Earlier this year, the City of Malibu released a supplemental commission agenda report. This answered many of the questions that residents of Malibu and victims of the Woolsey Fire have been waiting for.
In case you haven’t had a chance to go through the report in depth, we’ve summarized a few key points below. Please note that this is a brief summary and residents should review the full report, which can be found at the City page located here.
Temporary Housing
Temporary housing is allowed in the form of mobile homes, trailers, recreational vehicles, and other structures to facilitate normal sailing routines such as cooking, sleeping, and toiletry. Mobile homes cannot exceed 38 feet in width. This does not include any structure placed on a permanent foundation or fabric structures. This means that tents, yurts, or anything of the like will not be allowed.
There may be no more than one temporary home on a property and it must be occupied by the property owner. It also must be connected to a temporary power pole and an OWTS, or sewer, as approved by an official. The structure is intended for residence during reconstruction or in anticipation of rebuilding, not as a permanent residence. No additional grading beyond what is already permitted by the existing development plan will be approved.
These temporary homes shall be permitted for 4 years and and will be renewable in 1 year increments for a total of up to 6 years.
Once the permanent home is rebuilt, prior to Certificate of Occupancy, the temporary home must be removed. If it has been converted to a permitted permanent structure and meets the compliance of municipal codes, it may remain. An RV may also remain on the lot so long as it is disconnected from the utilities and stored legally.
Fire Rebuild Window
The rebuild window has been defined as follows: planning verification must begin within two years and a building permit must be diligently pursued and obtained within four years. A request for an extension of time beyond the 4 years given may be granted by the Planning Commission where it finds that compliance to the 4-year limit has created an undue hardship.
Prior to any work, it is essential that the structure, foundation, OTWS, and any other damages be assessed by the appropriate professionals.
The structure itself may be remodeled and reconstructed in the same general location. Under the disaster exemption, the new construction may increase the height to 18 feet. This is allowed even if this height increase exceeds the 10% addition allotment to the footprint of the home. This also applies to septic systems (OWTS), which may be rebuilt with an additional capacity of up to 10%.
There are several other exceptions being made. For structures that previously had no garage, proposed plans may incorporate a parking space of 600 sq. ft. at maximum. Unreinforced masonry structures built prior to 1933 may be reconstructed regardless of any noncompliance with standards, provided that this is permitted by the building code.
We realize that not everyone will be rebuilding. For information on the process of selling a burnout lot, read our previous blog.
This information is sourced from the City of Malibu and should be confirmed on their website.
Stay tuned for more Woolsey Fire updates and Malibu real estate news. As always, please feel free to contact our team with any questions!
310.230.5771 | russellandtony@compass.com
