Gentlemen, start your hammers. On July 21, a new law will impose stiff fines on Atherton construction projects that drag on for years.
The Atherton City Council on June 21 unanimously adopted a new ordinance that puts a three-year limit on the largest residential projects. Ordinances go into effect 30 days after the council votes to adopt them.
In recent months, the council has been addressing construction-related issues ranging from parking problems and noise to drainage and run-off woes. Interminable construction projects are an ongoing complaint in Atherton, especially for residents unfortunate enough to live near them.
With the new rule, all new building construction, remodeling and renovation projects must be completed in one year, two years or three years, depending on the square footage involved.
If they aren’t, builders are going to have to pay. After a 30-day grace period, daily fines will be imposed, starting at $200, and increasing to $400 after two months; they escalate to $1,000 a day when projects go 121 days beyond the time limit. The maximum fine is capped at $250,000.
Builders are also going to have to put up a $30,000 refundable deposit once they bump up against the time limit.
The clock starts ticking when the original building permit is issued. Projects of 2,000 square feet or less get 12 months from permit issuance; projects of 2,001 to 4,000 square feet get 24 months; and projects of 4,001 square feet or larger will have 36 months.
Atherton town staff studied the average length of construction projects over the past 10 years and told the council that the vast majority of those projects wrapped up in less than three years.
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