For City Council Meeting [November 9, 2021]
TO: Honorable City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Brad Fliehmann, Building & Safety Manager
Title
Request City Council to Review and Consider Approval of the Proposed Rialto Amnesty Program for Unpermitted Construction During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND:
On May 26, 2021, Staff presented a staff report to the Economic Development Committee ("EDC") outlining a "Relief (Incentive) Program for Construction Work During COVID-19". This report was developed in an effort to provide relief for those who experienced an undue hardship caused by the disruption of City of Rialto Building and Safety services during the COVID-19 shutdown, and also to offer an incentive to bring unpermitted construction on residential property into compliance with zoning and building regulations. A copy of the EDC staff report is included as Attachment 1.
The important element of the program concept were the following items:
* Available for specific improvements done to any commercial, industrial, or residential properties/buildings without permits from March 12, 2020, to the program adoption date;
* Improvements must be directly beneficial to the business or residential properties wherein the work was done for adaptation to occupancy restrictions during COVID-19, to enhance safe social distancing or otherwise contribute to the overall safety or habitability of structures
At the direction of the EDC, the program concept was to be developed further and presented to City Council for further review and direction.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Although most cities have a mechanism to legalize unpermitted construction, only a few municipalities throughout California offer a formal amnesty program to incentivize voluntary efforts to bring unpermitted construction into compliance (please refer to Attachment 2 - Program Survey). Most of the existing programs offer protection from enforcement related to the unpermitt...
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