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Business owners tell Stafford council building inspections delay tenants and revenue; staff says code applied evenly

5786795 · September 17, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Owners of older commercial buildings and property managers told the council inspections and plan-review delays have prevented tenants from occupying space. City staff and the fire marshal said reviews follow code and that the city is working to improve outreach and process.

Several commercial property owners and managers urged Stafford City Council on Sept. 17 to ease permitting and plan-review bottlenecks they said are keeping tenants out of leased space and draining owners’ revenue.

Brent Scallon, who said his family operated Sunbelt Machine Works and still owns multiple Stafford properties, told the council he and other landlords have spent substantial money to bring buildings toward compliance but face delays and new requirements such as full fire alarms that tenants must meet before receiving occupancy permits. Scallon said…

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