IRVINE : Business Complex Fees Will Be Reviewed

Business fees in the Irvine Business Complex will be reviewed in the wake of a $215,718 fee reduction granted last week to a planned self-storage business by the City Council.

The IBC Consortium, a committee of business professionals and city officials, will review fees to determine if they are out of line with surrounding communities and report back to the council by June.

The action was prompted by an appeal by Los Angeles businesswoman Betty Jo Humiston, who has been trying to build a self-storage business in the complex for eight years.

The project was approved in 1986 but subsequently hit a snag with city regulations. In 1989, the Irvine Co. wanted to change the building design, which the city had already approved. Humiston lost her construction loan during the delay and the recession has kept the project on hold.

Humiston obtained zoning approval in February to start the project.

Part of the council’s motivation for the nearly 65% fee reduction was the expectation that the self-storage facility would generate little traffic compared to the other businesses and office buildings in the complex.

Irvine Chamber of Commerce President Brian Kjos told the council that all Irvine Business Complex fees are too high compared to surrounding communities.

But Mayor Michael Ward said the fees are used to help the city cope with the increased traffic generated by new businesses. “Businesses won’t want to locate here if their employees can’t get to work,” Ward said.