Business gets L.A. to back down on planning fees; city official ordered to draft plan for smaller increases.DEVELOPERS and business groups have I made some headway head·way n. 1. Forward movement or the rate of forward movement, especially of a ship. 2. Progress toward a goal. 3. The clear vertical space beneath a ceiling or archway; clearance. 4. in pushing to head off steep increases in L.A. city planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. fees. The City Council earlier this month agreed that the proposed fees--that in some cases were five times higher than current ones--were too onerous and ordered Planning Director Gail Goldberg to report back next month with a detailed schedule of smaller fee increases. "We think we have made great progress," said Veronica Perez Becker, vice president of legislative affairs for the Central City Association, which represents downtown business and development interests. Earlier this year, the city Planning Department had proposed sharp increases in development application fees as a way to generate more revenue to cover the department's operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales . With the city facing a $500 million deficit, all departments have been ordered to recoup recoup To sell an asset at a price sufficient to recover the original outlay or to offset a previous loss. as much as they can in cost outlays for services. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For example, a developer's application fee for an exemption to an area's specific plan would have risen from $4,000 to $15,000, while the fee for a height limit exemption would have risen from $2,400 to $11,000. The Central City Association, the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Area Chamber of Commerce and other business groups vigorously opposed the increases, saying they would choke (jargon) choke - To fail to process input or, more generally, to fail at any endeavor. E.g. "NULs make System V's "lpr(1)" choke." See barf, gag. off projects at a time when development is needed most. The groups also sought more guarantees that the Planning Department would meet state-mandated timetables for project approvals. Currently, the department is meeting those mandates less than half the time, Becker said. The chamber is calling for partial fee refunds to developers if city planners fail to meet the timetable deadlines. Goldberg told the council July 1 that the department would scale back many of the fee increases and comply with the state timetables for a certain percentage of projects. Goldberg also agreed to eliminate an additional 4 percent fee on most permit applications and to offer developers of large projects a choice to pay an upfront fee or an hourly rate for city staff time. The council ordered Goldberg to report back to it with specific figures before the beginning of August. Staff reporter Howard Fine Howard Fine (November 28, 1958) is an American acting teacher, the founder of the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood, CA, and also a theatre director. Early Life Howard Fine was born on November 28, 1958 in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the youngest of 5 children. can be reached at hfine@labusinessjournal.com or at (323) 5495225, ext. 227. |
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