RIOT AFTERMATH : Window of Opportunity : City Eases Rules to Help Riot-Damaged Businesses Rebuild

Before the charred rubble had been completely cleared from his Long Beach mini-mall, Arthur J. Bullard was in City Hall last Monday morning, asking for a rebuilding permit.

It had been only four days earlier that looters ransacked stores in the small complex at 7th Street and Orange Avenue, backing up a truck to clean out the 99 Cent shop and torching it.

But Bullard was already in action.

“I need to keep my tenants in business. . . . I’m moving as fast as I can,” stressed Bullard, who developed the mini-mall and manages it for a partnership.

By Thursday he had talked to contractors and engineers, had new glass installed in the less-damaged shops, and had dug the original building blueprints out of his files for city review. He was hoping to have a construction permit in hand within a couple of days.

Undoubtedly one of the first riot victims to bound into the city Planning Department, Bullard was zooming through a city review process that in normal times can be agonizingly slow. But other businesses damaged in the looting and burning may not encounter such smooth sailing.

Although city officials promise to do everything they can to speed rebuilding, it will involve more than rummaging through architectural files for old plans and getting them rubber-stamped.

Bullard is lucky. His five-shop mini-mall was only partially burned; it is only 2 years old and meets current construction standards. He has adequate insurance, and he also wants to put up the same thing that was destroyed--without any changes.

The owners of older structures may not have the original plans and, even if they do, they may not meet newer Building Code requirements, such as access for the disabled or energy standards.

“It won’t be quite that easy to completely duplicate what you had before,” noted Eugene Zeller, the city’s superintendent of building and safety.

Moreover, Zeller said, if a developer wants to substantially redesign a building or complex, the project might then need a more extensive planning review.

Still, those replacing riot-devastated businesses will get a hand from the city in various ways. Those rebuilding on the same spot will be exempt from changes in zoning laws that have been adopted since their original structure was built. For instance, they would be exempt from new parking requirements.

Their applications will be given top priority, so they do not have to endure the usual wait of weeks or months for Planning Department review. Furthermore, Zeller said, the department is proposing that businesses be allowed to rebuild with 10% more space than they originally had.

The city is also considering hiring contractors to demolish damaged stores and clear the debris--with the hope that municipal coffers would later be reimbursed by the federal government or some other source.

“We definitely want to get these places cleaned up as quickly as possible,” Zeller said.

In the meantime, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is contacting contractors, architects and building suppliers to see if they would be willing to discount their services for businesses hit during the disturbances. Local bankers are meeting with city officials to discuss ways they can relax loan procedures to help out.

“The city has to get back to normalcy as quickly as possible,” said Jane Netherton, president of International City Bank and chairwoman of the chamber’s board. She said bankers can’t throw away all their credit requirements but might do such things as defer payments for the first few months of a new loan.

State and federal representatives will also be offering advice to riot victims at the California Recreation Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. An assistance center opened there Thursday, and counselors will have information on such matters as federal insurance and Small Business Administration loans.

Samuel Sebabi was there to find out about opening a new business. The Long Beach resident lost his job when the West Los Angeles tool import company he worked for burned in the rioting.

“I’ll be one of those thousands looking for a job,” said Sebabi, who is interested in opening a tool import firm. “I figure I would not only find myself a job. I’d be creating at least three or more for people who would not otherwise have a chance.”

Community correspondent Kirsten Lee Swartz contributed to this report.