Creating an office specifically for people impacted by the Thomas Fire, easing rules on the rebuilding process and allowing more types of dwelling units: Those are some of the recommendations Ventura officials are proposing to help residents put their lives back together.
But to get it all off the ground and keep it going, city staff will need help.
"The other piece is we’re asking for a million dollars in resources to make sure we can provide the services the folks want and deserve," Community Development Director Jeff Lambert said.
The City Council will vote on the recovery plan at its meeting Monday.
The council could also explore banning new short-term vacation rentals, allowing recreational vehicles or other towable trailers to be used as temporary housing and letting new homes be built up to 10 percent bigger than the homes they are replacing.
"The biggest recommendation is, if your house didn't comply with current zoning, you can rebuild it as it was anyway," Lambert said. "You still have to comply with building codes, but you can comply with the zoning as it was. If you had a variance, we'll honor that and you can rebuild that portion as well."
That means the home need not comply with the Hillside Management Plan, for example, put into place long after many of the lost structures were built. In the Ondulando, Clearpoint and Skyline neighborhoods, no grading permit would be required so long as the home is rebuilt on essentially the same footprint, the staff report notes.
Height, setbacks and lot coverage standards will be applied as they relate to original construction.
"This would be a significant benefit to these homeowners and would expedite the rebuild process," according to the staff report.
Only major changes to a home's existing footprint could trigger the need for a grading permit, as could adding a new unit on-site. The city's current zoning regulations say destroyed and significantly damaged structures must be rebuilt to current standards.
"This regulation didn't anticipate entire neighborhoods being lost and the need for flexibility when rebuilding," the report states.
The Thomas Fire Rebuild Permit Office, if it's approved, would be staffed by city employees and professionally contracted people "with a priority for focused customer service and rebuilding resources available to these applicants," according to the staff report.
Much of the money would be reimbursed by permit fees, expected to be $10,000 for a single-family dwelling.
