Elevator project stuck on ground floor
Print Edition
STAIRCASES can be serious impediments for some residents in old Xinzhuang apartment complexes without elevators. So a plan to install them has naturally been eagerly embraced.
Under a local proposal, a story would be added to each apartment building, and the money received from selling the apartments would go toward purchasing and installing elevators. Baochun No. 1 and No. 2 neighborhoods would be the first in line for the pilot project. Most residents there have approved the plan.
The hitch? There’s no law or regulation specifically stating that the mechanics of the plan are legal.
Apartment buildings in the four Baochun neighborhoods were built in 1980s. All are six-story and have no elevators. As the residents in such complexes age, the drudgery of climbing stairs becomes more difficult.
“Some seniors living on the fifth or sixth floors just stay home as much as possible because it’s so tiresome to climb stairs,” said Pei Lingbo, a 72-year-old resident. “I have high blood pressure, and I have to stop several times when going up to my apartment just to catch my breath. If we could have an elevator in the building, my husband and I would be very happy.”
According to a survey conducted by Yang Qigen, a member of the People’s Congress in the town, about one-third of the people living in the four Baochun neighborhoods are 60 years or older. The highest concentration of seniors lives in the No. 1 and No. 2 neighborhoods, which is why they were selected as the first to be addressed by the elevator project.
The plan to add floors and sell apartments is a way around the fact that there is no public pot of money to buy and install elevators.
An elevator costs about 650,000 yuan (US$102,340). Spread among the 24 families living in one building, the cost would be beyond their means. And who would pay for ongoing elevator maintenance?
Many of the residents figured the idea of getting elevators was all but lost after hearing about the cost considerations.
“If there were new apartments to sell, then there would be enough money to buy, install and maintain an elevator,” said Yang. “The cost would not have to be borne by either residents or the local government.”
But adding a story to each building has its own pitfalls. Under current building and restoration regulations, the idea may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement.
“There is a general guideline on installing elevators in old apartment buildings that was issued earlier this year, but no details have been announced yet,” said Yang. “Now, we can only wait and hope.”
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