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Six-storey apartment offered for Lakedstone
Time is money, and for developers waiting and waiting for approval for projects in Lake Country, time costs them money.
Several developers have turned over the past few weeks to express their disappointment with the time they have to wait to obtain “simple” building permits.
Sometimes, months, if not more. Some say they have waited more than a year for approvals, which should have taken some of that time.
An entrepreneur told Castanet that he was in an unenviable position of pre-selling homes pending permits, and the delay meant the current climate was raising material and construction costs, putting them at a disadvantage.
Several developers attended a meeting at the municipal hall in Lake Country on Wednesday at the request of newly hired planning and development director Jared Kassel.
Kassel, who has been working since the beginning of 2022, says he wanted to talk to the development community about the permitting process, the roles and responsibilities of building inspectors in the area.
“Much of the conversation involved challenges related to applying in the area and the deadlines we face – the resource problems we face,” Kassel told Castanet News.
The problems, Kassel said, are multifaceted, including the growth boom in which the municipality grew by 22 percent since 2016, according to the latest census.
“We certainly have resource challenges, not just in the construction department. These development applications are hampered by the planning department as well as engineering. ”
Kassel says some of the delays faced by developers are also related to the complexity of development applications, in part due to the fact that there is more construction taking place on slopes due to land shortages in Lake Country.
“We also receive more multi-family projects in the form of townhouses and similar projects.
“They require more supervision. Things need to be looked at more often because they are more complex files.”
He says service challenges have also increased when the capacity of sewers and water mains is maximized, which means infrastructure needs to be expanded.
Kassel believes that solutions can be found to the challenges facing the region and the development community.
One solution is to add resources to help clear the accumulated files. Talks are under way with the board to approve these resources.
And while these positions will not be created until the 2023 budget, Kassel says several positions in the planning and engineering departments are being filled.
The other solution, he says, is to look at internal processes, things like a formal community plan, procedures and zoning regulations.
“Based on my previous experience, I believe we can streamline some of our processes to make them more efficient and less bureaucratic.
“There is no doubt that these things take time. Many things have to go through the council and these discussions have to happen before changes can happen.”
Although frustrated by the delays, members of the development community told Castanett that Wednesday’s meeting was largely positive.
One builder says they want to work with the municipality to come up with solutions that work for everyone.
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