California ADA Compliant

LOCATION:

YORBA LINDA PACKING HOUSE SHOPPING CENTER

Date:

Jan 2022

Project:

Yorba Linda Packing House

There is a state ordinance that all properties must become California ADA Compliant or face getting fines & get involved in lengthy and costly lawsuits. Many buildings built prior to 1990 do not meet ADA standards and must be upgraded to current ADA codes.
ADA (Americans with Disability Act) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public places such as offices, retail stores, parks, schools, theatres, apartment buildings, restaurants, etc. In order to mitigate fines and costly lawsuits, owners of commercial and retail buildings including apartment complexes must upgrade all their old buildings to current ADA Standards.

California ADA Compliant requirements

One of the most important items in ADA requirements is that all buildings must have at least one wheelchair-accessible route to public streets, sidewalks, bus stations, loading zones, etc. Whether an apartment building (multi-family building), shopping center, office building, retail space, the entrance must be handicapped accessible depending on the building code in effect when it was built or renovated. There are certain codes that the accessible route must meet such as slope in running direction, cross, and ramp so it is safe for a person with a disability on a wheelchair to travel.

Route Slope – For the entire accessible route the slope cannot be more than 1:20 or must be less than 5%. If the slope at any part is more than 5%, then it can be considered a ramp and must comply with ADA ramp specifications.

Cross Slope – Route Cross Slope, (perpendicular to pathway) cannot be more than 2% for the entire length access route.

ADA Ramp –An ADA curb ramp must have no more than a 1:12 ratio, or no greater than 8.33% slope. The ADA also requires slopes to be consistent from end to end; a ramp must have a uniform slope. All ramps must have truncated domes.

Truncated Domes – Truncated domes are installed as noticeable warnings, which can be seen, felt, and heard. Detectable warning systems are installed to increase the accessibility and safety of public spaces. Truncated domes and wayfinding bars create a better and detectable warning system to safely guide all members of the public.

Trash Enclosure – All public trash enclosures must be ADA accessible.  Concrete is the best material to use for dumpster pads because it is stronger, easier to clean, and lasts longer. By doing this, the front wheels of the trash truck can sit on the pad which is about 6”-8” thick over 6” CMB. A minimum five-foot-wide concrete apron (with a two percent maximum pitch) shall be placed in front of all refuse enclosures. Aside from ADA codes, all trash enclosures must have covers so bis are protected during rainfall and mitigate polluted water running outside and contaminating groundwater.

Grease Interceptor Manholes – In some projects grease interceptors are installed in from of the restaurants in the parking lot. Grease interceptors have 3 manholes that need to be installed at the correct elevations. During the process of grinding and overlaying in the parking lot, Sunpeak determined that the existing manholes for Grease Interceptor serving the Jersey Mike Fast-food Restaurant were installed too high during its original construction and interfered with the slope required in the ADA parking space. The manholes were removed, new rings from Jensen Precast were installed at the correct elevation and the entire area was covered with asphalt.

Sunpeak Construction was recently retained by PRES Companies to make one of the buildings in Yorba Linda Packing House Shopping Center, Chilis Restaurant to UPS Store, parking lot & sidewalk California ADA Compliant. Sunpeak met with the City inspector, surveyed the existing site conditions, and provided an As-Built Condition and recommendations to correct all Noncompliant ADA issues on site. After getting approvals from the owner and City of Yorba Linda Building Department, Sunpeak removed existing non-compliant sidewalks which did not have proper slope, graded the pads, installed recycled CMB (Crushed Miscellaneous Base) Class II with 95% Relative Compaction, set new forms, surveyed all grades, poured 4” of 3,000 psi concrete and new ramps with truncated domes with correct slopes to meet ADA Standards. After concrete work was completed Sunpeak proceeded with grinding existing asphalt and overlaid with proper slopes for Accessible Parking and all-new ADA signs and stripping.

After completion of all work, Sunpeak Construction provided As-Built Plans and obtained approvals and a Compliance Certificate from a CASP Inspector all of which were submitted to the City of Yorba Linda. CASP Inspector is a certified access specialist who has been tested and certified by the state that business owners can hire to assess accessibility.