CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance approving a variance to Section 901.1 of the 2018 International Building Code as amended by Naperville Municipal Code Section 5-1A-3 for 29 S. Webster Street. (sprinkler system installation deferral)
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Peter Zibble, TED Operations Manager
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Building Review Board considered this matter on August 21, 2019 and voted to recommend the approval of the variance with the conditions proposed by staff (8-0).
BACKGROUND:
Richards Building Partnership owns a commercial office building at 29 S. Webster Street. They have submitted plans to remodel a portion of the building. They are remodeling approximately 3,300 square feet on the second floor of a three-story, 24,000 square foot building. Per Section 901.1 of the 2018 International Building Code as amended by Naperville Municipal Code Section 5-1A-3, modifications to the building require that a fire suppression system (an automatic sprinkler system) be installed. The area being modified is required to be sprinklered at the time of construction. The remainder of the building must be sprinklered within ten years of issuance of the building permit. An executed Fire Suppression Installation Agreement is required to ensure the owner, or subsequent owners, meet this obligation.
Given the limited scope of the proposed work, the property owner has requested that the sprinkler system installation for the modified area be deferred by up to ten years such that it can be completed when the remainder of the building is sprinklered.
DISCUSSION:
City building officials and the Naperville Fire Marshal have reviewed the request. Staff supports the request based on the following conditions:
1. A fire suppression installation agreement must be signed to ensure the installation of a fire protection system for the entire building no later than ten years from the date of permit issuance for the proposed modifications.
2. A smoke partition must be installed between the area of the building to be modified and the remainder of the building as a condition of permit issuance.
3. If the owner pursues any additional future modifications to the building prior to the installation of a building-wide fire suppression system such that the total area of the proposed modifications plus any future modifications exceeds 5,000 square feet, a fire suppression system must be installed for both the proposed modifications and any future modifications prior to permit issuance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None