Council Agrees to Waive Permit Fees for Disney Hall
The City Council on Wednesday narrowly agreed to waive all construction and engineering permit fees for the downtown Walt Disney Concert Hall.
After three votes, the council finally agreed, 9-4, to waive the $248,000 in fees that would have been paid to the city.
But some council members, led by Rita Walters and Jackie Goldberg, said they believe many other projects are considered “for the public good” but that developers are required to pay fees.
Disney Hall backers had asked the council to waive the business license fees as well, but that request was denied when the issue was discussed in a recent council committee hearing. Business license fees are rarely, if ever, waived for developments.
Councilman Joel Wachs urged his colleagues to waive the construction and engineering fees, saying the city should be doing everything it can to encourage such projects.
But Walters said that nearly a quarter of a million dollars would go a long way in the city’s coffers.
The Disney Hall project, which has struggled to meet its fund-raising goals, is expected to cost $274 million.
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