State Sen. Rachel May wants to tweak New York’s building rules so some three- to six-story apartment buildings could go up with just one staircase instead of two. Supporters say that simple change could cut construction costs and unlock bigger, more livable units on tight city lots. Critics say it might also make it harder for people to get out and firefighters to get in when something goes wrong.
What Would Actually Change In The Code
Right now, residential buildings taller than three stories usually have to include two separate stairways, a standard rooted in the International Building Code and reflected in New York’s current practice, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. May’s proposal, Senate Bill S6573, would tell the state Fire Prevention and Building Code Council to study single-exit, single-stair designs and, if the council decides they can be used safely, to adopt uniform rules for buildings up to six stories, according to the New York State Senate.
Fire Officials See Safety Trade-Offs
Syracuse deputy chief of fire prevention George Cowburn is not entirely sold. He told Syracuse.com that a single staircase could create “colliding traffic,” with firefighters trying to head up while residents are racing down. He also noted that departments around the state would feel any change differently, depending on their staffing, equipment and typical building stock. Fire experts elsewhere have raised similar questions about how crew size, access and building layout could affect rescue operations if all the action has to run through one stair.
Builders Say A Missing Staircase Means Real Money
Developers, on the other hand, see an opening to shave costs on mid-rise projects that often live or die on a spreadsheet. The second stair, they argue, can eat up rentable space and make small-lot buildings too expensive to pencil out. Brian Sampson, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Empire State chapter, told Syracuse.com that “reducing cost and streamlining construction should be looked at and supported.”
Industry number-crunching backs up the concern about costs. One review found that adding a second stair can bump mid-rise construction costs by roughly 7.5% to 12%, and broader research has estimated potential savings in the 6% to 13% range if single-stair designs are allowed, according to reporting from CP&DR.
Local Projects Show Why Syracuse Cares
The argument is not abstract in Syracuse, where developers are already squeezing mid-rise student housing onto tight parcels. That includes a 210-unit project at the former Temple Concord site at University Avenue and Madison Street, a dense build on a constrained corner. The site and project details are laid out in materials and city review records from H+O Structural Engineering and in Syracuse planning board minutes.
Pressure on housing is the backdrop to all of this. Nearly 4 in 10 New York households are spending 30% or more of their income on housing, according to American Community Survey data compiled by America’s Health Rankings. That cost burden is one reason policy makers are willing to consider options that once would have been nonstarters.
What Comes Next For The One-Stair Plan
Under Senate Bill S6573, the Fire Prevention and Building Code Council would have one year from the bill’s effective date to finish its study and adopt any new standards, according to the New York State Senate. Those recommendations would then need to be folded into New York’s Uniform Code, which means committee review, public comment and technical work before any developer can actually pull a permit for a one-stair mid-rise…