BC government proposing to require all new apartments be 100% accessible

BC government proposal to require all new apartments to be 100% accessible could add greatly to costs

Wheelchair maneuverability in an apartment. (Shutterstock)

Forthcoming changes to the BC Building code expected as early as before the end of 2023 could require all newly built residential apartments for rent or sale to be fully accessible.

The changes will relate to the requirement for more power-operated doors, accessible entrances and elevators, universal washrooms, and minimum clearances for the turning radius of wheelchairs, as well as considerations for signage and a greater adaptability requirement in units.

“Investing in safer and more accessible housing will deliver long-term benefits to all British Columbians,” said the BC Ministry of Housing in an email to Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry.

“Providing adaptable dwellings in new buildings will help increase the supply of equitable and accessible housing options.”

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These changes will provide very obvious benefits for seniors and individuals with disabilities who have greater accessibility requirements, but some members of the development industry are calling for a more balanced approach that accounts for the impact the new regulations could have on housing regulations.

Alan Boniface, an architect and the principal of Vancouver-based Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects, told Daily Hive Urbanized the new requirements of not only added features but additional floor area within each unit could increase construction costs by as much as $75,000 per unit, with these costs then passed down to homeowners or renters.

“These changes are admirable as they seek to allow aging-in-place and better accessibility in all residential units. Certainly, as a society these changes are positive in spirit,” he said, before adding that “the potential effect on affordability and the need for an increased supply of housing, however, could be profound.”

He says such costs are virtually impossible to accommodate, and as a result, many projects could become financially unviable — especially in the current inflationary environment for construction costs, coupled with high borrowing costs for construction financing due to interest rates.

According to a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation report this past summer, housing construction costs within Metro Vancouver have grown by 50% since the start of the pandemic.

The accessibility requirement changes to the BC Building code, as currently proposed, he says, would force unit floor areas to grow in size by between 5% and 15%.

For example, a 600 sq ft condominium unit would now have to be up to 690 sq ft to accommodate the required BC Building code specifications for 100% accessibility. Based on a theoretical $1,200 price per square footage rate, such a unit would see its price go up from $720,000 to up to $828,000 just based on the growth of the floor area size within the unit — before accounting for other accessibility features within the unit and in the building’s common areas.

Boniface says the blanket increase in the size of bedrooms, hallways, and bathrooms to ensure full accessibility would lead to a reconfiguration of the typical layout of an entire unit.

In order to reduce the need to grow the unit’s overall size and better maintain affordability, it could mean the reduction of the size of a living room by 50% and potentially the elimination of a dining room. Alternatively, the unit size would have to grow to accommodate a normal living room, dining room, and/or other room sizes, which would add to costs.

Brad Jones, the senior vice president of development for Wesgroup, says there needs to be better coordination between all three levels of government and the resulting unintended consequences of differing policies when compounded.

“While many of these policies may appear justifiable in isolation, their collective impact, especially at a time when we urgently need to expand our housing stock, has transformed new home construction into one of the most heavily regulated and over-taxed activities in Canada,” Jones told Daily Hive Urbanized.

Jones says that in addition to the forthcoming 100% accessibility considerations, there have also been revisions to structural codes, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction mandates, which can all vary between municipalities. This is in addition to other municipal, regional, and provincial considerations and regulations, including growing fees and levies for new construction.

Earlier today, Metro Vancouver Regional District’s board of directors approved a highly controversial framework of new Development Cost Charges (DCCs) to fund future new infrastructure and utilities projects. The significant new DCCs for both new residential and non-residential buildings will increase construction costs for a home by up to $24,000.

These DCCs were approved by the regional district, despite rare interventionist calls from the federal government in opposition to the local-level fees and the resulting impact of higher construction costs, which would in effect offset the benefits of the federal government’s recent decision to eliminate the 5% GST from secured purpose-built rental housing construction costs.

“While our government in BC has taken steps to increase housing supply, the lack of coordination of these efforts across the board inadvertently undermines that progress,” continued Jones, suggesting that all levels of government should “pause” all policy changes and fee hikes to better enable more housing supply generation amidst the challenging macroeconomic climate, with housing starts increasingly lagging.

Boniface says he prefers the City of Vancouver’s current approach to addressing accessibility needs in a “meaningful but flexible manner,” as they instead require units that have the ability to be upgraded in the future by providing for such things as structural backing for future grab bars, for example. The City of Vancouver has its own building code separate from the provincial government.

The City of Burnaby currently has a policy requiring at least 20% of the single-level units within new multi-family residential buildings to be adaptable for accessibility needs, instead of the provincial government’s proposed 100% requirement from the get-go. Adaptability enables accessibility features to be more easily and affordably implemented after completion to accommodate the changing needs of residents over time. When asked, Boniface says he fully supports Burnaby’s strategy.

city of burnaby adaptable unit guidelines

City of Burnaby’s adaptable unit guideline for the accessibility considerations of at least 20% of the units in a new multi-family residential building. (City of Burnaby)

Boniface also noted that while many jurisdictions in the United States have significant accessibility requirements, none require all residential suites to be fully accessible.

If a better balance of considerations is not achieved, says Boniface, there will be a “profound shock to the housing supply system in BC” soon.

When asked about how it has addressed the development industry’s concerns on added construction costs and affordability impacts, the ministry told Daily Hive Urbanized that it is “committed to working with the sector to understand and balance the potential impacts.”

“Industry feedback indicated what impacts the new adaptable unit requirements could have on housing costs. The Province will continue to collaborate with education partners to develop and deliver training and educational resources to support low to no-cost design solutions to support developers and builders in implementing these code changes.”

bc building code 2023 accessibility requirements apartment

Example of the proposed accessibility requirements under the 2023 BC Building code. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Jensen Hughes)

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