By Design, Murrieta Welcomes the Disabled

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By Design, Murrieta Welcomes the Elderly, Disabled

The city decrees that 15% of its new homes must accommodate those

with special needs.

By nah Rosenblatt, Times Staff Writer

August 7, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-disabled7aug07,1,5898315.story

Dye remembers the sting of being kept from her grieving family

after her sister-in-law's funeral three years ago in Northern

California. Her wheelchair couldn't negotiate the stairs to the

reception.

" That was kind of embarrassing and traumatic, " said Dye, 51, of

Murrieta. " I had known my sister-in-law for 25 years. "

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At her home, Dye has ramps, wide doors and hallways, and other

accommodations for a person in a wheelchair, and soon many homes will

be like it.

The Murrieta City Council last week approved an ordinance requiring

developers to make 15% of their new homes and rental units accessible

to elderly and disabled residents — one of the most stringent such

mandates in the state.

The sweeping design standards are expected to affect about 2,000

houses, condos, duplexes and triplexes to be built in the southwest

Riverside County community, where the population has doubled to

83,000 in five years.

The ordinance requires the specially accessible homes to include

level thresholds, so wheelchairs and walkers can pass easily; walk-in

showers on the ground floor; and wide doorways, hallways and

reinforced walls capable of supporting grab bars. Such accommodations

often are referred to as " universal design. "

The ordinance also is intended to allow aging citizens to remain at

home as their physical capabilities change, and will apply to all new

communities for seniors.

The City Council approved the ordinance unanimously, despite some

opposition from developers in a region blanketed with new red

rooftops.

" I'm hoping that this will continue to gain momentum, " said

Councilman McAllister, who saw firsthand the need for the

design requirements when his father-in-law couldn't use McAllister's

bathtub during a visit. " It's very much a common-sense thing to do. "

City officials said the need was obvious: The 2000 Census showed that

nearly 13% of those living in Murrieta had a disability, and that

11.4% of the population was 65 or older.

Developers argue that the new rules will require builders and buyers

to pay for features that most consumers — even in senior communities —

don't request.

" We understand that you want to be friendly and want to do things

differently and want to be a leader, " said Bill Blankenship, deputy

director of the Riverside County Building Industry Assn. But the

ordinance is " really asking builders just to build something into

their homes that the average home buyer doesn't really want, care

about, ever believe that they'll need. "

While some of the requirements are simple to deliver, creating level

entryways can cause grading problems, potentially adding greatly to

construction costs, Blankenship said.

Accessibility adaptations cost from $800 to $5,000 per house,

according to builders. Developers instead support offering optional

universal design features to homeowners for an extra charge.

The trend toward more user-friendly dwellings has started to become

more popular around the country as baby boomers age, said

Hitchcock, information specialist with the Center for Universal

Design at North Carolina State in Raleigh.

" It's a matter of human dignity and social integration, " said design

consultant Mack, who helped a developer include universal

design dwellings in two Murrieta neighborhoods several years ago.

She estimated that about 88% of buyers of the specially outfitted

homes were able-bodied people who just liked the convenience of a

spacious interior that could accommodate guests of differing

abilities.

Murrieta's new ordinance will apply to projects larger than five lots

and excludes custom-built homes, said Brock, manager of

Murrieta's Building and Safety Department.

The state passed a model ordinance in 2005 for municipalities to

follow that stipulated universal design features that developers must

offer buyers. Murrieta's law is loosely based on the state version,

Brock said.

Irvine and Long Beach have explored less comprehensive universal

design regulations, and Santa , Sacramento and other

jurisdictions have approached the state about drafting universal

design statutes, said Ron Javor, assistant deputy director of the

state Department of Housing and Community Development, which

sponsored the state model.

Dye welcomes the city's design regulations.

" It makes me really proud of my city, " Dye said. " I think they're

leading the way. "