LA County using AI to speed up rebuilding after Eaton Fire – NBC Los Angeles

The process of rebuilding Altadena and the Pacific Palisades continues to move along sluggishly more than six months after the wildfires tore through the neighborhoods.

Los Angeles County had previously set a goal to issue rebuilding permits within 30 days in the areas affected by the Eaton Fire. But now as it takes up to 58 days for rebuilding permits, the county government is looking into artificial intelligence to expedite the process.

Once the new AI tool from ArchiStart begins a review process, it can compare city and county zoning regulations and building codes. Through its “e-Check” process, AI can flag potential issues early on. 

“What ArchiStar AI does is it reads those floor plans, it extracts out the right information, then it checks it against the rules to tell you if you comply or you don’t comply,” said Dr. Benjamin Coorey, founder or Archistar, said. 

The AI tool checks the local rules and speeds up the process for permit applicants, Coorey explained. 

“If anyone submitted a plan to the city or to the county anywhere, you’ll know that you go back and forth a few times, maybe two times, three times, four times. So, what this is doing is you’re getting a pre-check that’s essentially telling you the answers before you go in,” the owner said. 

If homeowners were to choose pre-approved rebuilding plans or “like for like” models, which would replace the destroyed or damaged homes with new ones with the same size and location, it would have to shorten the permit issuance time. But in reality, Eaton Fire victims have been waiting for at least two months. LA County officials hope the AI tool would finally provide the much-need relief. 

“If you take out one cycle, two cycles, you could say 30%, 50% of the time of a permit,” Coorey said.   

This AI pilot program as well as all these newer avenues the county is using could be key when it comes to future housing, not just rebuilding after the wildfires. California is mandating every county across the state to build more housing over the next several years, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger told NBCLA.