Coastal May Give Fire Victims A Break On Some Rules
Written by 991KBU on January 2, 2019
People who lost houses in the Woolsey Fire may be getting some restrictive rules waived by the Coastal Commission.
Current rules require that emergency housing to replace fire damaged buildings can only go 90 days without a coastal development permit … but that may change quickly because of the Woolsey Fire.
The California Coastal Commission staff wants to change the rules in Malibu … to help residents recover from the Fire.
That’s according to city planners … in a memo released last week.
They say the Coastal Commission may formally meet as early as two months from now to approve emergency changes to the certified Local Coastal Program … the L C P.
The L C P is the Coastal Commission-approved zoning plan that overrides city codes in Malibu …. that gives the Coastal Commission land use decision making above that of the elected city council or local voters.
Former city planning department Joyce Parker Bozylinksi has been hired as a city consultant … to deal with coastal as the city rebuilds.
And in a memo the planning commission … Parker Bozylinski says “Coastal staff expressed a desire to work closely with the City to facilitate the rebuilding process.”
Homeowners may get a break on the removal of fire-damaged native trees.
And the proposed coastal rule changes would allow the use of R-Vs or trailers as temporary housing.
Such temporary houses would not be able to have a permanent foundation and must be “a detached self-contained housing unit.
Temporary housing structures would not include a tent or similar textile installation (like a yurt). Controversy may arise because the temporary houses would not include a modular home which is built onsite on a foundation.
Some so-called Connex buildings may not quite fit that definition.
The matter goes before the Planning Commission at its first meeting of the year … next Thursday night.
