MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mike Wildgen, City Manager          

THRU:             Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager

FROM:            Victor Torres, Neighborhood Resources Director

SUBJECT:     Storm Shelters—Board recommendation

DATE:           January 19, 2005

The Building Code Board of Appeals met September 16, 2004 and reviewed the request to require storm shelters in every new dwelling built within the city.  Board members recommended in a motion (4-0) that the City of Lawrence not mandate storm shelters in new single-family homes.  However, if the City Commission elects to require storm shelters, the board recommends the Building Code be amended to adopt approved standards of construction.  The approved minutes of the Building Code Board of Appeals September 16, 2004 meeting are attached to this memorandum. 

Additional Information 

Staff contacted the building inspection departments of Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City and found no requirements for a storm shelter or safe room in new construction of single-family or multi-family housing units.  In addition, there are no federal or state mandates for private storm shelter accommodations.

Attached to this memorandum find a letter from Jane K. R. Graves requesting the Commission  require storm shelters in every new dwelling and new school built within the City of Lawrence.  Also, find a letter from the Lawrence Homebuilders Association that provides estimated costs to include a basement in a new single-family home to serve as a shelter and estimated costs for a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved storm shelter.     

Commission Options

1. Concur with the recommendation of the  Building Code Board of Appeals to not require storm shelters in new single-family homes.

2. Require a FEMA approved design storm shelter in all new single-family homes constructed after a predetermined date.