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31D-098 (11) .31 ]? — �� 97h )14 ,YVe,t7, I t! /7 �% r One �� te,00,b /c50 Deval L.Patrick 02/0d9w/oto Thomas G.Gatzunis,P.f Governor /7-,27-& &/7-60900(>W- 222 Commissioner Timothy Murray ��6/7 `27-000 Thomas P.Hopkins Lieutenantt Govern 7 j 7 Director Kevin M.Burke ^ rt n ("� 0f/72/5 55 www.mass.gov/dps Secretary Illy' lul U I I4,J'fl -, 1. MAR 312008 i DEPT OF P'1 t+lr'G INSPECT IONS TO: Local Building Inspector Variance Number:08 042 Local Disability Commission Independent Living Center FROM: ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS BOARD RE: 298 Main Street 298 Main Street Northampton Date: 3/28/2008 Enclosed please find the following material regarding the above location: / Application for Variance Decision of the Board Notice of Hearing Correspondence Letter of Meeting The purpose of this memo is to advise you of action taken or to be taken by this Board. If you have any information which may assist the Board in reaching a decision in this case, you may call this office or you may submit comments in writing. ( Yh V yza, e_44 Docket Number F1 sicced& rG Deval L.Patrick `^� • ei �� 0 4O -/6f� Thomas G.Gatzunis, Governor 6//-7 7-0660/7-600-CW- 2'2 Commissioner Timothy P.Murray 6Y>'/,P7-00i0 Thomas P.Hopkin Lieutenant Governor Director Kevin M.Burke tFaeV 6� �/�0660' www.mass.govldp Secretary APPLICATION FOR VARIANCE In accordance with M.G.L., Chapter 22, Section 13A, I hereby apply for modification of or substitution for the rules and regulations of the Architectural Access Board as they apply to the facility described below on the grounds that literal compliance with the Board's regulations is impracticable in my case. PLEASE ENCLOSE: 1) A filing fee of$50.00 (Check/Money Order) made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, four copies of the original application for variance and all supporting documentation, i.e all plans in 11" x 17" format, photographs, etc. In addition, the complete package (including plans and photographs) must be submitted via compact disc. 2) If you are a tenant seeking variances, a letter from the owner of the building is required, authorizing you to apply on behalf of he/she. 1. State the name and address of the owner of the building/facility: r 1?I C ! HE 2 " 1 V\ ' �. �_ _ ,= q r0 0(.`f 0 k E 1 Pr Tel: 4 1:5(.,3' 2. State the name and address or other identification of the building/facility: MAIN IVol2rH r) c"J 1414 cr% C,7Z. M r2 r!Z S T ' (-`, ( = 1 C?f PJ K' P 7 c,,'✓ 3. Describe the facility: (Number of floors, type of functions, use, etc.) SCt+ /'.TTACHEL) 4. Total square footage of the building: ` Per floor: _ a. total square footage of tenant space (if applicable): YIJ - 'Z.O 5. Check the work performed or to be performed: _New Construction Addition ✓Reconstruction, remodeling, alteration Change of Use 6. Briefly describe the extent and nature of the work performed or to be performed: (Use additional sheets if necessary). Z E e A i T 7. State each section of the Architectural Access Board's regulations for which a variance is being requested: 7a. Check appropriate regulations: 1996 Regulations 2002 Regulations < 2006 Regulations SECTION NUMBER LOCATION OR DESCRIPTION Sly 4v t L r, 8, Is the building historically significant? ; yes no. If no, go to number 9. 8a. If yes, check one of the following and indicate date of listing: National Historic Landmark Listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places `` X Located in registered historic district Listed in the State Register of Historic Places Eligible for listing 8b. If you checked any of the above and your variance request is based upon the historical significance of the building, you must provide a letter of determination from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125 9. For each variance requested, state in detail the reasons why compliance with the Board's regulations is impracticable. State the necessary cost of the work required to achieve compliance with the regulations. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD SUBMIT WRITTEN COST ESTIMATES AS WELL AS PLANS JUSTIFYING THE COST OF COMPLIANCE. Use additional sheets if necessary. 10. Has a building permit been applied for? I £C Has a building permit been issued? i S 10a. If a building permit has been issued, what date was it issued? ) I C.' 10b. If work has been completed, state the date the building permit was issued for said work 11. State the estimated cost of construction as stated on the above building permit. i 9 ,©Or? -� 11a. If a building permit has not been issued, state the anticipated construction cost: 12. Have any other building permits been issued within the past 36 months? h-" 12a. If yes, state the dates that permits were issued and the estimated cost of construction for each permit: 13. Has a certificate of occupancy been issued for the facility? nJ " If yes, state the date: 14. To the best of your knowledge, has a complaint ever been filed on this building relative to accessibility? yes ` no. 15. State the actual assessed valuation of the BUILDING ONLY, as recorded in the Assessor's Office of the municipality in which the building is located. 5 0 x o o o . Is the assessment at 100%? . If not, what is the town's current assessment ratio? 16. State the phase of design or construction of the facility as of the date of this application: t~'Y NO v 7 t N ;'I`J 17. State the name and address of the architectural or engineering firm including the name of the individual architect or engineer responsible for preparing drawings of the facility: i H o w\A S C)0 1 , LP S _c.1--1 I 7 El c_, S 012 i +t Y T d ✓v\ Ps TEL: `t 1 f3 5 O Co 18. State the name and address of the building inspector responsible for overseeing this project: 1,1, I2 04 , N �JCgi"I AY 'sot,/ 'vEr1 TEL: ‘iI3 S I2 ' a 007 Co(2 0,1„3 1 PRINT: 1��R� c p Q � 0(3(0(,A� 1 .�H ,TPvT Name of owner or authorized agent MAR 2 4 2008 i 3.c LA) E sr T Address � ..�.._ No ! ' van ` ; Vk 0 ARCH r;,f7, City/Town State Zip Code Baptist Church Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton,Massachusetts 1/22/08 Baptist Church Renovation Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton, Massachusetts Architect: Thomas Douglas Architects, Northampton, MA Owner: Eric Suher, 298 Main Street LLC, AAB variance request Project Renovation of an ornate 1903 downtown landmark church into a banquette/wedding and multi-purpose facility. This building is a prominent feature of Northampton's downtown landscape. It functioned as a church from 1903 to 1997 and has been vacant since then. The current owner purchased the facility from the Baptist congregation in 1998. This nonsectarian facility will be used for one event at a time. The types of events being planned are weddings, conferences, and musical performances. There will be only one ticket price for the music or conference events. The first floor is a sanctuary space or auditorium space, with an attached reception/lounge. The 2"d floor bridal room will function as a private area for the wedding party. It could also function as a small conference room or a private area for a performing musical group, (also known as a green room). The basement banquette room will function as a reception/banquette space for the weddings and conferences occurring on the floors above. The exterior patio will not have a roof and will be used on a seasonal basis as an outdoor space for banquets. Even though there are multiple function rooms in this building, there will only be one event happening at a time. Each function room provides support to the others. An event happening at the building will move people from one function room to the other, depending on the type of activity planned. IE, you might begin a wedding in the sanctuary and then move to the basement banquette room. The 2"d floor would be support space for the bridal party. Accessibility: We are spending more than 30% of the assessed value of the building. On 1/25/06 (when we applied for our building permit)the building was assessed at $50,000 The estimated construction cost is: $998,000 We are installing a new stretcher sized elevator to access all 3 floors in the church including the stage. Signage will be appropriately placed to direct people to the elevator. Way-finding should not be difficult. The basement level and the first floor level have at grade entries from the exterior. The exterior patio has 2 at-grade accessible entries. The only area that would not have vertical elevator access would be the existing balcony. We are asking for 10 variances from the architectural access board. They are listed below and described in detail on the following pages. The code section numbers are used as keys to reference the applicable areas on the drawings. 1 Baptist Church Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton,Massachusetts 1 , 14.4 Wheelchair positions- non integral part of seating plan variance 25.1 Exterior stairs. All public entrances of a building shall be accessible. Variance for existing exterior stairs. Interior Stairs: 27.2 Winder stairs- dimensional conformity of stair tread variance. 27.4 Handrails- non-conformity of handrail variance. 27.4.1 Stairways shall have continuous handrails at both sides of all stairs- non-conformity of handrail variance. 27.4.3 Extensions at the top and bottom of each stair- non-conformity of handrail variance. 27.4.8 Ends of handrail shall be either rounded or returned smoothly to either floor, wall, or post. 28.1 Balcony- vertical access (lift) variance. 29.2.3 Floor level in sanctuary.- variance for an existing sloped floor. 30.7 Clear floor space for water closets- variance for angled walls which create a non-conforming wheelchair accessible toilet stall. General Issues of compliance Access to performing areas: There will be no access provided to the 3-foot tall stage from within the sanctuary. There is an accessible route, through the sanctuary and lounge to an elevator that provides vertical access to the stage for the public and the performers. 14.5 We are installing an assistive listening system. Signage shall be installed to notify patrons of the availability of a listening system. 17.4 Bar height At both first floor and basement bars, we are providing tables and chairs at accessible heights in the same area. The bar height will be 42" 20.12 Area of Rescue Assistance We are providing an area of rescue assistance at the new exterior basement stair. The new stair from the Basement Banquette Room to the exterior patio is a required 2' means of egress. The existing first floor exterior stair has an area that is adequately sized for an area of rescue assistance. 23.8 Valet parking Since there is essentially no parking on this site, there will be no designated accessible parking spaces. We will petition the City of Northampton to locate an accessible parking space on West Street opposite the at-grade entry to the Sanctuary. At certain events, there will be valet parking provided for guests. At those events, we will designate a passenger loading zone complying with 23.7 and it will be located on an accessible route to the entrance of the facility. 2 Baptist Church Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton,Massachusetts -� Description of Variances 14.4 Wheelchair positions- non integral part of seating plan variance With an occupancy of 296 seats (including 36 in the balcony) we will have 6 wheelchair positions on the first floor of the sanctuary. We are required to have 4 positions. One companion fixed seat or portable seat, shall be provided next to each wheelchair seating space, for designated used by a companion. In addition to wheelchair seating locations, 1%of our fixed seats will have removable or folding armrests on the aisle side. Each such seat will be identified by a sign or marker. Signage notifying patrons of the availability of such seats will be posted at the ticket office. Aisle seats will not be on a level surface. ❑ We would like a variance for the 2 wheelchair positions in the rear of the sanctuary. They are not an integral part of the main seating area, but they are on a flat floor, with plenty of room around them for circulation and companion seats. This seating area is only slightly removed from the main seating area. The sight lines to the stage are better here than the other seats. We would prefer not to place wheelchair positions on the center isle because it will create big gaps on the line of seats. We would prefer not to put the wheelchair positions on the exterior isles, because the two columns flanking the stage sometimes block the sight lines. We feel the positions shown on the plan will be the most comfortable since they are on a level surface with no seats behind, and offer very good sight lines because the floor is raised above the seats in front of the wheelchair spots. ❑ We would like a variance for the front two wheelchair positions that will not be on a level surface. These positions are placed here in order to create a variety of seating positions. The sloped floor is addressed in section 29.2 below. 25.1 All public entrances of a building shall be accessible. ❑ We would like a variance for our non-accessible public entrances. We have 2 existing non- accessible entrance/exits (exterior stairs) at the first floor level and 1 new non-accessible entrance/exit (exterior stair) at the basement level. Both the basement and first floor levels will have 1 prominent accessible entrance; however, because of the sloping grade around the building, it would be both cost prohibitive and spatially impossible to install ramped entrances at these exterior stair locations. If we installed ramps they would be an average of 80 feet long. We do not feel that an exterior lift would be needed or used at these entrances because the at-grade entries are very convenient. 27.2 Winder stairs- dimensional conformity of stair tread variance. On any given flight of stairs, all steps shall have uniform tread widths. ❑ We would like a variance for our existing winding stairs. These wooden stairs and handrails are a part of the original architecture. We are either preserving or restoring as much of the original architecture as is possible and we feel that these stairs are an important part of the uniqueness of this building. The stairs are built into a curving bay that is expressed on the exterior. We would like to restore them to their original condition. 27.4 Handrails- non-conformity of handrail variance 27.4.1 Stairways shall have continuous handrails at both sides of all stairs. 27.4.3 There shall be extensions at the top and bottom of each stair. 27.4.8 Ends of handrail shall be either rounded or returned smoothly to either floor, wall, or post. 3 Baptist Church Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton,Massachusetts ❑ We w uld like a variance for the inner handrails of our existing winding stairs. The handrail is made p of a baluster and newel post system. We would like to restore them to their original condit on. The only new element we will add to the stairs is a continuous curving metal handrail on the outside of the stair that will be code compliant. 28.1 Balcony- vertical access (lift)variance We are provi ing a new stretcher sized elevator to provide vertical access to all three levels of the facility and the stage ea. We would like to avoid the installation of a lift to the existing balcony. ❑ We ar asking for a variance for the lift requirement to the balcony for a number of reasons. o We have attached a sketch showing the impact of a lift accessing the balcony. There are a high percentage of balcony seats lost with the lift scheme. The lift can only provide access to one wheelchair position because of the stepped design of the balcony. There are 260 seats on the first floor and 36 seats in the balcony. The balcony represents 14% of the total seats. If a lift were installed, there would be 26 balcony seats available - a 10-seat loss for the balcony or a 25% loss for the balcony- with a gain of only 1 wheelchair position. 26 seats in the balcony represent 10% of the total theater seating. This would be a 4% reduction in the overall seating in order to gain 1 wheelchair position. o The lift would be out of keeping with the historic architecture of the building interior and it would eliminate seating on the first floor. It would be very costly and difficult to create an enclosure for the lift that would integrate it into the building interior architecture. o The balcony will be used as overflow seating for the first floor- except for the first floor wheelchair positions that would be kept open. o There is no financial advantage to a balcony seat. At a performance event,there will be only one ticket price for the entire sanctuary seating. At a conference or wedding event, there are no individual tickets. o The balcony is a somewhat cramped space, with sight lines that are not as good as the first floor. The balcony would not provide a better experience for an audience member. o There is very little benefit that this lift would provide for persons with disabilities, and the cost associated with the loss of seats is a burden on the finances and a disadvantage for the users of the facility. o The cost of the lift would be approximately $60,000 for purchase and installation of the lift, and $50,000 in yearly lost income for seating and concessions. 29.2.3 Floor slope in sanctuary. ❑ Ther is one area where the existing building has a sloped floor that requires a variance. ❑ T e floor of the Sanctuary space has an existing slope of 1:30 or 3%. The original 1903 floor s cture consists of curved, laminated wood beams. Each beam is lower than the previous beam, thus creating a sloped floor. The beams and floor system would have to be raised or to ered (removed and rebuilt) in order to make changes to this floor. (These beams will be e posed in the basement banquet room). This change is estimated to cost $200,000 because it w uld impact all of the adjacent floors and doors on the first floor,the adjacent stairs, adjacent e try areas, the ceiling height in the basement, and the existing structural columns in the b ement. The sloped floor also provides good site lines to the stage allowing patrons to just s e over the people in front of them. We feel there would be minimal benefit to persons with d sabilities if the floor were to be flattened to a 1:50 compliant slope, and that the cost would n t justify the change. The site lines to the stage would also be adversely affected. We also do n t feel that added handrails on the isles would be useful or improve the easily traversed slope. 4 Baptist Church Project, 298 Main Street,Northampton,Massachusetts 30.7 Clear floor space for water closets. ❑ We are asking for a variance for the clear floor area for a water closet in the accessible stall that is located in the women's room in the angled bay of the first floor. This stall has an angled rear wall that will not substantially restrict the space required to transfer from a wheelchair to a toilet. The sketch shows a wheel chair adjacent to a wall-mounted toilet. Because the wall- mounted toilet protrudes so far in front of the angled wall, we believe that the angle does not impinge upon the space required to transfer to a toilet. There is also still plenty of room for the required grab bars. The adjacent men's room is longer than a standard accessible toilet room because it's width is constrained, and the brick wall that separates the men's room from the bar area is not readily movable. 0 The approximate cost of construction for expanding the bathroom wall beyond it's existing brick enclosure walls is $50,000 for masonry, footings, and framing and $15,000 for the relocation of a stained glass window. We feel that we have made a very good effort to comply with the technical guidelines of the AAB code and we are making every effort to follow the spirit of the code. This historic building is a complex arrangement of spaces and levels but it will be easy to access with its new amenities. Northampton prides itself on its inclusion of all people, and we feel that this building will express that inclusion well. Thank you for your consideration of our requests. Additionally we have had an in depth review of our variance application by Andrew Bristol from the Stavros Center for independent living. He has toured the project site and is also familiar with other facilities operated by the owner, Eric Suher. He is currently writing a letter of support for the variances described in our application. He had a number of good suggestions, which have been incorporated into the current plans. 5