South Pasadena OKs 45-Day Construction Ban
The City Council last week unanimously approved a 45-day ban on new construction of apartments and condominiums.
In a related move, the city stopped issuing permits to demolish existing houses. The recent demolition of a single-family house on Fremont Avenue, where an eight-unit apartment building is planned, upset some residents and council members, City Manager John J. Bernardi said.
“The motivation for the moratorium is that we’re in the process of studying our zoning, rewriting the codes and ordinances that govern construction,” Bernardi said.
Last week, a move to enact the moratorium failed when only three of the five council members supported it. A four-fifths majority is required.
The ban enacted Wednesday can be extended only after a public hearing, Bernardi said. The moratorium exempts projects for which construction drawings have already been submitted to the Building Department.
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