October 4, 2004—In a major turnaround, the Phoenix City Council voted to adopt the International Building Code, International Residential Code, and International Existing Building Code. The 6-3 vote followed the unanimous recommendation of the Code Review Committee. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon had asked the committee to reexamine the question of whether to move forward with the adoption of NFPA’s 5000 Building Code or to consider the ICC’s codes.
David S. Collins, FAIA, spoke to the Code Review Committee on behalf of AIA Arizona at their final public meeting, encouraging the committee to avoid taking Phoenix in a different direction from the vast majority of jurisdictions that are adopting model codes. Along with AIA, representatives of the Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA), and the Homebuilders and Apartment Builders of Phoenix, urged the committee to support ICC’s codes.
Collins, who serves as a consultant to the AIA’s Government Advocacy Team on code matters, says, “Phoenix is simply the latest jurisdiction to adopt the ICC codes, making it the single code for all major communities that have adopted a modern building code. It was because members of AIA Arizona and many public and private interests in Arizona made clear the impact the decision would have on the City of Phoenix if they did not make the right choice.”
—From AIAs Angle
