County Conversion to Metric Requires a Feat of Diplomacy

SANTA ANA —  It’s been prophesied, joked about and feared for years.

But the “future” finally arrives at Orange County’s Planning Department on Jan. 1, when officials will begin using the metric system for many planning documents, tract maps, building permits and other materials.

The impending conversion has set off a flurry of questions and complaints from some of Orange County’s top builders and developers who fear that changing all those inches into centimeters could prove confusing and costly.

Orange County is ahead of most local government agencies in going metric, though many state agencies--including Caltrans--are also in the process of changing measurement systems. After numerous delays, the federal government plans to complete its conversion by 2002.

Some developers say the county is moving too fast and at an inappropriate moment--just as Orange County’s building industry is beginning to pick up steam.

“We have a housing boom here, and we’re afraid this kind of a change is going to bring confusion,” said Christine Diemer, executive director of the Building Industry Assn. of Southern California. “We don’t want to be caught in the middle of this.”

The Building Industry Assn. said that because most Orange County cities continue to measure in feet and inches, developers with multiple projects will have to use two systems depending on which jurisdiction is processing the plans. Some water and sewer districts that review county plans might not accept those with metric measurements, they add.

Planners for Irvine and Los Angeles County, for example, said they do not intend to switch over soon. “It would be a big culture shock to go metric,” said Bob Strochheim, Irvine’s building and safety manager. “It’s something that’s going to happen, but I can’t say when.”

County officials said they have met with builders over the last few weeks and are trying to address their concerns. Yet they see no reason to delay the changeover.

“We know some people feel the metrification will have an adverse impact on them, but we are trying for a smooth transition,” said Tom Mathews, the county’s planning director. “If we were to postpone this until 1999, I think we’d be having this same discussion next October.”

The conversion will apply to many types of planning and zoning documents for projects in unincorporated areas, which have seen a sharp increase in new housing and commercial developments over the last two years. The building boom is especially strong in newer South County communities such as Foothill Ranch and Aliso Viejo.

Beginning Jan. 1, blueprints showing the layout of homes will use meters and centimeters rather than feet and inches. A 12-foot driveway, for example, would become a 3.6-meter driveway. Two-inch wood paneling would become 5-centimeter wood paneling.

The county’s building and safety permits and documents will be slowly converted from the imperial system over the next two years in concert with the conversion of state building codes.

Officials acknowledged that it probably will take several years for all local governments to embrace metric. But they said most builders should not have much trouble making the transition, noting that computer programs can make the necessary calculations in the blink of an eye.

“This is a fairly straightforward issue for engineers,” Mathews said. “I think it’s more making sure companies have the time to gear up for it.”

Several development companies and consulting firms have sent letters to the county urging it either to delay the conversion or allow “dual measurement” displays of both inches and centimeters.

The debate comes several years after the county’s public works divisions converted to metric for flood control, road and other capital projects. Some contractors immediately complained about the change, but officials said the changeover has been smooth.

Los Angeles County is also in the process of converting its Public Works Department to metric and is expected to process its first fully metric project within the next few months, said James Erpenback, the department’s assistant deputy director.

The federal changeover is moving forward despite concerns by Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who said construction companies seeking federal contracts spend too much time and money on metric conversion. Last year, he suggested that Congress relax some of the rules involving the change to metric.