By Vivian and Elisa Girard, Special to The Reporter
Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order two weeks ago (Feb. 12) mandating that the state “explore single-stair construction to boost housing production and lower costs.” The directive was welcome news to those who follow housing in Massachusetts, in particular Dorchester folks like us.
We recently built our own affordable housing project near Fields Corner. One of the biggest challenges to developers of small multi-family buildings like us is the long-standing second-stairwell rule.
In the US, with a few exceptions that we’ll mention below, the International Building Code (IBC) spells out the rules that regulate the construction of multi-family buildings; that is, buildings with two or more units. Motivated by a concern for residents in the event of a fire, the IBC mandates that all new multi-family buildings taller than three floors have a second stairwell exit.
Outside the US, a more flexible standard prevails. Regulations in most countries allow for a single stairway for buildings between 100 feet tall (about 10 floors) and 240 feet tall (25 floors). A few countries, like Japan, Switzerland, and North Korea have no explicit limitations. Most of these countries also have a rate of home fire death much lower than the US.
Massachusetts is now considering a slight but critical modification to the number of stair exits required for relatively small buildings. The proposal would allow buildings with up to 6 floors and 24 units to use a single stair exit and thus bring Massachusetts on par with regulations in New York City, Seattle, and Hawaii. These are places that have written their own rules allowing greater flexibility for multi-family construction with a single stairwell. NYC has allowed a single stair for up to six floors since 1968; Seattle, since 1977; and Hawaii since 2020. Other US cities and states are working on similar reforms.
Fire safety is a concern for all of us, and opponents of loosening the two-stair rule, particularly by fire departments, have raised valid concerns. But are small multi-family buildings with two-stair construction safer than the same buildings with a single stairwell? In a word, no.
Recent comparative studies show that modern single-stair buildings in New York City and Seattle are just as safe as modern two-stair buildings in the rest of the country. A 2024 study by the National Fire Protection Association found that the number of fire deaths per million housing units was startlingly lower in residential buildings of four to six stories than in one- and two-family homes: 4.2 versus 24.9. In other words, if you live in a residential building with up to six floors, you have one-sixth of the risk of perishing in a fire as folks who reside in a one- or two-family home.
This is largely due to the fact that all new multi-family buildings are required to have higher fire protection standards. And in the case of small buildings, the number of residents is relatively low, and the length a resident has to travel to get out of the building in case of a fire remains short.
The biggest implication with all this is housing production and cost. Reducing the requirement from two to one stairwell exits in four-to-six-floor building can mean feasibility for a project that might otherwise fall by the boards for the small developers who typically build this kind of housing.
This is particularly relevant when it comes to projects on small building lots, numerous in Boston, but especially so in our neighborhood. We recently did a back-of-the-envelope calculation for a multi-family building project that we are considering. A single-stair design allowing up to four floors, instead of the current three, would provide an additional unit and better floor plans, with units costing 13-15 percent less than in a three-unit building. A change in single-stair regulations would take our project from “I don’t think that could work,” to “We can do this!” And we can pass most of the cost savings on to future residents.
This proposed change in single-stair regulations by itself will not resolve the region’s housing affordability crisis. But it will help a great deal in reviving small project development in Massachusetts, particularly in Boston’s residential neighborhoods.
At this time, we see this as the easiest and most meaningful step that our state government can take without compromising safety or further burdening the taxpayer. We’re looking forward to a prompt enactment of this sensible improvement.
A summary of the report by the Boston Indicator Research Center is available at: bostonindicators.org/single_stair.
Elisa and Vivian Girard are Fields Corner residents, and builders/managers of unsubsidized affordable housing.
