[Visitaccess] Approaches to FHA AGs

[Bruce F. Donnelly]

Since Laura asked for me to do something on it, I just
posted the following on Pro-Urb, and I'm putting it
out here because there's not complete overlap.  Yes,
it's not to do with visitability, but it's for your
information.

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I think it’s time to ask for ideas from the list for
approaches to accessibility issues.  I don’t know
anyone in the Justice Department, so I am at a little
bit of a loss as to how to proceed.

We have identified some areas of concern, and there
are a couple of ways to organize them.  If we organize
them by physical-design issue rather than by category
(e.g. “overlook” versus “cost”) then the concerns
become most tractable.

The issues that came up frequently (but in no
particular order) are these:

1.	Overlook
2.	Shallow frontages
3.	Mixed use with dwellings over commercial space
4.	Small floorplates / big bathrooms
5.	Building on slopes
6.	Small buildings (“amortizing” elevators, etc.)
7.	Expensive hardware, square footage “lost” to
stairs, halls

Now, of course, issues of cost come into each of
those.  Many identified issues with the inflexible
guidelines – an oxymoron that points to a deep
problem.  That inflexibility, however, is to do with
the structure of the law and is not something that
expertise with physical design is going to change. 
Thus we might safely concentrate on the
physical-design concerns above.  

So, how can we proceed?  My concern is that someone
who does not already buy into the flip side of each of
these physical design issues will not be sympathetic,
and until we can make a case with examples, it would
be premature to involve the DOJ & friends.  Each of
the above begs a question:
1.	Why not just live with being at-grade?
2.	Why not set the dwellings back behind a lawn?
3.	Why not build the dwellings beside or behind the
commercial space?
4.	Why not build units bigger on one floor – such as
garden apartments rather than townhouses?  
5.	Can’t you just take advantage of the clear
exemption in the FHA AGs?
6.	What’s wrong with big buildings, big projects?
7.	Why not plan for accessibility from the beginning
so you can find cost offsets?

So, the question is, how do we make a case?  It seems
to me that the approach that worked with similar
clashes with standards – in standards for renovating
buildings, context-sensitive design (or solutions) for
roads, and zoning codes – was to propose
nearly-ready-to-use solutions, and then get
authorities to adopt them as exceptions or
alternatives.  How does that sound?


Yours truly,

Bruce F. Donnelly

(216) 470-9348