Public roof deck

Hi there, I just bought a top floor duplex, that is in converted loft building that went condo in the mid-80s. At the time, they put a small addition on the roof, which is now my bedroom. On one side of addition is a private terrace and the other side is currently unused roof space. I recently discovered that the Board is exploring making this unused roof space a public deck. Obviously, this would be terrible for me. Basically, it would be a huge intrusion. In addition to the noise, etc., people could just walk right up to my bedroom and bathroom window and peer in. To give some background, the total available space is about 20’x35′. With that in mind, a friend mentioned that it would be hard for the condo to make this a legal roof deck for a few reasons: 1) There is no elevator to the roof level. (It stops on the top floor). As a result, the space wouldn’t be ADA compliant 2) There is only one staircase, so there would be fire code issues. (However, this seems a a bit fishy to me, since there is only one staircase for the whole building right now, so why would you now need a second staircase just for the roof deck). 3) Some of the roof area would need to be available for FDNY access, maintenance, access to water tower, etc. Anyway, hopefully the Board will be considerate and not put a roof deck literally right next to my bedroom/bathroom, but any other suggestions on how to dissuade them would be great.

mzmisdacutljvesg

in Building Code 9 years and 1 month ago

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resident2 | 9 years and 1 month ago

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Most Condos give up the idea after discovering how much it will cost to build, plus the additional insurance and maintenance etc.. If it does get built you will also discover that very few people will actually use it! After the initial thrill. But it does look good as an amenity to the building when it is time to sell!

mzmisdacutljvesg | 9 years and 1 month ago

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Interesting…for what it is worth, the building is 6 stories tall. It was originally constructed in 1910 as a factory and was converted into a condo in the mid-80s.

Arkady | 9 years and 1 month ago

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Law codes about 2nd means of egress may have changed since the building went up & I think it may also depend on how many stories there are.