It seems that my article last week touched a few nerves in the city among architects and the Woolsey Fire survivors community.
The city website’s weekly update shows four new planning applications for a total of 154. It also reflects one more building permit issued. Seventeen applications are currently under review, which is one less than last week. Planning seems to be staying ahead of the new applications as the four new submissions were balanced by five more of the existing applications being approved by planning.
I’d like to thank the local architects, a current applicant and City Manager Reva Feldman who shared their frustrations and possible improvements for current process.
Let’s start with a historical note: Prior to Woolsey, a permit applicant was looking at an 18-month process to get a building permit as long as there were no special permissions sought.
The city currently has a goal of getting you your “like-for-like” or “like-for-like-plus-10-percent” fire rebuild permit granted in six months. The architects and building professionals are aware of this and are grateful for the goal and the city’s efforts.
Affected homeowners have a different attitude. They are not building because they want to. They did not choose to start this process. They don’t understand why they can’t apply with environmental health simultaneously with planning. They especially don’t understand why environmental only has counter hours from eight to noon two days a week. They are doing the best they can to navigate the system and were frustrated before the start of the process.
It is difficult for homeowners to understand why they should expect several rounds of plan checker red markups to their plans as various shortcomings are discovered and returned to their consultants to make the requested changes, explanations, etc. After the various consultants weigh in and the changes are made, the plans are once again submitted to the city, which relays them to California code check, the outside plan checking service. Usually on the second submission, the code check may reject some of the changes or discover new errors in the parts of the plans they previously approved. This results in another round of corrections being made by the architect and various consultants hoping to resolve any and all deficiencies. At this point, the plans are resubmitted to code check for the third time. If the plan checking service signs off, all is well with the world. If the code check finds new deficiencies, the plans are sent back to the architect and various consultants again.
Unsurprisingly, the architect and various engineers, who are getting more and more backlogged, have difficulty finding the time to prioritize the four versions of the drawings as their other clients are growing more and more vocal about their plans and their own time schedules.
Here’s what is being done to improve the system.
Monday the 16th was the first day of a California plan check employee being assigned full time to a desk in the building and safety office. Any submission will first be checked for completeness and any additional documents requested, hopefully before the applicant leaves the counter.
The architects are pushing for California code check to call them before they generate the first corrections letter and give them a chance to supply additional documents or corrected pages to the plans before the dreaded corrections letter is written. With any luck, this collaboration will telescope the first and second submission of the plans into a shorter period.
The city has advised me that, while the environmental department may have counter hours only two days a week, they and all other city departments are available by appointment all day, every day. Call 310.456.2489 and ask Christy to connect you with the correct department.
Finally, City Manager Reva Feldman has just begun calling each one of the 137 applicants who have been approved by planning to ask them how their submission for code check is coming and where they are having difficulty in the process. It’s going to take awhile for her to get through all 137 names on the list, so she has authorized me to give you her phone number and extension so she can smooth your way. Call her at 310.456.2489, ext. 226.
Malibu wants you to rebuild and get back in your home. Please feel free to call me with any sticky points you experience at 310.505.5006.