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Development Center reports $750 million in construction value; inspection delays easing
Summary
City Development Center reported a spike in construction value and improvements in permit processing and inspections; the full permit for the soccer stadium was issued and electrical inspection delays fell from about three weeks to roughly one week with third-party support and additional hires planned.
Jonathan Overman, director of the city’s Development Center, told the commission the city recently exceeded about $750 million in construction value and is seeing improvements in permit review and inspection timelines.
“We've just exceeded, you know, $750,000,000 in construction value,” Overman said, describing high development activity across the city.
Overman said the average full land-use review cycle has dropped from about 70 days earlier in the year to roughly 50 days at present, though the figure can vary by project size. He described progress on inspection backlogs after the city began contracting third-party plans review and inspection services and made classification adjustments for electrical inspectors.
“Especially electrical inspections, we were, at the beginning of the summer, looking at about a 3 week delay, and that is now brought down to about 7 days,” Overman said. He added that mechanical inspections in most areas average about three days, with a few two-week delays remaining, and that the city expects to be under a five-day average for inspections within the next two months as new staff are certified and trained.
Overman reported that the full construction permit for the city’s soccer stadium, which had previously been issued only for foundation work, was issued last month.
Commissioners asked for clarification on charts and trends and whether third-party contractors had reduced inspection backlogs; Overman answered that third-party partners and hiring efforts had helped reduce the queue and that additional staffing is expected to improve turnaround further.
The commission thanked staff for the update and had no further action on the report.
