CT Insider | By: By Joshua Eaton, Brianna Gurciullo
State lawmakers nixed a change to the state’s building code that would have allowed for smaller apartment buildings after fire professionals raised safety concerns.
The move comes amid a housing shortage that prompted state lawmakers to return for a special session to pass housing legislation just three months ago.
Legislation passed in 2024 directed the Department of Administrative Services to expand what kind of apartment buildings can be serviced by a single stairwell in the next revision to the state building code, which is due out later this year. The current code dictates that any apartment building over three stories must have two stairwells.
A measure in the so-called “emergency certification” bill passed by both chambers this week repeals that requirement, leaving the stairwell regulation as it currently stands.
Housing advocates say requiring two stairwells in apartment buildings taller than three stories is impractical to build “missing middle” housing — more than two units but less than nine — particularly on smaller lots. It also encourages builders to limit apartment units to one or two bedrooms, advocates say.
The two-stairwell rule is why so many of the new apartment buildings going up in places like downtown New Haven and other areas of the state look the same, according to Sean Ghio of the Partnership for Strong Communities — big and boxy on the outside and hotel-like on the inside.
“Having these double-barreled buildings, it forces a certain kind of design layout in buildings,” Ghio said. “A lot of people complain about new apartment buildings all looking very similar. Part of that is the constraint of building for two stairwells. You almost always have this very long hallway with a stairwell on either end.”