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DEMYSTIFYING CALIFORNIA’S
ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS SFOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
By Christy Kim, AIA, CASp, Technical Director of Accessibility, Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.
ince 1970, California has been facing a WHAT ARE SOME PROGRAM-SPECIFIC housing shortage throughout the state. ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS?
Over the years, state and local agencies have continued to provide funding for new affordable housing stock. However, a complex and stringent set of environmental, safety, and accessibility
requirements, coupled with the increasing costs of labor and construction material, has slowed down the real estate development pipeline more than expected.
As California’s housing gap continues to grow, federal, state, and local accessibility requirements for new developments have also gotten a lot more complicated. While specifics of accessibility compliance will vary by project, below are answers to some common accessibility questions along with guidance about where to draw the line between doing your research and hiring a consultant.
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• The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC): The 2021 CTCAC regulations require all new construction projects to provide 15% units with mobility features and 10% units with communication features. “Rehab” projects must provide 10% units with mobility features and 4% units with communication features. These units must comply with the technical requirements outlined in Chapter 11(B) of the California Building Code (CBC) and represent an increased quantity over California Building Code requirements.
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Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) between the City of Los Angeles and the
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