HB 1737 -- Affordable Housing

Sponsor:  Storch

This bill establishes the Universal Design in Affordable Housing
Act which specifies the design standards and requirements for the
construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing units so
that they will be usable by all people, to the greatest extent
possible, without the need for adaption or specialized design.
In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Specifies that the standards will include where the unit is
located, sidewalks, parking, entries, mailboxes, hallways,
bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, laundry, windows, doors, stairs,
kitchens, and recommendations for elements inside the unit;

(2)  Prohibits exceptions to the four basic elements of universal
design which are one no-step entry; minimum door and hallway
width requirements; provisions for usable bathroom facilities in
the unit; and at least one accessible bedroom on an accessible
level which is connected to an accessible route;

(3)  Requires developers using public funds for affordable
housing to obtain training on universal design at their expense;
and

(4)  Defines "affordable housing unit" as a residential structure
which a person earning no more than 115% of the median county
income for the county in which the person lives, as determined by
the United States Bureau of the Census, could afford if spending
29% of his or her gross annual income on the housing.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:11 pm