San Gabriel : Building Standards OKd

The City Council has reinstated strict building code standards enacted last year by a previous council.

Under pressure from slow-growth activists, the previous council in September, 1987, passed a set of amendments designed to slow rapid proliferation of apartments and condominiums. The current council, four of whose members were elected this year, extended those building code amendments for 45 days. The extension lapsed last week.

The standards--which, among other things, limit the number of units that can be built on certain lots or require extra parking spaces in certain apartment developments--apply to commercial, residential and light-manufacturing areas not covered by a one-year development moratorium. Voters approved the moratorium last December.

When the city’s new General Plan is completed, said City Administrator Robert Clute, it will contain a permanent building code. Until then, the amended code, which the council unanimously approved Tuesday, will apply. After a public hearing, the council will presumably approve the amendments for another 10 1/2 months, Clute said.