Title
AN ACT CONCERNING UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR HOUSING - REVISIONS for the purpose of adding and revising certain definitions; providing for certain exemptions; requiring certain alarms; regarding the potential waiver of certain requirements by the Director of the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement in certain instances; requiring a certain form for the application for certain waiver exemptions; assessing a certain administrative fee in an amount per each waiver per each dwelling unit in a residential development project at the time of building permit for the cost of the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement’s processing and review of the Universal Design for Housing waiver provision as prescribed in the Table of Fees; imposing penalties for non-compliance of certain violations of the Universal Design for Housing law; providing for a certain appeal from a certain waiver denial; and generally regarding Universal Design elements for certain newly constructed residential housing dwelling units.
Background
During the Council’s 2023 Legislative Session, CR-70-2023 was adopted which established a Universal Design Implementation Work Group to assist the County in implementing the required procedural and design requirements of Universal Design set forth in CB-65-2023 (DR-2).
This bill is the culmination of the work of the Work Group and revises CB-65-2023 (DR-2) in five main ways: definitions, waiver, appeal, an administrative fee, and civil fines. There is a companion resolution that amends DPIE’s Table of Fees and establishes the Universal Design for Housing Waiver Request Fee.