1) APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED/UNDER REVIEW – NOVEMBER 2013
a) File No. 13-031 DCA. – The Council approved code amendments creating a Type CUP process and other Development Code changes.
2) BUILDING DIVISION ACTIVITY – So far in 2013 we have received 66 residential building permits. This number exceeds the number in each year for the period 2009 – 2012. The next threshold will be to beat the 77 permits issued in 2008.
a) Total value for the month was $1,690,319.
b) 8 permits for single family dwellings with a value of $1,640,429.
c) 1 permit for an addition to a single-family dwelling with a value of $9,000.
d) 0 duplexes.
e) 3 commercial permits with a value of $15,987.
f) 2 other permits with a value of $24,903.
FROM TERRE GIFT, BUILDING OFFICIAL – November continued to see more single-family plan submittals and new permits issued. The number of permits issued and the number of inspections performed were slightly lower than last month, but were still greater than the same period last year. A total of 8 single-family permits were issued.
On November 20th, I attended a mandatory Building Official meeting in Salem and hosted by State Building Codes Division. The single most significant piece of information from the meeting is that Oregon Legislature has passed House Bill 2978, which will take effect January 1, 2014.
“A portion of HB 2978 standardizes current state and local government policy for assessing investigative fees for work started without the required permit across all program areas. The bill caps investigative fees at the actual or average cost of investigation to ensure compliance with the state building code. These requirements preempt any existing code language, rule or local ordinance requirements regarding “double permit” fees. Municipalities may need to update their forms, computer plans and operating plan to reflect the changes. Additionally, the bill specifies that permits for emergency repairs obtained within five business days after commencement of the repair are not subject to investigative fees.”
John Bennett and I also attended the half-day Training on Grease Interceptors- which are commonly referred as grease traps. Training was in Wilsonville and hosted by Oregon Building Officials Association. This training was an effort to provide a better understanding of the requirements mandated by the State of Oregon (effective 12/20/2012) that grease interceptors be provided for ALL FOOD Establishments – this includes coffee stands, and any business that prepares, processes, or packages food or beverages for consumption on or off the premises.
Lastly, the State of Oregon has opted to not adopt the current national residential code, but will update Oregon’s 2011 Residential Specialty Code, and has requested submittals for code amendments and new code changes to be effective April 1, 2014. The City of Sandy has submitted two changes to remove the conflict of the definition of HOT WATER and the anti-scalding requirement for showers and tubs. The current code requires hot water defined as 120 degree or greater be supplied at all laundry connections, sinks, tubs and showers, but prohibits water temperature over 120 degrees at tubs and showers to prevent scalding. This created a ONE DEGREE range that has been impossible for building contractors to achieve. The City of Sandy has proposed the definition for HOT WATER be defined as water of 110 degrees or greater, which is the same definition as used by the International Residential Code.
3) URBAN RENEWAL – All facade enhancement projects for this year have been finished and we are now working on planning for next years projects.