Last week, architect Cove Britton sued the county to restore a planning appeals board that was disbanded earlier this year after just a few meetings.
Earlier this year, the county appointed five residents to a new Building, Accessibility and Fire Code Appeals Board. Their job was to rule on appeals to decisions by the county’s Planning Board challenging the county’s building code. After just a few meetings, the Appeals Board was disbanded. The county determined that the board had overstepped its purview, while failing to address technical issues placed before it. During the three times that it met, the Appeals Board did not resolve a single appeal.
Last week, architect Cove Britton sued the county to restore the Board. He argues that decisions are appeals are now reviewed by Board of Supervisors, but they lack the expertise to deal with technical issues. His concern is echoed by David Parks, a construction inspector and former member of the Appeals Board: “Because there’s no consistency in the decision-making, there’s bound to be people that want to appeal. People need to have recourse,” he explains. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
