Revelstoke’s building woes: long permit approval wait times, incomplete applications a source of frustration for city’s already lacking housing availability

Revelstoke’s mountain charm has the ability to attract newcomers in droves. The city’s work over the years to improve internet speeds and introduce a direct flight service to Vancouver are proving to big city professionals that it’s possible to work and play in the same location.

The increase in population is creating demand for a wide variety of housing. After all, it isn’t only big-city professionals who are making the move to Revelstoke. Families are choosing to move to the community, which is known for being at the forefront of early childhood development across the province. It’s the kind of community where many parents feel safe letting their children walk to and from school, and there are plenty of all-season outdoor activities to choose from.

While Revelstoke has a strong handle on attracting a wide-range of new residents set on moving to the community long-term, the city is rife with a lack of housing options. To top it off, delays created by the city’s building permit process are downloading a multi-pronged effect not only on the ability to create new housing, but for new homeowners wanting to complete renovations. Local contractors say they are losing valuable skilled tradesmen due to building permit delays.

Greg Hoffart, owner of Tree Construction said it becomes a question of how to keep staff busy.

“Often more experienced construction workers get frustrated at waiting around and look for other work. It then means hiring less experienced workers and spending more money because you have to train them,” said Hoffart.

Building permit delays are even impacting the sale of houses on the local real estate market. Don Teuton, real estate broker and owner of Royal LePage Revelstoke, said it’s important for people purchasing houses to consider the timeline for their renovations. Having a construction schedule in place is important, but this doesn’t mitigate the frustration new homeowners experience in trying to obtain building permits.

“They need to know the costs. Waiting costs money, lost contractors … they can’t wait,” said Teuton.  “It’s an embarrassment to the city and our community that locals and new homeowners are treated with no empathy and added costs. If costs are added they should be spread out over a period.”

File photo: Revelstoke’s Bridge Creek affordable housing project added 12 units to the market. Photo: Aaron Orlando

Working toward a solution to reduce building permit wait times

2017 saw Revelstoke inundated with building permit applications. A total of 67 building permits for housing starts and eight secondary suites were issued. This is a marked increase from 2016 when only 37 permits for housing starts and nine secondary suites were issued. The increase in building permit applications created a significant backlog in wait times at the city’s planning department. It also resulted in numerous local construction companies expressing their outrage to city hall, with some complaining of waiting up to six months to have building permits approved.

The city’s planning department did eventually hire an additional planner to help weed through the heavy load of building permit applications. They managed to issue all of the residential permit applications, along with one commercial and 65 planning applications prior to the end of 2017.

Nigel Whitehead, the city’s director of planning and development, said work has begun on approving development permits for 2018. The planning department is looking to streamline it’s building application process to help decrease wait times experienced during the 2017 construction season.

Whitehead said so far the departure of building inspector Marty Herbert in mid-February isn’t having a drastic effect on building permit wait-times. The city has contracted with the District of Sicamous to have a building inspector assist in Revelstoke two days a week while the city undergoes the hiring process for a new building inspector.

“There’s not such a backlog this early in the season. We have time to tweak things before the start of the construction season,” he said.

Hoffart said the city needs to be working closely with the construction industry to help reduce hardships created by the building permit application process. He believes the solution is for Revelstoke to adopt the building policies of the City of Vancouver and is a strong advocate for Passive House standards. Passive House standards are a strict set of voluntary energy-based standards in the design and construction industry.

“It creates accountability and reduces time. It’s a fast tracking option,” he said.

Whitehead said the city is looking to create a more clear set of guidelines for building permit requirements. There is a checklist at the bottom of building permit applications, but this doesn’t seem to be helping.

“It’s obvious it needs more work. We’re still not getting complete applications,” he said.

The planning department is also working on creating pamphlets that would be available at the front desk. These pamphlets would answer some off the most commonly asked questions, freeing up valuable staff time to help push building permit applications through the cue faster.

Emily Beaumont, realtor with Royal LePage Revelstoke, said the schedule for building permit applications needs to be improved.

“Other Communities have a set schedule timeline for building permits to be approved,” she said.

The first phase of Mackenzie Village borders stands of evergreens, covered here with a fresh blanket of snow. Photo: Keri Knapp/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

A need for more diverse housing

In 2017 the average sale price for a single family home in Revelstoke was $436,500. The average sale price for strata housing was $353,539. Beaumont pointed out this doesn’t buy much. Most buyers are looking for houses in the $150,000 to $350,000 range or laneway houses/houses with rental suites or suite potential.

“They’re a mortgage helper and an answer to the housing shortage here,” she said. “Homeowners don’t want to be mortgage poor.”

Teuton said first time home buyers are the most important people in the community.

“They want to live here but will be forced out by housing costs; the city can’t solve this problem because they have no vision or creativity,” he said.

The solution, said Teuton is creating more housing to fill the demand and accommodate a growing and diverse community.

“That’s what makes Revelstoke’s charm and sense of community stand out,” he said.

The recent residential development at Mackenzie Village in Arrow Heights is helping to create availability within the housing market at a reduced cost, but it’s apparent the community requires a lot more of the same.

First time homeowners’ desire for single family dwellings with suite potential to help pay their mortgage is where the real estate market truly connects with the construction industry, and more specifically right in the path of building permit delays. Beaumont said while the delays in building permit approval can be frustrating it’s important to remember they are part of city bylaws and in place to ensure homeowners’ health and safety.

“People applying for building permits need to ensure they are filling out applications properly to help eliminate already lengthy wait times,” she said.