FILLMORE : City OKs Waiver for Rebuilding Homes

Quake-damaged homes in Fillmore that did not meet requirements for distance from the street or other building codes may be rebuilt as they were if work is begun before July 17--the six-month anniversary of the Northridge temblor, the City Council said.

Under an ordinance adopted earlier this week, property owners whose homes were red-tagged will be allowed to rebuild on the foundations that existed prior to the Jan. 17 earthquake.

“And this will allow them to rebuild what they had, even though they are nonconforming uses, said Mayor Linda Brewster.

The new law extends for another 90 days an emergency three-month ordinance passed days after the earthquake that leveled much of downtown Fillmore.

“We know there’s a need for it,� said assistant planner Kevin McSweeney. “The damage from the earthquake was mostly to our older homes, and those older homes were built before the current codes.�

McSweeney said 80 residential buildings were red-tagged after the quake, and another 215 were yellow-tagged. But the city does not keep statistics on how many of those dwellings were built under nonconforming uses, he said.

Chief Building Inspector Jack DeJong said that despite the emergency law and the three-month extension, much of the rebuilding has been slow in coming.

“We still have a lot of red tags out there,� he said. “Some (owners) have not decided whether to rebuild, and others are waiting for insurance or financing. We’re still in a high state of unknowns.�