By Jeff Mores – Northwest Arkansas’ News

BENTONVILLE – Normally, firefighters are the only people who get excited about indoor sprinkler systems. As Aug. 1 – the day the updated Arkansas Fire Prevention Code goes into effect – approaches, sprinklers are grabbing the attention of plenty of city planners, potential developers and investors.

Among the long list of code requirements, there’s quite a bit of ink dedicated to changes concerning sprinkler systems in both commercial and residential buildings. For instance, when the new Chick-fil-A on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville opened earlier this year, it was not required to have an indoor sprinkler system because its dining area seated fewer than 300 customers. On Aug. 1, however, new restaurants and other businesses will be required to install a fireprotection sprinkler system if they seat 100 or more customers or employees.

While that’s a significant change and could translate into added expense for projects that have not yet rolled through the planning process, the issue has been attracting even more attention from those interested in renovating and adding to historic downtown areas, such as those in Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs.

“What surprises me is how quickly the code changed,” said Troy Galloway, Bentonville director of community development. “In my opinion, it went from one end of the spectrum to the other. In downtown areas, where you might be looking at offices and businesses on the bottom and turning the space above into loft apartments, you’re probably going to run into a big hurdle now. I think these changes could prohibit some people from developing or redeveloping in downtown areas. This is significant, in my opinion.”

In the Bentonville downtown fire district, which extends several blocks in every direction from the Bentonville Square, the new fire code would require any new residential structure or unit – apartments to single-family homes – to have indoor sprinkler systems. Existing homes and apartments within the district would be grandfathered in. But if the use of any existing structure changes or the building undergo significant renovations, it will, in most cases, be required to install a sprinkler system.

And it could get even stickier if there are multiple uses or owners within the same building.

“Say someone is interested in purchasing the upper level of a downtown building and wants to turn one of the spaces into an apartment,” Lt. James Birchfield of the Bentonville Fire Department explained to the Bentonville Committee of the Whole on Monday night. “You wouldn’t just need to sprinkle the one apartment. You’d have to sprinkle anything in the building, from the bottom up. We’re talking about whatever business or businesses are below – anything inside that building.”

City officials, firefighters and those with a stake in downtown agree that the upcoming building-code changes will undoubtedly establish safer buildings, particularly in densely developed areas. But there’s a cost associated with that safety. Some believe there are more cost-effective steps that could be taken.

But on Aug. 1, these will be the rules.

“The core of all these codes is for public safety,” Bentonville Mayor Bob Mc-Caslin said. “There are some changes – and ‘changes’ is an underlined word. But I don’t think this should be construed as a bad thing. On Monday, we tried to get the word out there about these upcoming changes. I think this is terribly important, and I wish more people would have been there, but the city of Bentonville is doing everything it can to make sure no one is surprised by what’s happening.”

City Hall sent out approximately 100 invitations to property owners, developers and others with a stake in its downtown area prior to the Building Code Forum, held Monday. According to city officials, only three individuals attended the forum, during which Fire Department officials outlined the code changes.

Rustin Chrisco, whose company Main Street Builders focuses on renovation and construction work in historic districts, was among the few attendees.

“I’m not at all opposed to reasonable changes to the code that increase the level of safety,” Chrisco said. “But I do think this situation will cause some economic problems in the downtown development district. For some, this will drive the cost up to an unsustainable level, in a time when the industry and the economy are already depressed.

“You really don’t know what the impact will be until it happens. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t have a significant impact on cost of construction. You’re probably talking about driving the cost up 5 percent or so to build or renovate a home. I’m going to have to adjust my budget to counter that, but I think there’s a lot of people who won’t be able to make that adjustment.”

Several developers and investors interviewed for this story suggested that indoor sprinkler systems would add from $ 2 to $ 10 per square foot to construction or renovation costs. Ken Dunk, owner of Dunk Fire and Security in Springdale, said those estimates would be accurate in some circumstances. But several factors, ranging from whether the structure is existing or new construction, to the water system and pressure available in the area, drive the cost up or down.

“One thing to consider here is that there may be some tradeoff in going to a sprinkler system that works to a developer’s advantage,” Dunk said. “If you have a sprinkler system, you may not be required to have as much fire separation. You may be able to change some of the materials you use in other areas. Fire doors and other items may not be required. There are a lot of schools that have done the studies and learned they actually save on construction costs by installing sprinkler systems.”

It’s a matter of striking a balance.

“Fire code is constantly a balance between safety and cost,” Bentonville Fire Chief Dan White said. “How much needs to go into the cost of safety ? Sprinklers are proven to save lives and property. The new fire code is making some pretty big steps in extending the requirement for some occupancies to be sprinklered, and we want to work with developers to help in any way we can.”

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