One local legislator is trying to make the job of renovating and remodeling old buildings a little easier. Senate Majority Leader Paul S. Kelly, D-North Smithfield plans to introduce legislation specifically aimed at making it easier to for property owners to renovate. Currently, to renovate and change the use of these buildings, property owners must seek variances from the traditional building code for new construction.
”By adopting a modern rehabilitation code, we can specify the requirements for re-using old buildings that improve the public safety, especially fire safety and make the rehabilitation process easier for property owners to navigate,” Kelly said in a statement.
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The announcement comes just after Kelly met with William M. Connolly, director of the New Jersey Division and Codes and Standards, and George Miller, chief of New Jersey’s Division of Fire Safety and vice president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals. Connolly and Miller were instrumental in developing New Jersey’s award-winning rehabilitation building code.
”Rhode Island’s current building code is designed for new construction,” Kelly said. “Yet a great deal of construction is renovating and remodeling old buildings. This sort of construction is critical to the success of revitalization efforts in many of our cities and towns. We need to make it easier for developers to invest in traditional downtown areas and bring new life to existing buildings and structures. Rhode Island’s wonderful heritage of older buildings make our state special.”
The announcement is already being well received by those in the building community.
”This new code would combine building and fire codes just for the renovation of old homes,” said B.J. Dupre, one of the principal owners of the Armory Revival Company, which has spent much of the last 14 years renovating old structures in and around Providence. “Many in the community have a keen interest in seeing this pass.”
Kelly said helping cities like Woonsocket, Providence and Pawtucket in their revitalization is a strong reason behind this legislation.
”These cities have worked hard to encourage reinvestment in their downtowns, and often they have seen success,” he said. “We must do what we can at the state level to ensure that success continues.”
Still uncertain of the exact form of legislation, Kelly said it would be a cooperative effort.
”I must stress the importance of this being a cooperative effort,” he said. “I will not undertake any measure that fails to give due respect to the fire safety and local code officials who have worked so hard over the years to make Rhode Island a safer place. Building Code and Fire Safety Code issues are equally important.”
