Why Does That House Take So Long?
One of the most common complaints the City hears is the extraordinary time needed to complete some new home construction.
It is not unusual these days for work on a large home to take more than two years, and in a few cases three or four years. During this time there often is noise and distruption of the neighborhood.
Can anything be done about it? As a member of City Council and as a past mayor I have heard numerous discussions of the problem, but very limited solutions.
There are two major obstacles. The City cannot simply stop construction, and if that were the penalty for delay it would merely cause even more delay. The owner cannot be financially penalized (fined) for delay, because by law the permit process allows fees to be no higher than the cost of providing the inspection service.
Permit fees for all construction are set by a formula that takes into account the projected building cost, and for large homes can be relatively expensive. When the initial permit period expires the owner must apply for an extension and pay another smaller fee.
At one point the City adopted a rule that required each repeat extension to increase in cost, but this was deemed to violate the rule that fees could not exceed the City's costs.
For practical purposes there is no limit to the number of extensions, but as they increase the level of approval gets higher, so that long projects require action by the City Council. At this point the owner typically is questioned in detail about the reasons for delay and what can be done to get faster completion.
Although some owners have asked for extensions as long as a year, Council prefers to limit them to six months so that owners must appear again to report their progress.
Generally the City seeks to speed up exterior construction and landscaping first, so that the house from the outside appears largely complete. Interior detail is frequently most time-consuming.
What can neighbors do? First, they should insist that construction sites be kept clean. Unnecessary debris or storage should be reported to the City's building official. Second, they should keep track of permit renewals and register their complaints when the renewals are being considered, especially those that are heard by the Council.
It is not unusual these days for work on a large home to take more than two years, and in a few cases three or four years. During this time there often is noise and distruption of the neighborhood.
Can anything be done about it? As a member of City Council and as a past mayor I have heard numerous discussions of the problem, but very limited solutions.
There are two major obstacles. The City cannot simply stop construction, and if that were the penalty for delay it would merely cause even more delay. The owner cannot be financially penalized (fined) for delay, because by law the permit process allows fees to be no higher than the cost of providing the inspection service.
Permit fees for all construction are set by a formula that takes into account the projected building cost, and for large homes can be relatively expensive. When the initial permit period expires the owner must apply for an extension and pay another smaller fee.
At one point the City adopted a rule that required each repeat extension to increase in cost, but this was deemed to violate the rule that fees could not exceed the City's costs.
For practical purposes there is no limit to the number of extensions, but as they increase the level of approval gets higher, so that long projects require action by the City Council. At this point the owner typically is questioned in detail about the reasons for delay and what can be done to get faster completion.
Although some owners have asked for extensions as long as a year, Council prefers to limit them to six months so that owners must appear again to report their progress.
Generally the City seeks to speed up exterior construction and landscaping first, so that the house from the outside appears largely complete. Interior detail is frequently most time-consuming.
What can neighbors do? First, they should insist that construction sites be kept clean. Unnecessary debris or storage should be reported to the City's building official. Second, they should keep track of permit renewals and register their complaints when the renewals are being considered, especially those that are heard by the Council.
posted by bhmcintyre at 10:57 AM
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