A citizen is raising concerns about 14 to 16 weeks the District of Squamish takes to issue a building permit for renovation.
In a letter to the district, the citizen said the long timeline would lead them to rent the units for more money as they try to recoup the lost rent.
“The disheartening part of this account is that the 14-16 week building permit timeline (to even look at the application) will directly cause us to rent the units for a combined $650/month more than we had hoped,” wrote the citizen.
“DOS should be investing in additional staff to bring the permitting process down to a few weeks from application to first response.”
The citizen also suggested that the district increased permitting costs or implemented an expedited system where they charge extra to make the process cost neutral.
“Until something is done, DOS is only adding to the current affordability and supply issues in town,” the citizen said.
In a response to the citizen, the district says it is actively working to address the issue.
The district is hiring casual building inspector positions. However, according to the district, the inspectors are in high demand in BC and it’s a challenge to fill the positions.
It also says its review times are not much different from other municipalities with similar volumes.
“With COVID we have seen a spike in smaller projects, while at the same time we have been expediting small renovations and commercial tenant improvements,” it says.
“We have increased the fees a few years ago and have added additional staff to the building department, and we will be looking at revisiting the fees again later this year or early next year,” the district says.
