2017 Member Benefits Guide - Second Quarter: Advocacy in CRE

ADVOCAcy in cre GUIDE TO MEMBER BENEFITS OWNERS BROCHURE

SECOND QUARTER 2017

Advocacy

BOMA Georgia seeks to maintain an effective advocacy arm to protect the best interests of a growing commercial real estate industry. The viability of commercial real estate in Georgia depends on developing productive relationships with elected and government officials, as well as keeping association members informed about and engaged with political happenings throughout the state of Georgia and at the local level within metro Atlanta.

Permitting and ADA Compliance Work in the City of Atlanta IN LATE 2016, the City of Atlanta Office of Buildings changed its requirements for demonstrating ADA compliance when seeking a construction permit.

BOMA Georgia was quick to respond.

The issue concerned the City of Atlanta’s interpretation of the 20 percent disproportionality rule. This rule in the 2010 ADA states: “Alterations made to provide an accessible path of travel to the altered area will be deemed disproportionate to the overall alteration when the cost exceeds 20 percent of the cost of the alteration to the primary function area.”

Interpretations by jurisdictions, including the City of Atlanta initially, changed the meaning to require 20 percent of any project budget to be applied to the removal of barriers in the building. The initial interpretations by the City of Atlanta were grossly overreaching and caused major permitting delays.

BOMA members successfully worked with the Bureau of Buildings Chief Building Official/Fire Marshal Don Wilkens, Planning and Development Commissioner Tim Keane and the State of Georgia ADA coordinator’s office to ensure that the broad interpretation/ application of the ADA as it applies to existing buildings is legal, fair and places the least amount of undue hardship on the building owner/landlord.

Through this process, BOMA Georgia’s relationship with the City of Atlanta was strengthened. BOMA Georgia also partnered with the City of Atlanta to produce a Permitting and ADA Compliance seminar to help educate owners, managers and architects about the 2010 ADA and how to comply. More information about the 2010 ADA and the 20 percent disproportionality rule can be found in BOMA Georgia’s official magazine Insight, the Commercial Real Estate Journal.

VIEW 2017 INSIGHT ISSUE 2

New Requirements for Building Anchors – Spread the Word!

The rule has a direct impact on owners and In November of 2016, OSHA published its Final Rule 1910 for Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems). The rule requires employers to provide adequate fall protection where unprotected edges are at least four feet above a lower level. It establishes requirements for performance, training, inspection, use, maintenance, documentation and reporting for “any equipment, device or system that prevents a worker from falling from an elevation or mitigates the effect of such a fall.”

Many provisions of the rule went into effect 60 days after its publication, but a key provision of the rule concerning rope-descent systems takes effect on Nov. 18, 2017. After Nov. 18, written assurance must be provided that permanent building anchorages capable of supporting 5,000 pounds for each worker have been tested, certified and maintained.

companies managing commercial real estate properties. The rule clarifies that a vendor’s employees are essentially employees of the property they service as well. This makes the property liable in cases where there is an accident or the anchoring system is not in compliance.

To help make owners and managers aware of these changes, BOMA Georgia has been helping spread the word. In BOMA Georgia’s official magazine, Insight, the Commercial Real Estate Journal, the first of two articles was published in the spring issue concerning these changes.

Find that article, here: OSHA ARTICLE Insight Issue 3 will feature a follow up article on how owners and managers can ensure they are prepared for these changes.

BOMA Georgia remains committed to keeping owners and managers informed on issues that impact their business and bottom line.

IECC Code Adoption BOMA advocacy is helping move the industry forward while helping eliminate unnecessary financial burdens and addressing codes and regulations that may have a negative impact on the industry.

In 2017, a 17-member code adoption task force of real estate industry stakeholders was assembled by the The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The task force is charged with assessing the differences between the 2009 IECC with Georgia Supplements and Amendments (existing code) and the 2015 IECC, and making recommendations regarding its adoption and any necessary supplements and amendments to the State Codes Advisory Committee (SCAC).

The task force is also responsible for providing a recommendation on the adoption of ASHRAE 90.1-2013.

As an interested party representing the real estate industry, BOMA Georgia has a member representative on the working group. To date, a working group of BOMA Georgia members from the association’s government affairs committee has worked with BOMA’s representative on the task force to discuss BOMA’s concerns and propose positions on the codes.

BOMA Georgia’s participation on this task force ensures that the concerns of commercial real estate owners and managers is being heard and addressed. This is yet another example of how

BOMA Georgia is represented on the task force

by Mark Gallman, SMA, SMT, LEED GA, with Highwoods Properties. Assisting Mark from BOMA Georgia’s codes subcommittee are: • JACK KENNEDY, JACKSON HEALTHCARE • MARK SCHROEDER, AIA,

VEENENDAALCAVE, INC. • JOHN WETHERALD, RUSSELL LANDSCAPE GROUP INC. • EMILY WHITE, AMERICA’S CAPITAL PARTNERS • WENDY COWART, MAYBERRY ELECTRIC, INC. • MIKE LATHAM, LEED AP, CBRE

FOLLOW THE TASK FORCE PROGRESS PHOTO CREDIT: @Georgia Community Affairs

UPCOMING EVENTS SECOND/THIRD QUARTER - 2017 JULY-AUGUST 2017 Jul 18

July New Member Orientation

Jul 18

Amazon Warehouse Tour for Industrial Real Estate

Jul 26

Budgeting & Accounting

Jul 27

Building a Sustainability Budget | Green Real Estate Network

Aug 3

BTO Lunch

Aug 9

BOMA Georgia August Motivational Luncheon

Aug 9

AMRG | Meet the August Motivational Luncheon Speaker

Aug 10

BTO Lunch

Aug 11

BOMA Property Management 201

Aug 15

Industrial SIG Meeting

Aug 16

Design, Operation & Maintenance II

Aug 29

Young Professionals After Hours

SEPTEMBER 2017 Sep 12

TOBY Entrant Workshop

Sep 13

BOMA Georgia September Luncheon

Sep 14

Commercial HVAC - Module 2

Sep 19

LEEDv4 Green Associate Exam Prep

Sep 27

Building Engineering 101

Check out our online event calendar!

EVENT CALENDAR