Title
An Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code, Title Six-Conduct by adding a new Chapter 623 - "Pittsburgh Visitability Design" to require new housing, substantially renovated single-family dwellings, duplexes, tri-plexes, town homes and row houses constructed with city assistance, and adapted reuses of industrial and commercial buildings that are substantially renovated or converted for multi-family residential use with city assistance, to meet a minimum standard of visitability.
Body
WHEREAS, no statutory requirements presently exist on a federal, state or local level that require new single family homes and duplexes, tri-plexes, town houses and row houses, or those undergoing major reconstruction, and adapted reuses of industrial and commercial buildings that are substantially renovated or converted for multi-family residential use with city assistance, to install visitable features for persons with and without disabilities; and
WHEREAS, people with disabilities and their immediate families are often isolated to their own homes because of insurmountable barriers at the homes of their acquaintances, and often experience difficulty in locating a home to rent or buy that meets their needs; and
WHEREAS, certain features in construction make new houses visitable, and in many cases livable, and requiring that newly built and substantially renovated houses meet at least this minimum standard of visitability which will allow people with disabilities more freedom of visiting other homes and of locating a home themselves to rent or buy; and
WHEREAS, Allegheny County has the second highest proportion of senior citizens of any county in the United States. And as people age (as people get older), many become trapped by the physical barriers of their home. Many seniors cannot get out of their homes without assistance to seek medical care, and attend to daily living needs. This creates a serious threat to public health, and a heavy cost of so...
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