Case managers will be assigned to help shepherd hundreds of construction projects through Los Angeles’ maze of inspections and permitting requirements, under a plan city officials said Thursday would reduce the processing time by three to six months.
Managers will be available for projects with budgets of more $10 million, and the initiative is estimated to affect 600 projects each year, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office.
These projects could include restaurants and charter schools, as well as other higher-budget projects.
Smaller projects may also get help from case managers on a case-by-case basis.
The case managers will work with construction teams from the time they pull the first building permits to the final day of construction.
The Inspection Case Management program currently is helping 13 projects with a combined value of $903.6 million, according to the mayor’s office.
“This back to basics initiative cuts red tape and increases customer service to make L.A. more attractive to investments that create jobs,’ Garcetti said in a statement. “When you’re investing in L.A., City Hall should be there to help you and not add delays to your work order.”
The program began Oct. 20 and adds construction projects to the dockets of existing case managers who already handle inspections and permitting for restaurants and hospitality.
Developers looking to take advantage of the case management program can call call (213) 482-0464 or apply at http://ladbs.org/LADBSWeb/icm.jsf
The valuation of Los Angeles construction has risen by 40 percent since July 2013, from $3.8 billion to $5.3 billion, according to figures provided by the mayor’s office.
Based on the number of housing units permitted, 11,035 units are now being built, also up 40 percent compared with 7,923 in July 2013.
The first quarter accumulated construction valuation for fiscal year 2014-15 was $1.8 million, a 55 percent increase from the same period last year, which puts this year on track to becoming the busiest construction year in the city’s history, city officials said.
— City News Service