Discussions on minimum building codes for commercial apartment complexes could begin after a Highlands Plantation deck collapse injured more than 10 people this weekend.
At least 15 people were injured when two upper-level porches broke free from their St. Andrews Lane building moorings and fell Saturday.
Charles Whitley, a Birmingham, Alabama-based engineer who visited the scene on behalf of insurance providers Monday, said rot and decay are believed to be contributing factors to the collapse.
Further analysis, he said, is needed to provide a precise determination, and that ruling might not come until next week.
Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department investigators do not view Saturday’s incident as criminal in nature, Lt. Brett Watson said.
It is unknown if stringent building code requirements and inspections could have prevented the collapse, but Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer said supervisors should at least hold discussions on implementing the rules after Oktibbeha County, like many other Mississippi counties, opted out last month from state legislation mandating their implementation.
Trainer was the only supervisor to vote against opting out on Oct. 6.
Oktibbeha County does not have building codes on its books, a fact he called worrisome in the light of future commercial housing growth in the outlying county areas near Mississippi State University.
“People have to understand that this county is growing,” Trainer said. “I hate to deal with something after it happens, but there’s a lot of construction that’s going on right now, and we’re hopeful more follows. When (supervisors opted out of the Legislature’s mandate), the idea was that we wanted to structure something on our own.”
Calls for building codes, along with zoning ordinances and land-use rules, have met resistance In Oktibbeha County for years. During recent public hearings on the county’s comprehensive planning efforts, some residents said they favored more-stringent rules to control property development.
Supervisors, however, have often tempered those comments by saying they are not likely to pass explicit, land-controlling rules.
Many people live in the county, supervisors say, because they want the freedom to use their land as they choose.
A potential electorate shift in tight races — three of the five board seats were only decided by double-digit tallies in 2011 — is also expected to curb any new zoning or land-use rules as representatives will run for re-election next year.
While supervisors are unlikely to tackle zoning laws, the board could, at the very least, discuss minimum rules for large-scale apartment complexes that developers are showing interest in constructing. The board could also address sprinkler requirements for similar developments, as those provisions are also not on the books.
Citing growing life-safety concerns, Board Vice President John Montgomery said he was amiable to the discussions as long as controls are only discussed for mass-occupancy structures. Montgomery also serves as a Starkville firefighter and was on scene during 2010’s Campus Trails blaze.
Other incidents, including 2009’s deadly Academy Crossing blaze and 2010’s Crossgates Apartments fires, have occurred inside city limits within the past five years.
“I can see (provisions) for multi-tenant commercial units like that as a tool to protect current growth, future growth and life safety, but I wouldn’t want to see rules scaled down to single-family homes. As supervisors, we have to sit down and see what parameters fit this area,” Montgomery said.
The board could create building and fire codes that apply once certain thresholds, including development size, height and expected number of occupants, are reached, he said, to prevent overextending regulations to homeowners.
Three new apartment complexes in the Blackjack Road area will constitute a tax increment financing (TIF) district that, once they’re completed and on the county property rolls, will help finance infrastructure improvements to the heavily used thoroughfare.
As the county continues to experience growth with MSU’s enrollment and new commercial and industrial opportunities, new apartment construction is a given. Increased development is forecast around campus, but developers are also eying parcels in the western portion of Oktibbeha County.
Controls are needed before development rates increase, Trainer said.
Effective Aug. 1, SB 2378 ordered municipal and county-level governing bodies to adopt International Building Code and International Residential Code statues, as well as electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire and fuel gas provisions adopted by the Mississippi Building Codes Council, within 120 days.
Many governments, including Oktibbeha County’s, utilized an opt-out clause within the bill. The Northeast Miss. Daily Journal reported 51 municipalities and five counties had already opted out of the legislation’s provisions last week.
Starkville Community Development Director Buddy Sanders confirmed the city did not opt out of the legislation and currently complies with 2012’s IBC standards.
If supervisors decide to set building codes, the county would need to establish a permitting and inspection process similar to Starkville’s, said Mike Slaughter, the chief architect of Oktibbeha County’s upcoming comprehensive plan.
A draft of Slaughter’s plan calls upon Oktibbeha County to enact up-to-date IBC and International Property Maintenance Code to ensure safety issues, as well as sign, landscaping, architectural design and unkempt property ordinances.
The cost of developing those various codes and establishing a building department would depend on consultant’s fees — if the county chooses to hire one — and the pay range for at least one part- or full-time inspector. Supervisors could even choose to outsource inspection work.
Many rural Mississippi counties do not have firm building codes, Slaughter said, but more metropolitan and fast-growing areas, including the Gulf Coast, Jackson-area and DeSoto County, have begun implementing controls.
“It’s not really surprising Oktibbeha doesn’t have them, but still the main purpose of (building codes) is for public safety,” he said. “I would recommend them simply because Oktibbeha is a growing, dynamic county.
“Not all builders and developers are created equal, in the sense of craftsmanship and quality. Their intention may be to follow good building practices, but without having those codes on the books and inspectors, how can the county make sure they’re met? With any development, you can have issues, from a developer cutting corners to simple human error,” Slaughter added. “In general around the state, people complain that developers are running outside city limits so they don’t have to adhere to codes. I think the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors is recognizing that they do need to plan for growth because of the increasing development demands.”
Supervisors are expected to approve the comprehensive plan and hear Slaughter’s report on implementing its various facets during its mid-December meeting.
A meeting date and time have not yet been set.
The Dispatch was unable to obtain contact information for the St. Andrews Lane property owner Monday.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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