MISSION VIEJO : Planners Reject Fire Code Amendment
The Planning Commission has recommended against requiring fire sprinklers in new home construction, saying it would be unfair to housing developers.
On a 3-1 vote Monday night, the commissioners decided not to support an amendment to the city fire code that would have mandated automatic sprinklers in single-family houses and two-family townhouses.
The majority said that with the city about 95% developed, the proposed amendment would be unfair to developers looking to build the remaining 5%.
“It would create an inequitable situation in the (housing) marketplace,†Commissioner Norman Murray said. “We felt a mandatory provision for just the remaining 5% was neither safety effective or cost-effective.â€
Currently, the city requires sprinklers in apartments and condominiums that have three or more units. City staff and county fire officials had supported the amendment.
Commissioner Tim Watson cast the lone vote in favor of the amendment, saying he preferred to go along with the Fire Department recommendation.
“When an agency charged with the public welfare comes to you and tells you that certain regulations should be adopted in the public interest, you should do it,†Watson said. “It shouldn’t be based on whether it is economically feasible to do it.â€
Murray said he follows staff recommendations “nine times out of 10. . . . But this (amendment) would not have changed anything in an older home. There was no need to pass it.â€
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