County gearing up for construction season

Normally, spring means construction, but nothing is typical these days.

Snohomish County’s Planning and Development Services (PDS) has watched permit revenues drop. Since 2008, monthly collections have decreased from a range of $1.5 million to just above $700,000. As the number of new permit applications has declined, planning staff has been trimmed.

Last year, hours of operation were cut from a standard work week (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week), to a fourday week (closed on Thursday) with customer service hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. A policy change requires appointments to submit building permits within the county.

The department has also been operating without a permanent director since June.

March helps dictate the spring and summer season.

“March is a telling month,” said Tom Rowe, PDS manager, during a planning and community development committee meeting last month. “We’ve been talking with people in the industry to see what may happen.”

Committee members are curious how the department is equipped to handle a potential upswing of projects.

The department has been getting by successfully despite some setbacks, said committee chairman Dave Somers.

“I’m apprehensive in our ability to handle an upturn given our staffing levels,” he said. Rowe explained the department’s projected timelines for turnaround on projects is on pace with last year.

Fifty-two percent of the department’s revenue comes from single family basic permit plans, said Rowe.

On average, it takes the department two to five days to schedule the appointment and five to 10 days to issue the permit.

Certain minor permits can still be dropped off without an appointment.

Complex permits requiring site reviews may take up to 18 weeks. Efficiencies such as a mobile dispatch for inspectors and virtual site reviews have allowed PDS to maintain schedules with a skeleton crew.

The effect of the economy has created new challenges for PDS. Developers in the process of seeking financing occasionally submit plans that require various levels of changes, requiring further analysis by PDS employees.

“Often times, we’re finding issues that we haven’t seen in the 26 years I’ve been here,” said Rowe.

Out of the 481 pending projects, as of Feb. 23, 120 of those are ready to be issued but haven’t been picked up.

Should the volume of projects increase, PDS has the ability to shift employees from the public works department, said Rowe. An increase in revenue from permits could open a temporary position into full time.

The planning department is continuing to find efficiencies to reduce a bottleneck in the permitting process. By digitizing blueprints and consolidating paperwork, more time is available for appointments. The department is also considering electronic plan submittals.

“It’s an interesting time for permitting these days,” said Rowe.