Accessible Home Design WorkshopJune 23, 2021

The workshop will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

Welcome / Setting the StageIntroduction of Presenters

Cathy Boyer-ShesolProject Coordinator, KC Communities for All Ages, Mid-America Regional Council

PresenterRichard DuncanExecutive Director, RL Mace Universal Design InstituteE-mail: rduncan@udinstitute.org

Remodeling for Accessible Homes

Remodeling for Accessible Homes

MARC

RL Mace Universal Design InstituteBetter Living Design Institute

Remodeling for Accessible Homes

MARC’s 2005 Idea Book

Based on same post-WWII home-types

Goals

•Provide ideas for functional home renovations•Highlight accessible and universal solutions•Supply cost ranges

What Need?

• 20% of the population with disabilities

• Rapidly aging population • Demographic changes, 1900 to

2060• Urgency vs. reason

Urgent

Demographics

Growing population of older adults – 31% increase 2020 -2030

Accessible vs Universal Design

•Both Included•Accessible - custom, purpose built, one individual

•Universal - generic, high function, value added, easily customized

Typical Ramp

Universal Design and Sustainability

•Energy Savings•Front control washers and dryers•LED bulbs•Sealed crawlspaces

•Building Materials•Fewer later renovations

Ramps and Graded EntriesSlopesRailingsPorch RoofsManeuvering space

Exterior Projects

Graded Entry

UniversalAccessibleSmall/BigShowersGrab Bars/Hand holdsManeuveringDoor TypeVanity

Bathroom

UniversalAccessible

BathroomBefore

After

Before

After

UniversalAccessibleCountersKnee spaceStorageManeuvering

Kitchen

Accessible

Kitchen

Accessible Kitchen

Universal Kitchen

FreestandingAttached

Accessory Dwelling

Resources

Build from the GuideConsider costs as more than ballparks

Please DoTake ideas and adaptConsider listed alternativesUse the resources for more ideas

Please Don’t

CONNECT WITH US!

Asheville, NC

Office: 919.608.1812www.betterlivingdesign.orgwww.udinstitute.org

Richard Duncanrduncan@udinstitute.org

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@BetterLivingDesign

@BetterLD

Better Living Design (BLD) @BetterLD

@betterlivingdesign

Richard Duncan

Moderator:• Kristofer P. Turnbow, Mayor, Raymore Missouri

Panel:• Patti Adler, BHG Kansas City Homes• Todd Ault, Gould Evans and city of Mission Hill, Kansas• Wade Beck, Pinnacle Homes of Kansas City• Paul Lillig, Accessibility Remodeling• Richard Duncan, RL Mace Universal Design Institute

Housing Industry Panel

Housing Industry Panel

• What are the primary challenges for your industry to promote accessible, universal design?

• What are opportunities for your industry to advance accessible, universal design?

• What trends are you seeing that reflect customers’ knowledge of and desire for accessible, universal design in their housing decisions?

• What role does your sector play in advancing accessible, universal home design? What efforts, if any, is your national organization undertaking to address aging-in-place?

Local Jurisdictions Examples from the Field

Katie JardieuPlanner, Raymore, Missouri

Keith MoodyCity Manager, Roeland Park, Kansas

Tom ScannellCommunity Development Director, Independence, Missouri

City of RaymoreCommunity For All Ages -Gold Level

Raymore

Quick Demographics:

● At least half of the population is 60 or older.

● Two-thirds of population is at least 46.

Universal Design House

● Pilot program.● Non-noticeable differences

incorporated during construction.○ Grab bar backing.○ Knock down sink.○ Lower oven and microwave.○ Larger door openings.○ One zero-entry entrance.

● Permit fees waived.● Water tap reimbursed.● Marketing.

1

Moving Forward with Universal Design

Moving forward, we will look at the items on a scale of difficulty, to assign cost reimbursement for inclusion in home design.

Easy

Lever Style Handles/Rocker

Switches

Minimal incentive

Electrical Plug Near Toilet Grab Bar Backing Zero Entry

Would yield themost incentive

Difficult

Education

GOAL: Educate the public on aging in place and the benefits of future thinking.

● Residents.● Realtors.

GOAL: Work with current homeowners to aid them in aging in place.

● MARC Grants.● West Central partnership.

Roeland Park Universal Design Initiative

As of 5/30/21

Desires Expressed by Residents

The City’s Sustainability Committee (made up of residents and elected officials) brought focus to UD as they worked on the CFAA gold certification in 2019.

The 2019 Planning Sustainable Places Study found that residents desired a variety of housing options, including senior housing, garden homes, town homes, attached single family and detached single family homes.

The 2020 Comprehensive Plan update process also saw residents express interest in diversifying housing options in the community. Universal Design was a specific topic of focus during the comprehensive planning process.

Residents prioritized housing concerns in the following order:1. Rehabilitation of existing homes2. Mix of housing options3. Affordable, senior and low-impact (i.e. tiny homes) tied for 3rd

4. Higher density mixed-use

Comp Plan Implemen-

tation Goals

Draft UD Policy Purpose

• 30-18.1 - Purpose.

a. Promote and preserve the public health, safety, and general welfare of the people of the City of Roeland Park with mobility issues or who may develop mobility issues with age by ensuring equal access to housing for people born with mobility issues, people that develop mobility issues as the result of disease, accident, injury, military service, or age without significantly impacting housing costs and affordability.

b. Ensure that people with mobility issues are able to visit the homes of their friends and family members who may not have mobility issues.

c. Enhance the full life cycle use of housing, without regard to the functional limitations or disabilities of a home's occupants or guests, in order to accommodate a wide range of individual preferences and abilities, in all new residential development within the City of Roeland Park.

d. Incorporate design features into residential dwelling units that enhance residents' ability to remain in their homes during periods of temporary, developing, or permanent disabilities.

Draft UD Policy Design Standards

• 30-18.4 - New Construction Requirements and AOR Certification.a. Visitability. To ensure that all new residential dwellings units subject to the provisions of this section meet the basic needs of a wide range of guests to enter and use critical portions of the home, all units subject to this section shall include the following features:

1. An accessible exterior access to an accessible entry;

2. An accessible interior access from the accessible entry to an accessible powder room, accessible common use room or an accessible bedroom, and adaptable internal stairs;

3. Blocking within the walls to support future installation of grab bar/handrails in all bathrooms; and

4. If ground floor open space is provided, then an accessible path of travel to the open space shall be provided.

UD Policy is Incentive Based vs a Requirement

Direction established during discussions concerning Universal Design during the Comprehensive Plan update process reflected views supporting both an incentives approach and a requirement approach. In the end the majority felt that an incentives approach was the best approach for Roeland Park.

Currently, the policy contemplates waiving of the building permit fee for projects employing Universal Design. The criteria to qualify for that incentive is still being worked out.

Alternative incentive methods are also being considered.

Universal Design methods were employed during R Park design planning and are being employed at City Hall as part of a project initially intended to address ADA compliance issues.

City of Independence Universal DesignJune 23, 2021

Community Feedback• 2017 – Community Engagement for Comprehensive Plan

• Robust public engagement that included:• Public Meeting – attended by over 100 citizens• Project Website and social media outreach – over 700 visitors• Community Events – over 10 events • Survey – approximately 1200 respondents

Community Feedback Themes• One of the themes from this public engagement was to promote and

celebrate the diversity of housing types in our neighborhoods.• There was a strong desire for residents to be able to age in place and

stay in their home.• There was also a desire to encourage programs to improve home

energy efficiency and resilient design features. • 2018 – Imagine Independence Comprehensive Plan was approved.

• Incorporated Community For All Ages ideas.

HOME Program• City receives Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME)

funds from HUD.• HOME funds are used for the development of housing benefiting

low- to moderate-income households.• Annually, the City receives between $400,000 to $500,000 of

HOME funds.• Funds are allocated to non-profit housing developers through an

RFP process.• City seeks proposals that align with our housing development

objectives delineated in the Comp Plan.

Challenges• We faced initial resistance from non-profit housing developers

• Increased cost • Not going to be affordable

• What we found:• Added some soft cost – design• Nominal construction cost increase• Developers were seeing larger increases in materials • Acceptance – adds value to the homeowner and community

Discussion

Closing remarks