Coastal Commission OKs Emergency Malibu Fire Rebuild Changes
Written by 991KBU on March 8, 2019
The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved Malibu’s request for emergency changes in tis L C P … the Local Coastal Program that overlays the city’s land use policies.
Meeting in Los Angeles yesterday .. the commissioners said practically nothing … as it unanimously concurred with its staff … to approve the city council’s plan.
Under the emergency changes … homeowners who lost their dwellings will not have to to get Coastal Development Permits to rebuild their septics systems.
They will not have to get Coastal Development Permits to bring access roads up to new fire department standards … so long as no major grading is proposed.
They will be allowed to have temporary housing structures to be placed on a property during reconstruction.
Temporary homes permitted through the emergency procedure must be removed within 4-6 years or else receive a follow-up permit if they are to remain.
Those C D Ps are expensive … and it takes months to get them.
Coastal Commission staffers noted that these changes … to allow emergency permits … will not have adverse impacts on coastal resources.
At the meeting … city planner Bonnie Blue and real estate development expediter Don Schmitz both heaped praise on the commission’s staff…. for trying to help Malibu fire victims as much as possible.
Here’s Schmitz … speaking at the Coastal Commission meeting in Los Angeles.
SCHMITZ CCC QQQ SUCH AN EXEMPLARY JOB
“Our community has been hurt very very badly and there is a lot of confusion in regards to the difficulties of them rebuilding their homes.
“I just want to convey to you, how much this means to a community that lost a quarter of their homes in that area, and it’s just an excellent step.
“You know bad news travels fast and people can often be very critical, but not often do they stand up and let you know when your team has done such an exemplary job.”
Don Schmitz speaking at the Coastal Commission meeting.
The only public criticism of the plan came from a group called the Malibu Coalition for Slow Growth … usually headed by Patt Healy.
They requested that the commission require fire victims who removed burned and dead native trees … to replace them with new trees.
That request … from Patt Healy’s coalition … was ignored by the Commissioners.
Malibu officials have said the coastal commission staff have been nothing-but-helpful … to victims of the Woolsey Fire from Malibu.
