New permit center streamlines rebuilding process in aftermath of Sonoma County fires
SANTA ROSA, CA—Within seven weeks of opening its doors, the Santa Rosa’s Resilient City Permit Center has issued five residential rebuild permits with over a dozen more under review.
Three of these permits include properties that were included in the Sonoma County Consolidated Fire Debris Removal Program, the government-sponsored fire debris removal program managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency and local officials. As the Sonoma County Consolidated Fire Debris Removal Program completes clean-up on properties, the Resilient City Permit Center is ready to assist property owners with the next steps in their rebuild process.
The Resilient City Permit Center opened on November 28, 2017, and exclusively provides recovery assistance for property owners within City limits affected by the Sonoma County wildfires. In preparation for the sharp increase in plan reviews and permit issuance, the City of Santa Rosa installed this new permit center to efficiently streamline the rebuilding efforts.
More than 800 walk-ins have already been assisted at the permit center as homeowners, contractors, and developers seek information about the recovery process and their rebuilding plans. The permit center currently has one commercial property and 14 single-family residences under review. In addition, permit center staff are working with developers looking to produce pre-approved plans to help reduce the cost and time for residents to get back in their homes.
“We recognize the road to recovery to the point of rebuilding your home can feel long and daunting. This is on our minds as we try to simplify, demystify and streamline the process, and are excited to see these successful initial permit issuances set the stage for the recovery efforts ahead of us,” said David Guhin, Assistant City Manager and Director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of Santa Rosa. “That we were able to turn these permits around so quickly is an encouraging sign that residents are using and benefiting from the investment the City has made in establishing the recovery permit center dedicated to the rebuild effort. Our readily-available and knowledgeable staff are proud to be part of this unprecedented rebuild process.”
The Resilient City Permit Center is located at City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue Room 6, and is open Monday thru Friday from 8am to 5pm. Adding this fire-specific one-stop-permit-shop allows other planning and development review work to continue without increased delay in the City’s pre-existing permit center in Room 3.
The Resilient City Permit Center is available for questions about rebuilding or permits with Santa Rosa city limits, and can be contacted at (707) 543-4649. City of Santa Rosa property owners can access permit applications by going to www.srcity.org/Rebuilding.
For more information regarding Sonoma County’s overall recovery efforts, visit www.sonomacountyrecovers.org.