Appeal Board declines to ratify hardship for 1165 Coast Village Road; continues item for more cost documentation

The Appeal Board on Aug. 7 considered a hardship ratification request for accessibility work at 1165 Coast Village Road and, after extended questioning about costs and site constraints, declined to ratify the building official's decision. Board members instead voted to continue the item and asked the applicant to return with additional documentation to substantiate construction costs or offer alternate accessible-path solutions.

The item centered on a tenant-improvement project converting a 3,407-square-foot office into three suites. The building department told the board the work exceeded the threshold in the accessibility rules and that code requires an owner to spend at least 20% of adjusted construction cost on path-of-travel improvements unless a hardship is demonstrated. The building official told the board he "recommends…