Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR CALLED MEETING APPROVED MINUTES 26, August 2026 The BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS convened in a REGULAR CALLED meeting on August 26 2026, at 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. in Austin, Texas. Chair Mitzner called the Building and Fire Board Meeting to order at 1:32 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Chairman: Mitzner, Oren; V.Chair Abzug, Ben; Brasfield, Aubrey; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris and Rumbo, Jim Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: McKay, Blair, Satt, Alison and William Wood PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No Public speakers were registered APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1 City Staff requested to postpone this agenda item as that approval of minutes reflected the incorrect date. Staff will provide 2 draft minutes of July 22, and August 26, 2026 at the next regular scheduled meeting. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion on a proposed house plex code amendment. Adopting local amendments to expand the scope of the IRC to regulate construction of house-plex’s of up to and including 4 attached dwellings. Overview A discussion was requested regarding a resolution passed by City Council (Version 2) proposing amendments to expand the IRC to allow construction of house plexes up to four attached dwelling units. Background (Presented by Board member Gannon) • The resolution originated through collaboration between District 6, with the assistance of the Austin chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA). • Memphis and Dallas have adopted similar expansions. 1 • Austin currently allows single-family, duplexes, and townhouses in IRC; anything more than that requires IBC. • Proposed amendment would allow up to 4 units in total in one building under the IRC. • The proposal avoids shared interior common spaces and shared utilities to maintain compatibility with NFPA 13D sprinkler provisions. • Each unit must have independent egress, like townhouses. Clarifications & Additional Details • Maximum building height remains 3 stories under the IRC. • Units may be arranged in various configurations if they comply with IRC limits. • Shared external stairways are allowed; internal shared egress is not. • Discussion Points Raised by Board Members & Fire Department • Terminology concerns: Members requested clearer definitions (e.g., “house plex”). • Process concerns: Members noted Interconnected smoke alarms are already required in stacked units under the IRC. inadequate communication about the resolution's development, requesting earlier involvement in future code proposals. • Safety & code considerations: o Fire access and parking impacts in dense residential areas. o Need to evaluate sprinkler system requirements (e.g., NFPA 13D limitations). o Consideration of “mini-horns” or waterflow alarms for occupant notification. o Potential need for enhanced fire department connections depending on design. o Need for alternative compliance pathways that maintain equivalent life safety. o Concerns about infrastructure: utilities, trash, emergency vehicle access. o Comparisons to Memphis/Dallas may not fully apply due to Austin’s topography. Impact on permitting workloads (shift from commercial to residential staff). increases in density and reduced redundancy in fire o o Risk analysis for protection. City Staff Input • The resolution is now in the City Manager’s hands. • Staff groups from Development Services and Austin Fire are beginning internal reviews. • A joint working group will begin coordination next week within Development Services. • An ordinance proposal is expected by December, at which time it will be returned to this Board for formal action. Board Requests / Action Items • Board asked for the spreadsheet of technical recommendations originally created by AIA. Chris will provide it to board liaison for distribution. • Members emphasized early communication for future resolutions impacting this Board. 2 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: No Agenda Items were discussed. ADJOURN: Chair Mitzner seek to entertain a motions to adjourn the meeting. Board member Gannon moved to adjourn the meeting, Vice chair Abzug seconded. Meeting adjourned at 2.38 p.m The minutes were approved at the September 23, 2026 meeting on board member Gannon motion, board member Abzug second the motion. Motion passed 9-0 3