Permitting delays and repeated plan reviews slow Georgia homebuilding, builders tell Small Business Development Committee

At a meeting of the Small Business Development Committee, home builders said lengthy local review cycles and repeated plan comments are significantly slowing new-home production and contributing to higher prices for buyers.

Austin Hackney, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Georgia, said most friction between government and builders occurs at the local level. “Really most of the rub with the government for a home builder happens at the local level,” Hackney said, listing local architectural mandates, impact fees and lot-size rules among typical obstacles.

Builder Jay Knight, who described decades of experience developing and building in Metro Atlanta, told the committee that long review times have become routine. Knight said today’s timeline can include roughly a year for zoning, about four months…