Where
Santa Monica, a four-unit building.
The project
Legalize and finish a four-unit building damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and never completed: exterior finishes, window and door replacement, landscaping, added floor area, and a plan set a contractor could build from.
What the City said
In March 2019, Building and Safety explained that a project this old is a revised submission, not a renewal: current drawings, current engineering, an updated geotechnical letter. On July 24, 2020 the plan checker wrote, “Pls. provide a code justification for not complying with CBC CH 11A Section 1109A,” and in August confirmed that Chapter 11A parking had applied from the start, so the parking layout had to change for an accessible space. In March 2021, Planning still required the Architectural Review Board’s lighting sheets and consistent deck areas before release.
What we did
We asked for Building, Mobility and Planning in one conversation instead of three, redesigned the parking and the path of travel for Chapter 11A, coordinated the sound report and updated energy documents, and brought the planning sheets into line with the building set.
Outcome
On March 22, 2021 the City confirmed plan check complete and the permits ready to issue. Revisions for the stair and roof deck followed in 2024.
Status as of October 2026
Brought through plan review to ready to issue; later revisions in the owner’s hands.
What it shows
Chapter 11A reaches privately funded buildings of three or more units, parking included, and it reached this one on a tight site. A quarter-century-old project is a new project, and the first job is getting three departments to read the same drawing. See the duplex, triplex and fourplex service page →
Next case: Fitting a home and ADU on a Pasadena freeway remnant →
Have a project like this one?
Send us the address and what the city has said so far, or call (626) 214-8651.