Last week I met with Habitat for Humanity of East King County.  I must say, I was very impressed.  I must also say, I was rather surprised.  I couldn’t believe some of the opposition they face from neighbors.

Evidently, these opposing forces seem to think there are felons moving in, freeloaders, whatever it is they have in their minds that these people are.  I encourage you to look further into Habitat for Humanity.  The benefiting families actually “purchase” there homes & are required to volunteer as well.  This program is not a free for all.

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Regulating Issuance of Occupancy Placards

In an effort to better regulate the issuance of occupancy capacity signs, the City of Chicago is in the process of revising these requirements.  A capacity sign indicates the lawful number of authorized persons allowed in a place of assembly.  Currently, any space of assembly with areas greater than 250 square feet as well as any business serving liquor requires an occupancy placard.  Restaurants which are classified as mercantile use and do not serve liquor do not have an occupancy placard requirement.

The proposed rules and regulations for capacity signs includes a much more detailed list of building and space uses in which the placard will be required.  Included within this change is a stipulation that any restaurant with a seating area of 750 square feet or greater will also require an occupancy capacity card.  Due to the number of restaurants within the City that meet this criteria, if and when this new ordinance takes affect, the Department of Buildings could expect to see an overwhelming number of applications submitted by Restaurant owners and managers.

If a capacity sign is not obtained where required, the City could issue a violation, which would include fees and a court appearance.  Whether or not the City will actively seek out these restaurants to issue violations – as they have done in the past with Driveway and Grant of Privilege permits remains to be seen.  But it may not be a bad idea to start looking into getting an architect on board…

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By the time we see it, it may be outdated again – I am not talking about the newest shoe trend, I am talking about  the proposition fro a  revised Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and corresponding Accessibility Guidelines.  There was hope that this would be passed by President Bush prior to leaving office.  This never happened.  Now, with President Obama in charge, the Department of Justice withdrew the final draft rules in response to a memorandum from the Chief of Staff directing Executive Branch agencies to defer publication of any new regulations until the rules are reviewed and approved by the newly appointed officials.

No final action will be taken until these new officials have had the opportunity to review the rule-making record.  These officials will have the full range of rule-making options available to them.  Until then, the existing ADA Regulations shall be followed.

In Chicago, we are already one step ahead complying with many of the proposed requirements, but beware; sometimes compliance with the Chicago Building Code does not always meet compliance with the current ADA.

So maybe sometime later in 2009 we will see the passed ADA requirements but, our best guess is that these will already be out of fashion…

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Burnham Nationwide is pleased to announce the addition of Dan Phelps to its Board of Directors. His company, Salt Creek Capital, has taken equity stock in Burnham Nationwide. Dan’s enthusiasm about the potential in Burnham is clear.

"Burnham’s focus on results in providing consulting, inspection and permitting services frees its clients from the burden of regulatory and compliance issues. The company’s extensive experience and track record of success having obtained over 50,000 permits makes it the nationwide leader. It’s an exciting time as Burnham begins to leverage its strength in new, growing markets, including solar energy." ~ Dan Phelps

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