City Planning Departments Set to Roll Out 2 New Fees, Asks Finance Committee to OK the Amounts

Pasadena’s Department of Planning and Community Development is seeking approval to impose two new fees under the 2022 General Fee Schedule that the City Council will discuss and possibly approve during its regular meeting on Monday, September 27.

These new fees are for a Single-Family Compatibility Permit, a new permit that was added as part of Pasadena’s Mansionization Ordinance, applicable to single-family zoned properties; and the fee for Historic Preservation Evaluation that has been added to the City’s amended historic preservation ordinance.

The proposed Single-Family Compatibility Permit fee is $6,593.  The proposed Historic Resource Evaluation fee is $12 (plus the cost of a consult retained by the city to review the property).

The proposed new fees, as well other amendments in the 2022 General Fee Schedule, will be deliberated on at the Finance Committee Monday, before being forwarded to the City Council meeting that day.

An Agenda Report by the Planning Department said the Single-Family Compatibility Permit was established to provide a review process when the City is considering proposed developments on single-family zoned lots to ensure consistency in size and scale with existing dwellings in the neighborhood. The Historic Resource Evaluation fee will cover work by City staff or a consultant in determining how a planned development could impact the historic significance of a project site, much like a zoning verification.

Apart from the new fees, the Planning Department also seeks approval to change some of the fee titles in the General Fee Schedule, with no changes in the proposed fee.

The title that reads “Commercial Cannabis Application Fee” will be changed in name to “Commercial Cannabis Screening Application,” and mistakes in the square footage threshold for new construction under Concept Design Review will be corrected.

The City Council adopted the 2022 General Fee Schedule on May 17, 2021. While the schedule is reviewed and updated on an annual basis, revisions and amendments may be made periodically throughout the year.

Monday’s meeting of the Finance Committee begins at 3 p.m. Anyone wishing to view the deliberations can access them through http://pasadena.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=9 or via www.pasadenamedia.org.