Many common building renovations in our Main Street communities have become too complicated and expensive for property owners to tackle—in no small part because of the past 100 years of layered building codes. These complications have resulted in countless buildings sitting vacant, underutilized, or deteriorating.
This issue has been under the rug for too long. Earlier this year, a special task force was created specifically to examine building codes and their application to existing buildings in America’s downtowns and historic commercial districts. A summary of initial findings, challenges and next steps are below.
