Sooke might fix its exasperating building permit delay problem by altering the building bylaw, says the districtB次元官网网址檚 chief administrative officer.
Norm McInnis said staff are taking a three-phase approach to the issue by looking at the reasons for the backlog, reexamining the building bylaw and bringing the process online by September 2023.
It takes planners an average of 43 days to approve blueprints for the new construction of family homes in Sooke, but land developers complain the process takes longer.
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B次元官网网址淚 believe we know the issues,B次元官网网址� McInnis told district council on Monday. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not alone. ItB次元官网网址檚 a systemic problem across the province.B次元官网网址�
Building permit delays have dogged the District of Sooke for more than 20 years.
Council mandated a 48-hour turnaround time in 2012 but did not make it a policy. Permit demand increased over time, and by 2016, council was warned that staff capacity had been reached.
The issue came to a head in 2019 when developers demanded a meeting with Mayor Maja Tait and council. The problem was rectified for a short period and resulted in hiring more staff and reducing permit approval times.
Community growth in recent years and the COVID pandemic added more delays again, with the district recently hiring a temporary building official.
B次元官网网址淭he problem for many years was not increasing staff, and at one point, we didnB次元官网网址檛 have a planner in the district and only two building inspectors,B次元官网网址� Tait said.
Staff have identified several problems, including that Section 11 of the building bylaw - requirements for building applications - is overly burdensome. They are also looking at items that could be discretionary and not needed with each permit. Recommendations to tweak the bylaw to make it more conducive to quicker approval of building permits will soon be made, with a final report to council expected soon.
B次元官网网址淲e need to make sure Section 11 is focused, and weB次元官网网址檙e not asking for too much, but also that the municipality is not taking undue risk,B次元官网网址� McInnis explained.
He said many communities with faster approval times ask for specific geotechnical, architectural and engineering reports before approving a building permit.
B次元官网网址淭he district would like to see a development permit in place before building permit, but weB次元官网网址檙e stifled in some areas of the (official community plan),B次元官网网址� he said.
The number of property covenants applicants must address before issuing a permit is also a concern.
B次元官网网址淪till, one of the biggest issues is incomplete or poorly developed applications,B次元官网网址� McInnis said.
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