The city of Los Angeles has cleared the way for three Pacific Palisades homeowners to begin rebuilding on their properties.
The approval of the projects, one to repair a damaged home and two for full rebuilds, according to the Department of Building and Safety, represents a key milestone in the recovery from January’s devastating wildfires. The first permit was issued March 5, less than two months after the Palisades fire destroyed or majorly damaged more than 6,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.
“We want this to be happening on your lot, too,” said Mayor Karen Bass at a news conference in the Palisades on Friday.
Bass and L.A. County leaders have pledged to streamline permitting procedures for property owners who want to rebuild. The Eaton fire, which ignited the same day, displaced 6,900 households from Altadena and nearby communities. The city and county have opened one-stop permitting centers for fire victims and waived discretionary hearings and other zoning reviews for those who want to build new homes that are roughly the same size as they were before.
The first permit approved was for repairs to a fire-damaged primary bedroom, bathroom and garage of a split-level home near Rustic Canyon, according to city records and Paul Lobana, the structural engineer for the project. The homeowner submitted plans to city inspectors Feb. 17.
“The process worked excellently,” said Lobana, who has been working on homes in Los Angeles for 40 years. “The city was very courteous.”
Construction has already begun on the repairs, Lobana said.
Gary Lionelli, his wife and teenage daughter were living in a newly built home near the Palisades’ main commercial strip for less than a year before the fire destroyed it. The longtime property owners decided to submit the exact blueprints as before.
“We’re not going to do anything that would delay us,” said Lionelli, a film composer.
With the city approval in hand, Lionelli said he hoped to commence construction once debris clearing was finished on his property. He wanted to beat an expected rush of rebuilds and competition for labor and materials.
“My contractor said, you guys should just go while the gettin’s good because we don’t know what’s going to happen six months from now with everyone getting their plans approved,” Lionelli said.
Lionelli said that the previous teardown and rebuild of his home took more than three years and faced numerous delays. He said he was pleased the new permit came quickly but otherwise isn’t enthusiastic about going through the process another time.
“To wrap my head around building this house again after we just did it, is not something I want to do,” Lionelli said. “The first time I was very hands on. This time it’s going to be, ‘Wake me up when it’s over.’ ”
The Times was unable to reach the owner or representatives of the third property to receive a permit, a full rebuild of a home on bluffs overlooking Pacific Coast Highway.
As of last week, 72 property owners had submitted rebuilding applications to the city. An additional 98 property owners submitted blueprints to the L.A. County Department of Public Works for rebuilding in unincorporated areas — 76 in the Eaton fire zone and 22 in the Palisades fire area. The county is not approving plans until all debris clearing is complete on the property, said Celeste Hampton, a department spokesperson.
State and local officials are still determining rebuilding rules, including if there will be any changes to building codes to incentivize or require more fire-resistant materials that might affect future permit approvals.
This week, Bass updated an existing executive order clarifying that new accessory dwelling units would qualify for streamlined permitting and issued another order with plans to further expedite reviews for homeowners who choose to rebuild with all-electric systems and appliances.
“Wildfires aren’t going away,” said Bass. “And climate-fueled disasters aren’t going away, either.”
Kurt Krueger, the architect handling Lionelli’s rebuilding project, said he’s advising his clients not to wait before submitting applications to local authorities so they can get approved more quickly. He said that city reviewers have been reasonable in their requests to fire victims, but the lack of clarity on the regulations does present a risk.
“It makes it hard for homeowners because they want to get going but don’t want to make the wrong decision,” Krueger said.
Bass said at Friday’s news conference that there are more than 1,000 property owners who have not opted in or out of the federal government’s free debris removal service. Owners could face liens if they don’t clear their properties, Bass said.
Residents have 10 days to fill out the right of entry form on L.A. County’s website.
