VENTURA : Fees May Be Raised for Planning Permits

The Ventura Planning Commission has proposed increasing planning permit fees, which could cost developers thousands of dollars.

The proposed resolution would allow the city to recover 75% of the cost of providing a permit or reviewing a development request, Senior Planner Karen Bates said.

The city’s Planning Department does not charge for services such as parking approval, ordinance amendments or comprehensive plan amendments, which would be needed to change zoning from industrial to residential, for example, so that a housing development could be built.

Under the proposed ordinance, an applicant for a comprehensive plan amendment would pay $2,800 of the $3,722 that officials say it costs the city to process the permit. Parking approval would cost an applicant $1,000, and an ordinance amendment would cost $1,600.

A study by the Planning Department shows that the city performs 200 sign reviews a year for businesses that want to change or add signs. It costs the city $175, but the applicant pays $20. Although 75% of the cost would be about $135, Bates said the city has decided that amount might deter business owners from applying for the review.

“We’re having a lot of trouble getting business people to install signs that meet city codes, and we figure that keeping the fee at $50 will be incentive for them to get the permit,” Bates said.