Updated: Homebuilders Association Reacts To New Building Code Passage

Creve Coeur City Council members unanimously approved a move to adopt updated residential building code in line with a 2009 international standard Monday, capping off a debate which had gone back and forth between city staff and area homebuilders in recent months.

The vote on updating the code, as well as similar updates for commercial structures, was delayed earlier this spring as members of the Homebuilders Association argued that city staff had not given enough consideration to proposed changes.

A representative of the HBA suggested in recent weeks that without changes, Creve Coeur's code would leave itself at a disadvantage when a builder had the choice of working in another community. 

Councilmembers agreed to delay a vote to give final approval of the codes until after representatives from the Homebuilders Association could present their case to the Creve Coeur Building Code Board of Appeals. That meeting took place last month, when more than a dozen of the HBA's suggestions were overruled.

One change that did go into effect was related to kitchen exhaust.

No one from the HBA spoke at Monday's council meeting. In a statement, HBA Executive Vice President Patrick Sullivan said in part:

"The HBA has a strong motivation to provide quality codes that are cost-effective so that solid neighborhoods are created and that home building will take into account the consumer’s unique and regional interests and preferences, not just giving in to product manufacturers and suppliers who want to sell their products and services.  Fortunately, many communities in the region meet with the HBA routinely and accept many of our suggested code modifications which make for better building practices for our region, which, in the end, is better and more cost-effective for the consumer."

The updated standards go into effect August 1, 2013.