The San Diego City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to amend the city code to allow an additional 180-day extension for building permit applications.
The move is intended to allow developers more time between applications and expiration dates, with the hope the change will allow more housing to be built.
Before Tuesday's action, the city code stated that a building permit application expires one year after the date it is deemed complete. It also provides that the building official may extend the application period one time, for up to 180 days, if it is determined that "circumstances beyond the applicant's control prevented the issuance of the permit," a city staff report reads.
Once a permit application expired, an applicant wishing to work on a project would have to reapply and begin the process anew, which may mean "retaining an architect to redesign plans and obtain funds to comply with codes and fees that have gone into effect since the time of the initial permit application, which process adds time and unknown costs and may ultimately render the project infeasible to carry out," according to the report.
Earlier this year, the city approved initial 180-day extensions for all building permit applications that were not complete by the end of the initial one-year period. But city officials determined it was not enough time under trying circumstances.
"Conditions in the financial markets make it difficult for some homeowners and developers to obtain financing to construct the projects for which they have applied for permits — even taking into account the extension available under the municipal code," the staff report reads.
