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Planning staff: July 1 building-code change prompts rush of permit filings
Summary
Planning staff told the committee that July 1 is the effective date of recently approved building-code updates and that applicants filed dozens of permits in the days before the change — including seven apartment-complex and 38 single-family/townhome applications — creating potential processing delays.
Leslie, planning staff, told the Community Development Committee that July 1 is the effective date for recently approved building-code updates and that applicants worked to file and pay before the new rules took effect. "Today, July 1, is the effective date for the building code updates that you all have approved in the last several months," she said.
Leslie said staff saw a notable influx of applications in the run-up to the change: "We've had seven apartment complexes submit, since the middle of June and 38 new single family or townhome permits that have been applied for in the last week." She warned that although staff will be diligent, the sudden volume could lengthen turnaround times. Committee members asked whether developers were intentionally filing to fall under the previous code; Leslie said developers were "trying to beat the code change" because they did not want to redesign projects.
Leslie also announced a staffing change in the planning department: a long-tenured employee, Vic Finch, has resigned and will take a position with the city of Ottawa. Committee members expressed appreciation for Finch's service and wished him luck.
The committee did not take a formal action on the item but discussed timing and staffing implications, and members asked that staff return with clear milestone dates for major planning work so progress can be tracked.
