Appeal 34791

2023 PFC D105.1

Provide 30' maximum reach to roof access if fire fighting is to be served by ladder. Provide Aerial Apparatus Access if building height exceeds 30' access height.
Provide sprinkler system if neither 30' access nor apparatus access can be provided.

The intent of the appeal is to omit sprinkler system from the project due to complexity of installation and maintenance, potential required upsizing of water meters, and lack of property line space for in-line back flow preventer. An NFPA 13D system is required per plan check cycle 1. The attachments provided further illustrate the scope and location of possible emergency response for the proposed design.

The proposed design incorporates a level outdoor courtyard with two means of access: one via a grade-level route from North Richmond, and one via a permanent exterior staircase from Decatur. From this courtyard, approximately 2/3 of the level roof area can be accessed via ladder during emergency operations at a height of 25'-2" to parapet. (The courtyard also provides the same access to the existing adjacent one story building - or in other words, the existing building also requires the ladder response be interior to the site.) The remaining 1/3 of level roof area can be accessed from an interior stair hatch to the upper roof, or if the Board prefers, via a permanently fixed exterior ladder connecting the lower level roof to the upper level roof. The sloping site necessitates that the faces of the building along the street line property lines exceed 30' in height, but the overall geometry of the building is lower in height towards the unobstructed middle of the site. The lower level roof area is is to be developed as occupiable; the upper level roof area is accessible but not occupiable. For additional context, the proposed balcony as designed may be reached by a 30' ladder from the sidewalk - emergency access to the interior is possible from the balcony.

This appeal requests that the building geometry (level accessible roofs at varying heights) and open courtyard site access, as outlined above, in combination with the potential aerial apparatus access on Decatur street, be taken together as sufficient or more than sufficient to meet the intent of 2023 PFC Appendix D, without the need for an sprinkler system. Regarding aerial access, while N. Richmond is too steep and has too many utility lines to suffice as the dominant side for apparatus area, N. Decatur could accommodate an apparatus. This street and frontage will be redeveloped as part of this permit. Decatur is a 60' ROW, and with the required 12' sidewalk and 36' of pavement, could accommodate the required 26'x60' apparatus area immediately adjacent to the 70' frontage, and at a slope of less than 6%. (Buildings on adjacent parcels to the North will also need to use Decatur once developed.) Even if Decatur is deemed insufficient for aerial apparatus access, the proposed new building can be accessed on foot from both Decatur and Richmond - leaving multiple options for emergency response. An additional note on access, sprinklering, and number of floors: this project is similar to a recent up-down duplex our firm had permitted that met the definition of 3 story structure (plus basement), as the proposed basement, like here, is more than 50% below grade, and therefore was not required to incorporate sprinklers under PFC, ORSC, or City Code Guide IRC1. The project permit number is 2019-257782-000-00-RS. It is the same construction type, but taller in height and located on a dead end on NE Prescott, a location with arguably less aerial apparatus access maneuverability than the Decatur street option addressed under this appeal. Thank you for your consideration of all these factors.