Tonight, March 20th, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, the Council will hold a public hearing “related to possible repeal of part of building code (Chapter 1306, special fire protection systems)”. The public hearing will be “at or after 7 p.m.”

The NDDC has been raising this issue for some time, urging reconsideration. Based on information offered by local building owners, architects and contractors, the requirements resulting from the adoption of this optional and special section of the code is costly to install, a threat to the integrity of historic buildings, expensive to maintain over the long term, potentially destructive to occupying businesses and that the potential safety benefits can be achieved through other means.

We are urging downtown stakeholders to attend the public hearing and share their opinions with the City Council.