Santa Monica City Waives Fees And Fast Tracks Permits For Business Recovery From Damages From Civil Unrest

Press release from the City of Santa Monica:

June 4, 2020

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Today, the Interim City Manager and Director of Emergency Services Lane Dilg issued a supplement to the City’s declaration of a local emergency resulting from the civil unrest throughout Los Angeles County. The supplement expedites recovery efforts by fast-tracking permits and eliminating fees for Santa Monica businesses who need to repair damage resulting from the civil unrest. More than 250 businesses suffered an estimated $11.5 million in exterior damage alone.

“We mourn the damage to our beloved businesses and are moving to help them recover as quickly as they can,” said Interim City Manager Lane Dilg. “We will work hand in hand with businesses and the community to recover, heal and move forward together from both the civil unrest on May 31 and the effects of COVID-19.”

The supplement applies to businesses that suffered damage from civil unrest following the May 30 declaration of a local emergency. The supplement waives permit and plan review fees for permits for repairs. Applications for permits must be submitted to the City within 60 days of today, June 4, 2020, to be eligible for the fee waiver.

The supplement also provides that Civil unrest repair permits do not need approval by the Architectural Review Board or the Landmarks Commission, provided the repair work involves one or more of the following:

• Replacement of existing materials with like materials, provided that (i) the new materials are of a comparable quality, texture, and craftsmanship and (ii) the building is not a City-Designated Historic Resource;
• Alterations to the design or materials of a façade of an existing building, provided that the building (i) is not located in the Main Street Neighborhood Commercial District or the BC (Promenade) District with frontage along the Third Street Promenade and (ii) is not a City-Designated Historic Resource;
• Alterations to the materials of a façade of an existing building that is located in the Main Street Neighborhood Commercial District or the BC (Promenade) District with frontage along the Third Street Promenade, provided that (i) the alterations are consistent with the building’s existing design and (ii) the building is not a City-Designated Historic Resource; or
• For a City-Designated Historic Resource, replacement of awnings, windows, doors, roofing materials and details that do not change the design, including the pitch, shape, or roof style, and exterior materials, provided that such replacement does not detrimentally affect any character-defining feature of the City-Designated Historic Resource.

Requirements for what must be included in an application for a civil unrest repair permit are set forth in the supplement. The supplement is effective through August 3, 2020, unless extended.

This press release was produced by the City of Santa Monica. The views expressed here are the author’s own.