WILDFIRE REBUILDING FEES TO BE WAIVED
SALINAS >> An estimated $2 million in permit fees will be waived for property owners seeking to rebuild homes and other structures in the wake of the trio of wildfires that devastated rural areas of Monterey County.
As part of fire recovery guidelines approved by the Board of
Supervisors on Tuesday, all permit fees will be waived for permitted structures when rebuilding applications are filed, and an expedited ministerial review and approval process will be used.
While rebuilding for unpermitted structures will require the usual county permit process including compliance with all regulatory requirements, fees will be waived upfront for them too, although the county will eventually charge the fees. The county also plans to seek reimbursement of permit fees from insurance companies.
County Resource Management Agency Director Carl Holm said county staff intends to make it as easy as possible for property owners hit by the River, Carmel and Dolan Fires to rebuild, and will not be looking for violations when visiting those sites.
In addition, Holm said property owners will be allowed to use RVs and trailers as temporary housing on the sites until the rebuilding process is completed, although that is not intended to be a long-term arrangement.
As of Friday morning, the Dolan Fire was at 127,724 acres with 19 buildings burned and was at 45% containment. The fire is expected to be fully contained by Sept. 28.
The River and Carmel fires were fully contained Sept. 5. The River Fire burned more than 48,000 acres and destroyed or damaged 43 buildings, while the Carmel Fire burned more than 6,900 acres and destroyed or damaged 80 buildings.
Holm said more information will be available during a series of virtual wildfire recovery community meetings organized by District 5 Supervisor Mary Adams and District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez, which are set to begin with a virtual town hall on Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the county Health Department’s environmental health bureau, the county Office of Emergency Services, the county Resource Management Agency’s public works and building services divisions, and the county Water Resources Agency will be available to discuss debris removal and watershed emergency response, and answer questions.
Visit www.district5@ co.monterey.ca.us or www. district3@co.monterey. ca.us for more information.
The county’s fire recovery guidelines are based on the 2016 Soberanes Fire guidelines and are set to last for five years with the potential for a five-year extension through 2030.
Also Tuesday, the county board approved ordinances establishing rules for accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units, heard a report on the county Elections Department’s Nov. 3 election administration plan, set Sept. 29 for adoption of an ordinance splitting the Resource Management
Agency into two departments, and adopted an urgency ordinance initiating a 90-day suspension in processing new water well applications while county lawyers assess the potential local impact of a recent state Supreme Court decision indicating discretionary water well applications are subject to state environmental law.