July 21, 2005

More space near homes urged

       People building new homes in Greenwood and White River Township could see prices rise by as much as $3,000 to pay for a larger yard that fire departments say is a safety necessity.  Chiefs of the White River Township and Bargersville fire departments are proposing changes to some local regulations to help prevent fires and the spread of fires to neighboring homes and buildings.  One change would space out homes more by making side lots larger. Three other changes would affect fire safety in apartments and condominiums, restaurants and bars built in White River Township.  Greenwood is considering a similar rule that would increase the distances between homes, said Ed Ferguson, Greenwood planning director.  City regulations now state that zero-lot line homes must be spaced zero to 6 feet apart, but the city is considering changing the rule to require a 10-foot side lot, which would make the space between homes 20 feet, he said.  A zero-lot line home is placed to the side of the lot, rather than the center, to make better use of lot space, Ferguson said.

         Increasing the size of side yards became important in May 2000 when a New Whiteland home caught fire and spread to three neighboring homes, Eric Brown, White River Township fire marshal, told the county commissioners this week.  The closer homes are built together, the easier it is for fire to spread, said Jim Thompson, assistant chief for the Bargersville Fire Department.  To avoid putting homes too close together, the proposed rule would require each home to have an 8-foot side yard, making the total space between the homes 16 feet.   If the space were less than 16 feet, the outside walls would have to use special materials that could stop the fire from spreading, according to the proposed ordinance.  Similar laws are in place in other counties in Indiana, such as Hamilton County. The White River Township regulations use language from other fire codes, Thompson said.
 

Local rules in effect

         Some local towns and cities already have rules that specify how far apart homes should be.  For example, in New Whiteland, where a fire destroyed three homes in 2000, the town does not allow homes to be any closer together than 20 feet. The town also no longer allows zero-lot line homes, which were the type of homes involved in the fire, said John Perrin, town council president.  Part of the reason for the change was the fire, but Perrin said the town also made changes to please residents.  “People don’t want to be able to reach out their window and touch their neighbor,” he said.  In Franklin, the distance between homes is regulated by zoning regulations. Usually, homes are 5 to 10 feet apart, said David Weir, Franklin planning director. The city allows zero-lot line homes, and there is no specific distance they must be set apart, he said.  The city’s fire codes do not regulate home building either, said Jim Reese, deputy chief of the Franklin Fire Department. He said he would love for the department to be able to decide how far apart homes should be set.  “I would love to see them 50 feet apart, but obviously that’s just not gonna work,” he said.  The city can ask for the fire department’s input on subdivisions when they are reviewed, Weir said.  Thompson and Brown brought the proposed regulations to commissioners Monday to discuss putting them into effect for White River Township. They also brought a packet outlining the existing codes and laws.  Commissioner R.J. McConnell directed them to call the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis and bring the ordinances back to a meeting next month.

         Roger Stephens, director of government affairs for the association, said a law that changes lot sizes would conflict with what people building homes are asking for, such as more open space, and could make homebuyers pay more.  More space uses more land, causing the cost of lots to increase. If the size of lots increases, the number of homes in the subdivision will have to decrease, making each home cost more, he said.  New home prices could increase as much as $2,000 to $3,000 because land makes up 20 to 25 percent of the cost of building a home, he said.  Stephens said he understands that the fire departments are trying to protect people, but wind can still spread fire to homes that are 30 to 40 feet away.  “Are we gonna start putting everybody on an acre lot and use that much more land?” he asked.  Commissioners said they would discuss the proposals in a meeting next month and invite builders to say how the regulation would affect their business. Builders could also speak on three other law changes that would affect apartments, condominiums, restaurants and bars that would be built in White River Township in the future.

Sprinkler rules

         One proposed rule changes the size requirements mandating an automatic sprinkler system for businesses that serve alcohol, such as bars and restaurants.  It would require businesses that are more than 4,500 square feet and hold more than 250 people to have a sprinkler system.  Brown said the current code says businesses must be more than 5,000 square feet and hold 300 or more people. With that law, restaurants and bars are getting away from paying for a sprinkler system by building businesses at 4,990 square feet, but they are still holding more than 300 people, he said.  By changing the law, more businesses will have to put in sprinkler systems, which will make customers more safe, he said.

         Thompson and Brown also proposed requiring apartments and condominiums with more than two units to have automatic sprinkler systems.  Apartments and condominiums do not usually have a sprinkler system within the units, but they are necessary to stop the spread of fire to a neighboring apartment, Thompson said.  Local developer Mike Duke, who has developed apartments in White River Township, said many of his complexes have sprinkler systems. If the apartments are close together or a sprinkler system seems needed for safety, one will usually be installed, he said.

         A second regulation would require doors to each floor of an apartment building be left unlocked so that people aren’t stranded in stairways during an emergency. When the doors lock, they block people from re-entering the building and trap them in the stairwell, he said.  In apartment buildings, residents going down the stairs can run into smoke in the stairwell. When they try to go back up to the next level, the doors have locked them in the stairwell, he said.  The situation is a concern because people can be trapped in the stairwell and not able to get out of the building or get away from the smoke, he said.  Existing buildings will only have to change if they do work on doors in their stairwells within the next five years, the ordinance states.  Otherwise, signs must be posted on the outside of the locked door that states that the door locks from the outside and a person cannot re-enter the floor, the ordinance said.  Commissioners plan to set a discussion about the law changes at an August meeting.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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