California currently requires two stairwells in all multi-family buildings above 3 stories. This wastes space, and it isn't necessary for safety in midrise buildings: in countries across the globe, fire departments rescue residents just as safely by ladder and via a single staircase, supported by high fire safety standards that are designed for these types of buildings.

In the midst of a housing crisis, the unnecessary two-stairwell mandate makes it even harder to build housing by increasing costs and making it difficult to build on smaller lots.

Single stair buildings (also known as vertical shared access buildings, or point access blocks) have the benefits of:

• Lower costs - multi-stairwell requirements force developers to combine smaller parcels to form one larger parcel that can fit all the stairs and hallways, increasing land acquisition costs by as much as 40% over single-stair buildings.

• More environmentally friendly - single stair buildings have more windows and cross-ventilation, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning and lighting and also making them more climate resilient.

• More flexible and attractive layouts - vertical shared access cuts down on hallways, allowing architects to design a greater mix of apartment types and to provide residents with additional open/green space. And don't worry, the buildings still have elevators!

• Supporting "missing middle" housing - by making construction on smaller lots feasible, single stair buildings can unlock more gentle density, such as 5-plexes and 10-plexes, in already-developed areas. This means more people can live in high-opportunity, walkable communities.

AB 835, introduced by Assembly Member Alex Lee, will help make these benefits a reality in California by directing the State Fire Marshal to research and develop standards for safe, single stairway multi-family residential buildings. These standards may also include upgrades to existing safety regulations such as higher firewall ratings, pressurized or open-air stairwells, better sprinkler systems and shorter distances to the building exit.

Cities like New York and Seattle already allow single stair multi-family buildings up to 6 stories, and European countries widely permit these buildings without impact to safety. Let's join them!

Use our template to email your legislators and tell them to support AB 835!

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