the Board’s support in skipping every other code cycle, rather than adopting each one as they come out every three years. The Code adoption process is very labor intensive for staff and the committee, and is also an expensive undertaking. Code adoption takes approximately one year to complete and there is little time between cycles. The building code and the energy code (IECC) cycles follow the same schedule. He explained the differences between the 2015 and 2018 IECC, which he observed were minimal. Brad Smith, Energy Code Compliance Specialist, discussed how the City’s Climate Action Plan relates to the Code adoption cycle. He explained that Council may have concerns if we miss an opportunity to update energy codes. He said the impact of the IECC changes since 2012 have been minimal. He mentioned that Mr. Hovland will be meeting with the Energy Board, as well. Mr. Smith said his team agrees with skipping the next code cycle, but they have reservations about skipping it for three years at a time. He provided a handout about estimated impacts of the code updates which he reviewed with the Board. While code adoption is one of the cheapest initiatives to achieve some gains, he pointed out these statistics show the impact of adopting the 2018 IECC would be relatively small. He said there will be a big effort next year to enforce compliance. He emphasized the importance of transparency in this process. Public Input None Board Questions and Discussion Member Doddridge asked for clarification about the additional construction cost per building. Mr. Smith explained that is an estimated average of residential and commercial buildings. Member Dunlap asked about the labor involved in compiling this data. Mr. Smith explained the process used. He said they are predicting the number of buildings per type over the next three years, but that line item has a low confidence rating. Mr. Smith said they included an estimated $50,000 cost to the Building Department, which in the big picture is not even noticeable. Member Johnson asked why they are recommending skipping 2018, while at the same time saying it is relatively inexpensive. Mr. Smith said it is because of the relatively low impact the changes would make. Member Johnson expressed concern about missing an opportunity to make changes that would impact greenhouse gas. Mr. Smith said the City is on track to reach its 2020 CAP goals, but is not on track for 2030. However, they can’t accurately forecast that far out. That is why his team will support skipping the 2018 cycle, but not more. City of Fort Collins Page 3 November 30, 2017 Mr. Hovland emphasized they are talking about skipping all of the codes, not just the IECC. He added that the City’s ISO rating could be downgraded if the City is more than one code cycle behind the current code, explaining the steps he would take to avoid that. Mr. Hovland clarified that while the IECC stakeholder team isn’t in support of skipping every other code cycle, he would prefer that to be the general policy, adding that many other communities do that. Member Montgomery asked about the length of the adoption process and the impact on staff time. Mr. Hovland said while it has taken longer in the past, he is committed to a one-year process. Mr. Hovland estimated that half of his time would be spent on it during code review years, noting that it is also time- consuming for other Building Services staff who must learn the new codes. He also mentioned that feedback from the contractors and developers indicates that they also dislike dealing with the changes every three years. Mr. Hovland also noted the costs involved. There was some discussion about what neighboring communities were doing, and the challenges for contractors who work in more than one jurisdiction that use different sets of codes. Mr. Hovland said about half of the jurisdictions in the Denver area and further north are skipping every other code cycle. Chair Cram also noted the significant costs to the consumer. Having served on the Committee, he expressed frustration with the extensive discussions about sprinkler requirements, attic insulation and crawl space fire block. He stated that the average person can’t buy a house in Fort Collins anymore due to cost, yet we keep adding on. Member Doddridge participated in three of the last code reviews, and said the last two have been more about energy efficiency than life and safety. He asked if they could adopt the codes individually, for example IECC only and not the others. Mr. Hovland said that was a possibility, but due to the interconnectedness of the codes, it was not advisable. Member Doddridge mentioned having served on a code committee in another jurisdiction, and said the process would be made more efficient. Mr. Hovland said he would be open to recommended changes to adoption process. He noted that currently, the proposed code changes must be presented to 12 boards, and he hoped that could be cut in half. Chair Cram suggested a group presentation for all the boards. Mr. Hovland explained that his previous position had not yet been filled, causing a backlog for plan review, which would not be helped by another code review in January. Stock plans must be re-reviewed for compliance with new codes, which also requires additional staff time. Chair Cram noted that the Committee spent an inordinate amount of time discussing commissioning, which is a big frustration for contractors, particularly when it changes every three years. Member Johnson asked about changes in other codes. Mr. Hovland stated he did not see significant changes in the 2018 IBC, but he is hearing from the ICC that there will be more significant changes between 2018 and 2021. Member Montgomery said it makes sense to skip the 2018 code cycle. He said that the energy code changes from 2009 to 2012 were painful, and with technology changing at a rapid pace, waiting six years every time could create an unmanageable learning curve. Mr. Smith said a lot of jurisdictions are currently considering skipping the jump from 2009 to 2015 because it is so daunting. He said the City wants to continue to be an innovative and progressive jurisdiction, adding that Member Johnson had a good point about the challenges of neighboring jurisdictions working from different codes. Member Johnson mentioned the net-zero goal for 2030, and is concerned about setting ourselves up for huge hurdle in several years. Mr. Smith responded that there are impacts to being net-zero in terms of affordable housing. He said making a building structure, assemblies and envelope net-zero is currently not possible without renewables. Member Marzonie asked if Mr. Hovland was advocating for a six-year interval. Mr. Hovland confirmed that would be his preference, but acknowledged that with the stakeholder concerns, he would understand if the Board would prefer to support skipping just 2018 at this point. Member Marzonie suggested skipping one cycle as a trial, then reevaluating when the next one comes around. Chair Cram agreed with skipping one cycle and then reevaluating. Chair Cram agreed with skipping one cycle and then reevaluating. Mr. Hovland explained if he gets the Board's support to skip the 2018 cycle, he will visit the Energy Board and probably the CAP Executive Team in January, and could ultimately go before Council. The Board's recommendation would be influential with those groups. Member Johnson stated that while he is appreciative of Mr. Hovland and his staff, he is struggling with supporting skipping one even code cycle, even if it is low impact, when it could make a difference in emissions and greenhouse gas. Member Montgomery said he would support this proposal, since skipping 2018 wouldn't have a big impact. However, going forward, he would like to be on a regular 3-year schedule. Board Deliberation Member Montgomery moved to support skipping only the 2018 code review and adoption, and waiting until the 2021 code cycle to determine whether that cycle can be skipped. Member Marzonle seconded. The motion passed 5:1 with Member Johnson dissenting. Mr. Hovland thanked the Board for its support. • OTHER BUSINESS Chair Cram asked about the likelihood of a meeting in December. Mr. Hovland responded that there were some contractor licensing issues with regards to unpermitted roofs, and while none have escalated yet, it was a possibility. Chair Cram acknowledged that Members Doddridge, Dunlap and Montgomery's terms had expired. Mr. Hovland thanked the outgoing members for their service. • ADJOURNMENT Chair Cram adjourned the meeting at 2:10 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Gretchen Schiager. Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on ~'+"¥'y~~ .:JCJ/S Russell Hovland, Chief Building Official Alan Cram, Chair c;ty of Fort Collins Page4 November 30, 2017