Title
Ordinance No. 17-38 amending Section 102 (General Standards) of Part 1 (General Standards) of Article 4 (Site Development Standards of Chapter 7 (Planning Development and Building) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, As Amended, Pertaining to ADA Site Accessibility
(Legislative)
Presenter:
Meggan Herington, Assistant Director of Planning
Peter Wysocki, Director of Planning and Development
Body
Summary:
This amendment proposes to add Subsection H to Section 102 (General Standards) of the City Code codifying a note related to ADA site accessibility compliance notifying property owners of their responsibility under Federal law and a requirement that ADA accessible routes with clearly identified corridors be reflected on development plans that are submitted to the City for review and approval.
Previous Council Action:
While Council has not heard previous action on this language specifically, staff presented an update to the ADA parking standards to City Council at the January 10, 2017 Work Session. As part of that presentation, staff discussed the need for additional ADA site accessibility language. The updated parking ordinance was approved by City Council on February 14th.
Staff presented the background information to City Council Work Session on March 13, 2017.
During the March 13, 2017 Work Session, some of the Councilmembers expressed concerns that the ordinance gives an appearance that the City is avoiding the responsibility of enforcing the ADA; and asked the question of why the staff can't ensure compliance. A more detailed response can be provided during the Council meeting; however, to briefly address the questions/comments, staff offers the following:
The ADA is a Federal law that applies to property owners. The ADA not only applies to construction, but it also establishes ongoing, post-construction accessibility requirements. Although some cities and counties (including the City of Colorado Springs) review for...
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