33 Hawley TCO Memo 2017-06-12PO BOX 366
NORTHAMPTON MA 01061
June 12, 2017
Louis Hasbrouck, Building Commissioner
Larry Eldridge, Plumbing and Gas Inspector
City of Northampton
Regarding Temporary Occupancy of 33 Hawley Street
In this temporary occupancy phase, the Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA) would
like to accommodate as many of our constituent groups as possible while maintaining
safety and comfort. We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to use part of the
building while the remainder is under construction, and we recognize the strong support
of the Building Department already evident in this endeavor.
During this temporary phase, we have one set of operational restrooms. These provide
3 female fixtures, 3 male. This allows 90 females in Assembly use, and at 50% each
gender, yields 180 occupancy maximum for the whole premises. Studio 003 has one
means of egress and is limited to 49 occupants, which leaves a total of 131 occupants
for Studio 005 and Dance Rehearsal 106.
If Dance Rehearsal 106 maximizes its occupancy at 49, that would leave 82 occupants
allowable in Studio 005. However, for life safety, Studio 005's maximum occupancy is
more than twice that amount:
Two means of egress provided, sprinkler system provided
Per 1004.1.2 Max. Floor Area Allowances Per Occupant
Concentrated (chairs not fixed) 7sf/person
1330sf = 190 people max [for egress]
It would greatly affect our use of the space if we are able to schedule occasional uses of
Studio 005 that would exceed 82 occupants. We would be able to promise no access to
the dance studio during a scheduled event with higher occupancy in Studio 005, to
reduce total occupancy and load on bathrooms. We would offer to lock the elevator
during this time to ensure no accidental overlap occurred. All other entrances to 106
would be locked as will be typical in this phase. This would allow us to provide an
occupancy maximum of 131 for Studio 005, limited by restrooms to less than 70% of life
safety maximum occupancy.
We do not anticipate frequent large occupancies of Studio 005. Some examples
include a choral group of around 100 people that would like to rehearse once per week
for under two hours, and a dance group that would like to host small performances twice
per year that typically draw between 50-80 audience members. While these would be
relatively rare uses of the space, it would greatly affect our ability to work with groups
who will otherwise need to contract elsewhere until we are able to open the full building.
Sincerely,
Rachel Stevens
Board President
Northampton Center for the Arts