CITY OF MALIBU RECEIVES STATE GRANT TO GO TOWARD PLANNING DEPT OPERATIONS AND ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT ORDINANCE
The City of Malibu received a state grant to go towards improving the Planning Department's operations, review processes, speed up permit processing, and to help finalize and promote the City's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced that the City would get the maximum grant amount of $65,000 under the Local Early Action Planning Grants Program (LEAP Program).
The improvements of the City's custom permitting software and other programs will enable an faster transition to a digital project submittal and review process. This transition is crucial in order to both speed up the permitting process and to prevent disruptions in service during emergencies such as wildfires, pandemics and other natural disasters, which limit applicant access to City Hall and staff access to physical files and in-office resources.
These upgrades will also improve inter-departmental coordination by allowing simultaneous review. Upgrading the custom permitting software should improve data reporting and housing production accountability.
The grant will also help the City's outreach and education effort to help the community better understand and meet the requirements of the upcoming ADU ordinance in order reduce the timelines for ADU-specific projects and the overall costs of getting a permit. The City's outreach will include messaging on the website, social media, e-notifications, and online webinars.
The state made approximately $119 million available under the LEAP Grants Program to provide financial support and technical assistance to local governments for the acceleration of housing production and preparation and adoption of planning documents that will accelerate housing production consistent with the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).
The City Council authorized the application for the LEAP grant during the June 22, 2020 Council meeting.
Additional information about the LEAP grant program is available online.