The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved an increase in the developer fees to help pay for a pending ordinance requiring the city to update its community plans for every six years.
The community plans to guide what can and cannot be built in a neighborhood, and 29 of the city’s 35 plans have not been updated in the 15 years or more. Updating for every six years will cost an estimated $12.55 million annually, according to the report from city administrative officer.
The City Council recently approved the proposal requiring community plan updates for every six years, but it will need to come back for the final vote once city attorneys draft the ordinance.
Friday’s motion, which was approved on the 10-0 vote, increases the General Plan Maintenance Surcharge from 2 percent to 7 percent, which the city officials said would raise up to $5 million per year and help to pay for 30 additional staff positions, the Department of City Planning will need to conduct the plan updates. The surcharge is placed on the developers for any permit, plan check, license or the application.
Councilman Jose Huizar said that, one of the most fundamental tenets we should have is the updated community plans and an updated General Plans, and the city should be ashamed that we have not done it in the past. But the good news is that we are finally doing it and we found the funding to do it and also to make it happen.
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Huizar helped to push the motion requiring the increased timetable for the community plans as a response to Measure S, which is on the March 7 city ballot. The measure would halt all the General Plan amendments, or the special permission to developers known as “spot zoning,” for two years while the city updates its General Plan and also the community plans.
Supporters of the Measure S argue that the city’s procedure of frequently granting spot zoning requests while the elected officials routinely take campaign donations from the developers creates a cozy relationship and leaves the impression that City Hall can be bought.
The council recently voted to draft ordinances requiring the developers to select environmental impact report consultants from a pre-approved city list, and to clump all the General Plan amendment requests by developers in a neighborhood together on a semi-annual basis so the officials can weigh multiple development projects and their potential impacts more comprehensively.
Huizar backed the changes and told to the City News Service in January they came as a direct result of Measure S. But he also that he opposes the measure because the General Plan amendment ban “is going to bring the economy of the city of L.A. to a screeching halt.” The Councilman Mike Bonin said that, there is the understandable, necessary support around the city for updating our community plans. Everybody said that we need to do it, but (Huizar) is the only one who has explained how we are actually going to pay for it.
Mrudula. Duddempudi.
