California Construction News staff writer
The City of San Diego’s development services and environmental services departments will waive fees for building permits, demolition permits and waste disposal, and reimburse recycling costs associated with the reconstruction of damaged private property. The proposed plan will be presented to City Council for consideration today, Feb. 12, starting at 10 a.m.
“We’ve been on the ground listening to residents and businesses impacted by the Jan. 22 storm to ensure we’re providing the most effective assistance to help them recover. Another way the city can help is by lowering the costs of rebuilding,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement. “These fee waivers will make things a little easier for San Diegans whose lives were changed so suddenly and dramatically by this natural disaster.”
The draft waiver does not include fees for the expansion of structures over those that were destroyed or damaged, but will provide permit amnesty for storm victims who wish to permit and reconstruct previously unpermitted additions.
It’s estimated that as many as 1,000 San Diego homes and businesses were damaged in the Jan. 22 storm, with a majority in the communities of Mountain View, Encanto, Mount Hope, Shelltown, Southcrest and Rolando.
Additional support being proposed for flood damaged properties comes through a Debris Assistance Program, which would allow for debris-management services at no cost to eligible flooded properties.
The city is also making emergency grant funding available to small businesses and nonprofits with grants up to $2,500 per business and $5,000 for those in the Promise Zone, Opportunity Zone, or Low-Moderate Income Census Tracts.
