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Experts: Fair Housing accessibility rules apply to Buncombe County CDBG‑DR projects; designers urged to exceed minimums
Summary
At a Buncombe County workshop, accessibility experts said Fair Housing Act requirements and Section 504 apply to projects using federal CDBG‑DR funds — including some single‑family repairs — and urged designers to go beyond legal minimums for ramps, doors, mailboxes, kitchens and bathrooms.
Richard Duncan, a presenter with the RL Mace Universal Design Institute, and AD Scaff of the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid told a Buncombe County audience on May 11 that federal accessibility obligations apply to projects funded with CDBG‑DR disaster relief — and that those obligations can extend beyond multifamily construction to single‑family repair when federal funds are used.
Duncan, who led a technical review of the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) design and construction requirements, summarized the statute’s scope and the practical documents designers should consult. "The Fair Housing Act requirements apply only to new construction, not to any kind of renovation," Duncan said, while noting newly constructed additions are covered. He urged design teams to consult current building codes and HUD/DOJ guidance because the primary FHAA design manual is dated.
Legal counsel AD Scaff…
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