Committee approves expansion and temporary limit for May small-business awning fee waivers

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted May 15 to move forward legislation that codifies the city's Small Business Month fee-waiver program and adds new awning installations to the May waiver for a limited period.

Sponsor District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio told the committee the ordinance would expand an existing program that, since 2014, has allowed storefront awning replacements, awning sign fees, and pedestrian-level lighting permits to be processed without permit review and inspection fees during May. "My legislation would add new awning installations to the May fee waiver program," Engardio said.

Engardio explained the office incorporated feedback: the Planning Department suggested expanding waivers to all signs (under study), the City Attorney recommended refund-processing language to handle a retroactive effective date, and Supervisor Chan requested limiting the new-awning waiver to two fiscal years (May 2023 and May 2024). He noted the program has processed a total of 60 applications in eight years and that sign-permit counts for May from 2015 to 2022 total about 325, so the fiscal impact is expected to be limited.

Public comment included supporters who said the waiver would help small businesses recover post-pandemic and could improve accessibility for customers with disabilities. The committee adopted the circulated technical amendments (refund process, retroactivity language, and the two-year limit on new-awning waivers), moved the original as-amended file forward with a positive recommendation to the full Board, and duplicated the file for further consideration (duplicate file continued to the call of the chair).

Recorded committee votes on the amendment and the recommendation were unanimous in committee (Supervisor Paskin: Aye; Supervisor Preston: Aye; Supervisor Melgar: Aye). The clerk noted the item will appear on the full Board agenda for consideration.

(Reporting note: the committee discussed refund processing (requests must be made within one year and refunds do not accrue interest) and the ordinance's effective date of May 1.)