Oswego Village Board members recently discussed changes to building codes to improve safety in front of commercial businesses after a fatal crash in town.
On July 30 at around 1:55 p.m., a vehicle crashed through the front entrance of the Portillo’s restaurant at 2810 Route 34 in Oswego, according to officials. A 2-year-old boy, who was inside the restaurant, died as a result of the crash, and 12 people were injured, according to past reporting. Police have said they believe it to have been an accident.
The changes being discussed would be for new commercial buildings in Oswego, not existing businesses, according to a report to trustees. Board members have not voted on any changes yet.
The village currently follows the International Building Code’s 2021 regulations for new construction, Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said.
The code’s regulations do not require protective measures, such as bollards, along sidewalks or store entrances. Other safety elements, such as parking lot curbing, parking blocks and a required distance between parking spaces and front entrances to businesses are seen as sufficient protection, he said.
The village does go beyond the requirement of the International Building Code by requiring protection for outdoor dining locations.
“We have had this for almost 20 years,” he told trustees of the outdoor dining safety provisions.
Outdoor dining areas in the village have protective bollards, planters or reinforced fencing to protect diners from wayward vehicles. Though these requirements are beyond the current requirements of the International Building Code, the village can require them as a local amendment to those codes, he said.
“At the village, we’re looking at adding bollards for protection at the entrance of a store. It can be done relatively economically for new developments,” Zenner said.
Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said he likes the idea of planters in front of buildings as a safety measure.
“We want to balance aesthetics with function. I gravitate toward that as a significant option,” he said.
Other board members suggested the village offer options and let architects decide whether planters or bollards would be the best option for a new business site.
Trustee Jennifer Hughes suggested having the proposed code changes apply to a variety of locations such as daycare centers with outdoor playgrounds and senior apartments.
“My concern is that if we are going to go down this route that we take a holistic look at what needs to be protected. We are approaching this from the perspective of an errant driver, but we also need to think about it in terms of an intentional act,” she said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.