To: Mayor Katrina Asay
Milton City Council
Milton Planning Commission
From: Michael Nicholson, Director
Date: January 21, 2009
Re: Planning and Community Development 2008 Annual Report
Presented herewith, is the Planning and Community Development 2008 Annual Report. Last year saw the beginning of the economic slowdown that the nation is currently experiencing and the statistics in this report reflect that fact. The outlook for 2009 at this time is not optimistic.
Building Permit Activity
The national housing boom peaked in 2006 and quickly dried up by the third quarter of 2007. In 2008 the Building section dealt with 161 permits. Of those 18 permits were carried over from 2007. Of the permits applied for in 2008, 114 were issued while 29 have been carried over into 2009. The number of permits issued in 2008 was down 8% from the 124 permits issued in 2007. The 2008 total included 51 building permits, 7 sign permits, 2 demolition permits 42 mechanical/plumbing permits, and 12 miscellaneous permits.
The dollar value of the average permit was down. Consequently, permit fee revenues were lower than in previous years due to lower fees on the decreased housing valuations. The value of new construction for 2008 was $4.45 million. Building permit fees in 2007 totaled $173,713. The building permit fee revenue for 2008 was $61,065, a 65% decrease from 2007.
Inspection Activity
Building permit fees that the City collects cover the costs of inspection. Thus, inspections especially on large projects may have been paid for by previous year’s revenues. The inspections for the large senior care facility on the Lloyds property took a great deal of time in 2008, and will continue into 2009. In 2008, Dana Herron and Dean Witherrite completed 696 inspections. Of these, 459 were building inspections. Building inspection activity decreased 14% from the 536 building inspections in 2007.
The following table provides a breakdown by type of inspection.
Building / 428
Plumbing / 57
Mechanical / 70
Site Visits / 90
Other/Misc. / 20
Land Use Permit Activity
The planning section staff, Dan Hardin, worked on 23 land use applications in 2008. The following table illustrates land use permitting activity in 2008.
2008 Land Use ActivityType of Land Use Permit / Pending from prior years / New in 2008 / Completed in 2008 / Pending for 2009
Short Plats / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2
BLA / 4 / 1 / 3 / 2
Full Plats / 1 / 1 / 0 / 2
Site Plan Approval / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2
Rezone/Master Plan/Planned Developments / 0 / 1 / 0 / 1
Variances / 0 / 2 / 1 / 1
CUP / 0 / 1 / 0 / 1
Other / 2 / 2 / 1 / 3
Total / 11 / 12 / 9 / 14
The department completed approval of about 39% of the active projects in 2008. The downturn in the economy has affected the ability of applicants to complete the turnaround of information requested.
Code Enforcement Activity
Dean Witherrite doubles as the PCD Code Enforcement Officer. The department had 95 cases in 2008. 2008 was the first full year for which data was available under the new code enforcement rules. Most code enforcement cases were resolved voluntarily, resulting in no fines or tickets issued and no court or attorney time expended. On average 21 cases were open on a monthly basis. The department resolved or closed 74 cases, leaving 21 cases open for 2009.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments
There were no publicly or privately initiated Comprehensive Plan Amendments in 2008.
Code Revisions
The PCD department completed the following municipal code revisions in 2008:
· Ordinance 1715-08 Fencing around subdivisions;
· Ordinance 1717-08 Prohibit Living in RV’s;
· Ordinance 1726-08 Amend MMC 17.15 for correction of the storm water citation;
Goals
The 2008 goals for PCD included:
· Process all permits in Springbrook to coordinate with Finance and Administration;
· Continue the process of creating design standards and neighborhood plans;
· Hire an inspection firm to handle the new senior care building;
· The review of several proposed ordinances or code revisions:
o Regulatory reform to streamline the development review process;
o A Planned Unit Development Code
o A code prohibiting extended living in RVs; and
o Regulation of commercial vehicle parking.
For 2009, the proposed goals for PCD are subject to City Council review and direction:
· Complete Regulatory Reform Code Revisions
· Develop a Planned Unit Development Ordinance (PUD)
· Title 17, MMC 17.08 Definitions new or redefined
o Building Height
o Density
o Home Occupation
o Landscaping
o Tent Cities
· Design Guidelines
· Comprehensive Plan Docket
· Respond to City Council direction & requests
· Community Development Annual Report (2008)
Economic Downturn Impact to PCD
Due to the downturn PCD lost its only administrative position, and as a result no longer has a Certified Permit Technician, receptionist, Planning Commission minutes-taker, or administrative assistant available for the myriad duties that position performed.
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