Category Archives: Uncategorized

December – Planning and Building

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Enforcement Letters – We sent numerous enforcement letters in the last few weeks including letters to Walgreens & Verizon concerning exterior wood that needs to be refinished, the Hobby Shop building owner recognizing the need to paint the building, the Betty T building owner stating mildew issues on the exterior surfaces needs to be resolved, and numerous other property issues. Some of the downtown buildings that received facade money in the past are not properly maintaining the buildings. We are making sure that money spent by the Urban Renewal Agency on private property is not wasted through inadequate maintenance. We are now working with an architect to find an alternative solution to the fabric awnings on the Double Dragon that were partially paid with urban renewal funds. The awnings are covered with mildew and are starting to rip apart.

New Subdivision – On January 10 we received another land use application (Sandy Bluff Annex 6) for a subdivision that exceeds 40 lots in the Sandy Bluff neighborhood. This is located on property that was recently included in the UGB expansion and then annexed into the city by ordinance. Planning will soon be reviewing the application for completeness and then determining hearing dates at Planning Commission to review the subdivision which contains numerous variances.

Pre-application Meetings – In the month of January we are meeting with three separate land owners for subdivision proposals. The first subdivision is a 32 lot subdivision on Jacoby Road to the south of Timberline Estates that would accommodate single family homes. This property was recently included in the UGB expansion and then annexed into the city by ordinance. The second subdivision is a 16 lot subdivision on Hood Street to the north of the Sandy Police Station that would accommodate attached single family homes. The third subdivision is a 52 lot subdivision that would include apartments at the terminus of Dubarko Road on the lot formally approved for the Vista Loop South subdivision.

Sandyplace Apartments – Formally known as the Sandy Heights Apartments and recently approved by Planning Commission this apartment complex seems to be moving forward. The Building Department issued demolition permits for the two houses on the property and we are working with the land owner to finalize grading and erosion control permits. The 138-unit apartment complex should assist in fulfilling the lack of available rental units in the Sandy area.

Vacant Platted, Tentative Platted, & Expired Lots – Every quarter we calculate the remaining vacant platted lots, the tentative platted lots, and the subdivisions that have expired. We issued permits for 10 new residential structures over the past three months. City Townhomes and Mairin’s Viewpoint were tentatively approved to increase the potential lots in Sandy by 12. We are currently reviewing 6 house permits in Champion Village and just issued 6 other house permits. Part of the reason we issued less permits the last few months is there are not many lots available to develop. I anticipate the 27 lots in Pioneer Meadows being platted in the first half of 2018. Here is the list: Platted and Tentative Lots List 12_31_17 updated on January 3, 2018

November – Planning and Building

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Sandy Heights Apartment (now known as Sandyplace)

On November 13, 2017 the Planning Commission unanimously approved the Sandyplace Apartments with conditions as recommended by staff. The apartment complex will have 138 dwelling units and two visitor short-term rentals. The apartments will feature a pool facility, a sports court, and several other amenities. The developer is now moving forward with grading permits and house demolition permits for two single family homes that need to be removed.

Cedar Ridge Middle School

On November 17, 2017 we issued a temporary certificate of occupancy to the OTSD for the new Cedar Ridge Middle School campus. We are still working with the OTSD on completing all of the items to receive final certificate of occupancy, but so far the school district has been great to work with on achieving our desired deadlines. The new campus looks wonderful and I am sure will be a key asset in Sandy for years to come.

Bus Parking Facility

As some of you have probably noticed the new OTSD bus service provider, Student Transportation of America (STA), is using a parking area on the U.S. Metal Works site. Planning staff has been working with both STA and U.S. Metal Works on allowing the bus parking on gravel surface while a permanent paved solution is completed. U.S. Metal Works has submitted a land use application for the permanent paved parking surface with stormwater detention and treatment facilities.

Tree Removal in Sandy for 2017

So far in 2017 we have processed 91 tree removal requests for trees 11 DBH or greater. This does not include tree removals at the Sandyplace apartments, Cashatt apartments, several subdivisions, trees removed from the right-of-way or trees illegally removed. While retention trees per the code was a great first step in tree preservation staff is finding that our current retention program has flaws. Staff will be researching new ways to preserve trees, including creating additional preservation easements in new subdivisions and acquiring more tracts with higher volumes of trees.

New Employee in City Hall

The new associate planner, James Cramer, is starting work on December 18, 2017. He will be helping with planning objectives, sign permitting, managing parks planning and the Parks Board, managing capital improvement projects in our parks, and other duties as needed. This addition to the Planning and Building Department is much needed and we are excited for him to join the team.

October – Planning and Building

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CURRENT LAND USE REVIEWS:

Planning Commission: On November 13th the Planning Commission will hold a hearing to discuss the 138 apartment unit complex on Sandy Heights Street. This application was initially a staff review but due to the high volume of public input I decided to elevate the decision to a Planning Commission review.

Subdivisions: The City Townhomes six lot subdivision and the Mairin’s Viewpoint six lot subdivision are both being reviewed by staff. Both subdivisions are Type II reviews which does not require review by the Planning Commission.

Annexation: The land use application that includes the Sobella Nursery, the Schilling land (at the corner of Orient Drive and HWY 26), and abutting right-of-way has been deemed complete. The total amount of land proposed to be included is approximately 45.29 acres. This annexation proposal will be presented to City Council at the January 2, 2018 City Council meeting.

Other land use applications: Staff is also reviewing two tree permits, two small land partitions, two design reviews, one annexation, and one zone change/ordinance repeal. These other land applications are in process.

BUILDING OFFICIAL – QUARTERLY REPORT:

The summer of 2017 rushed by too quickly for the Sandy Building Department.  Residential construction has continued to be dominated with townhouses, and commercial projects have been varied and busy.

Currently, the largest commercial project in Sandy is the Oregon Trail School District’s renovation and conversion of the Old Sandy High School (Pioneer Building). OTSD hopes to occupy and open as the new location for Sandy Middle School after the Thanksgiving Holiday. Next on the most notable list is the Sandy Fire Department renovation by Skyward Construction. The project superintendent says they are making good progress and are on track to open the Sandy Fire Department before Christmas. Another notable project is the new Wendy’s Restaurant being built inside the auxiliary PAD building next to Goodwill, and projected to open in early-to-mid December. Equally notable is the complete remodel being done to the ski shop purchased by Next Adventure, and the new food cart changes at Sandlandia Food Court. Ron Hughes’ 9-unit apartment building on Tupper Hill is also progressing steadily. Lastly, we are pleased to report that approval for occupancy and business licenses were given to Simply Sisters (a new craft activities business), the Double Dragon Restaurant’s new owner, and to Jacobsen Pediatric Dentistry, located at 37515 Hwy 26. (Incidentally, Jacobsen Pediatric Dentistry is the 4th facility with medical gas installation in recent years.)

Residential construction remains strong with October’s tally having 66 active residential dwelling permits — of which 36 are Townhomes. Palladian Group leads with 27 single family townhomes being constructed in Champion Village, and National Development is constructing 9 new townhouses near Tickle Creek. Zion Meadows subdivision is quickly filling with single family homes constructed by Raze Custom Homes, D. A. Gray Ltd., Richard Haggerty, and Matt Stott Construction for a combined total of 20 homes currently under construction. Lastly, Colby Custom Construction, Tom Orth Construction, SKS Construction, Ron Haggerty and Vanport Builders are creating the other 10 quality homes in Sandy.

August – Planning and Building

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Sandy Heights Apartment Complex: The 138-unit apartment complex was recently noticed to surrounding property owners and we have been receiving some inquiries. This apartment complex is approximately double the size of the next largest apartment complex in the City of Sandy. While quite large, the developer has produced similar complexes in the Portland region including the StonePlace Apartments in Molalla that are a crown jewel to that community. While our department understands the hesitancy to the apartment complex we are fairly confident the developer will construct a quality multi-family complex.

Warnock Industrial Building: Staff is currently reviewing a 5,000 square foot industrial building for the expansion of Advanced Plastics (located in the industrial hole to the south of Safeway). This new industrial building will cleanup the existing site and provide more employment to the growing industrial sector in Sandy.

Tickle Creek Terrace: The first seven townhouses in the Tickle Creek Terrace subdivision have been completed and are occupied. Upon full completion of the project this subdivision will house 15 new townhouses. One of the main features about that developments is the amazing proximity to the east Tickle Creek trailhead and other park opportunities.

Pleasant Street Masterplan and Walkability Plan: On September 11th we welcomed our newest team member, Emma Porricolo, to our staff. Emma will be assisting the Planning and Building staff over the next 11 months with downtown master planning and other planning objectives as we define are necessary throughout Sandy. We are excited for her to join our staff through the RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) program.

The National Walking Summit: I just attended the National Walking Summit on September 13th-15th in St. Paul, MN. The conference was spectacular and staff has been forwarded a number of idea and initiatives to implement in Downtown Sandy. While Sandy has improved in areas of walkability and providing ‘third place design’ this conference reiterated that we still have a long ways to go to design complete streets and a vibrant downtown corridor.

New Tupper Hill Apartments (9/7/17)

June – Planning and Building

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RARE Americorps – On June 12, 2017 we were informed that we will receive a RARE Americorps employee for the upcoming school year (September 2017 – July 2018). RARE Americorps pays for half of the position, while the City of Sandy matches ($22k) to fund the position. We will be conducting interviews next week for the position. The RARE will work on the Pleasant Street Master Plan, the downtown walkability plan, and a few smaller planning projects. We are excited to welcome another person to our Planning/Building team.

Planning Commission – At the June 27, 2017 (Tuesday) Planning Commission meeting there were public hearings for a medical hardship trailer, a retaining wall variance for the development of Arletha Court for Birdsong subdivision (now known as Mt. View Ridge subdivision), and a five unit apartment complex on Hood Street (to the north of Walgreens). All three applications were approved by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission weighed public testimony and added conditions to the approvals based on the testimony at the meeting.

Plat Training – On July 11, 2017 I presented Planning and Building staff with a training regarding the plat process for partitions, replats, and subdivisions. This training was provided to give an insight into the entire process including pre-app submittal, land use review, construction plan review, and final plat approval. This in-house training was well received and seemed to be informative for staff.

Building Permits (2nd Quarter) – The Building Department issued permits for 22 new residential structures over the past three months (April thru June). We are currently reviewing around 26 more house permits. Accessory structures, additions, and deck/porch expansions have also been very popular during this recent upswing in construction prosperity.

Urban Renewal – We are currently working on developing facade grant projects with Joe’s Donuts, the Sandy Action Community Center, the School House Medicine Building, the Muff building at Proctor Blvd. and Strauss Ave. (Sandy Tires location), and lighting upgrades to the Sandy Town Square. Projects associated with the Sandy Shell station and Timberline Meats are close to be completed.

May – Planning and Building

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PLANNING
On June 2, 2017 we received confirmation from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) that the Sandy UGB Expansion was approved. On June 9 Planning staff sent notices to all property owners affected by this change congratulating them on being included in the revised UGB boundary. This is a monumental task that takes some communities well over a decade to accomplish. After much consideration we mutually decided with our new permitting software host that for the best transition we would not launch our software in June. Our staff discovered numerous errors with the software setup in regards to our fee schedule. We are actively renegotiating a new Go Live date, but it will most likely not occur until fall of 2017.

Planning Commission is being held on June 27th and will include three land use applications. Below is a brief summary of each application:

Cashatt Apartments – Cashatt Construction Inc. submitted an application to construct five (5) apartment units on the 0.35 acre property located at 38262 Hood Street. The project will include two buildings, one with three attached units and a second with two attached units. Each unit will be two stories and includes an attached garage and private back patio area. The proposal includes an application for a conditional use permit to allow stand alone multi-family housing in the Central Business District (C-1) zone.

Birdsong Retaining Wall – Ramsey LLC submitted an application for a variance to increase the height and length of the retaining wall to be constructed as part of the Birdsong Subdivision development at 19550 and 19404 Arletha Court. Construction of a 4 foot to 8 foot retaining wall was previously approved (16-039 SUB/VAR). The applicant is applying for a Type III variance to increase the maximum height of the retaining wall to 13 feet 4 inches, with a maximum wall reveal of 12 feet. The length of the approved retaining wall was 192 linear feet, but the length of the newly proposed wall is approximately 298 feet. 

Tankersley Hardship Permit – The owners of 16950 Hoffman Avenue submitted an application for a hardship permit. The proposal is to allow a thirty foot trailer to be parked in the back yard of the subject property for the purposes of a hardship trailer as set forth in Chapter 17.70 of the Development Code. The trailer will be occupied by the applicant’s 82 year old mother so that the applicant can better help with her mother’s care needs.

BUILDING OFFICIAL UPDATE
“Spring seems to be flying by quickly for the Sandy Building Department, due in large part to the increased building activity. Residential has been largely dominated with townhouses, while commercial projects have been varied and busy. With the completion of the new Goodwill building, the renovation of the Old Sandy High School (Pioneer Building) has become the largest project in Sandy. Another special project is the opening of the new Wolf Pack Theater in the Argue Building at 39570 Pioneer. Equally interesting is the activity at the new Sandlandia Food Court, and the Facade improvements to the Shell Station across the street. Finally, approval for occupancy was given to the new location for La Bamba Restaurant. It has made a very noticeable improvement to the Pleasant Street commercial district.

Residential construction remains steady with a tally of 56 active residential dwelling permits in May. Palladian Group leads with 21 single family town homes being constructed in Champion Village (behind Sandy Cinema) and many more about to begin. National Development is constructing new 7 townhouses near Tickle Creek, and excavation completed for 7 more. And the Zion Meadows subdivision is being very active with Raze Custom Homes, D. A. Gray, and Richard Haggerty currently working on 14 homes combined. Lastly, Vanport Builders is nearly completed with their model house, and is nearing finish stages of their second.” – Terre Gift

URBAN RENEWAL
Staff has been working with the owner of Next Adventure (formally the location of Winter Fox) to upgrade the building and site. As part of the ingress/egress improvements to the building the urban renewal district is contributing funds to increase the width of the sidewalk and install two tree wells. This sidewalk improvement will help improve the street presence of the building and the new walkway from the new front porch. See the second picture below.

Timberline Meats – June 7

Next Adventure – June 7

Champion Village – June 7

April – Planning and Building

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PLANNING AND BUILDING
On April 24, 2017 the Planning Department welcomed our newest member, Emily Meharg. Emily is filling the vacant position of associate planner and learning quickly. Our department is very happy to have Emily, not only for her glowing personality, but to assist with the high volume of pre-application meetings and what sounds like a multitude of land use applications for apartments and subdivisions coming our way. There are also a handful of excited property owners waiting for the anticipated UGB Expansion so they may request annexation.

Speaking of the anticipated UGB expansion. Also on April 24, 2017 we received confirmation from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) that the Sandy UGB Expansion is being processed. DLCD staff states they hope to have a decision regarding the expansion in the next few months.

The month of April included the issuance of 10 permits for new houses. This brings the total of new houses permitted in Sandy to 18 for the first four months of the year. The building department has also been busy with the conversion of the Pioneer Building to the new Cedar Ridge Middle School and with other commercial property upgrades and conversions.

Just as a reminder we are launching our new permitting software, Energov, on June 6th. This permitting software will eliminate the need for Microsoft Access (building permits) and Excel (planning applications) tracking lists for our departments. The permitting software will enable all permits, land use applications, and code enforcement cases to be linked to ArcGIS by address. The ArcGIS mapping system will also enable staff to link important deadlines, documents, and agreements to individual properties, thus assisting the reliance on institutional knowledge. In the future this permitting software will also feature a ‘citizen access portal’ that will allow contractors and developers to submit permits/applications on-line, request inspections on-line, and tract their submittal items.

URBAN RENEWAL

A few of the projects using facade grant money are now nearly complete, including the La Bamba restaurant on Pleasant Street and the Timberline Meats Market at Proctor Blvd. and Beers Ave. Both of these projects are looking fantastic and once again prove the value of a successful urban renewal facade program. The Shell gas station at the west end of the couplet also received facade grant money as is evident from the application of the stone base being applied to the building. Other projects receiving funding that are welcomed additions to the Sandy Style color palette include Scooter’s Bar & Grill, and the soon to be upgraded Muff multi-tenant building (i.e. the location formally housing the Tamale Factory and Tovar’s Automotive). The fire station also received facade grant money.

The ad hoc facade grant review committee that will review all projects exceeding a project cost of $50k has been formed. Members include Bill King, Ron Lesowski, Khrys Jones, David Snider, and myself. This committee consists of two business owners, a business liaison, and two staff members.

Shell Station stone work

Fire Station remodel

March 2017 – Planning and Building

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The Planning and Building Department is working expediently to move the La Bamba restaurant project on Pleasant Street and the Sandlandia food cart pod on Pioneer Blvd. forward. Both projects have been a long time coming and we are eager to help these business establishments succeed. Construction season is in full swing and we are seeing more building permits submitted than occurred over the winter. The Zion Meadows subdivision which was just platted in March already has building permits submitted for 13 of the 43 lots.

Platted Lots List:

The Planning Department has been tracking platted and tentative platted lots since the beginning of 2015. The number of buildable single family home lots in the city of Sandy was depleted until the recent additions of Zion Meadows and Fleischman Estates 3; however, with the hot market in the Portland Metro area the available lots inventory is expected to be depleted once again by this fall. See the following list describing platted lots, tentative platted lots, and expired subdivision lots:

Platted and Tentative Lots List 3_31_17 updated on April 11, 2017

1st Quarter Building Official Report:

“March 2017 saw more progress at the Sandy Fire Station remodel.  Underground utilities and more footings were poured to support the large steel columns and framework for the seismic upgrade.  The first shipment of the steel framework has arrived and is being staged in the open training yard. The project manager for Skyward Construction, Rick Courtney, says the project is still on schedule for completion before this winter, in spite the above average rain fall.  The concrete floor will be poured by the end of April.

Residential items worth noting for March, is that the Tickle Creek Subdivision is nearly built out.  The first of Palladian Group’s town-houses in the Champion Village Subdivision are at finish trim stages.  However, the quality of the plans were deficit, so future plans for 3 more groups of town-houses in the Champion Village are being revised and readied for submittal.  And Jim Raze Custom Homes has several more plans for new homes in Zion Meadows that were submitted in the first week of April.

Four Commercial projects were permitted in March.  The remodel of the old Sandy High School complex is in full swing.   Additional complex plumbing and structural challenges have been revealed that is adding greatly to the project costs.   We expect even more will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

One last item that is worthy of mention is how the Planning and Building Department has successfully gone thru a recent transition.   Staff quickly adapted and have fully supported Kelly as he stepped up and went above and beyond the call of duty to keep the departments running smoothly.  Congratulations Mr. Kelly O’Neill on a job done well.”

La Bamba (April 11th)

Sandlandia (April 11th)

February 2017 – Planning & Building Report

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As you are all aware the Planning and Building Department has underwent a major change in leadership. As a group we are excited about the future and hopeful to meet (if not exceed) your expectations for the business community and existing/future residents. We are introducing a new community oriented planning/building approach that is focused on assisting applicants and finding creative solutions to issues. The goal is to have Planning and Building Department staff working in coordination with the community, not from the assumption of a one size fits all approach. Over the coming months we anticipate a rejuvenated business community that feels welcome in City Hall and feels Planning and Building Department staff is here to assist, not impede.

The department plans to hire an associate planner in the next few months and move forward with an internship to help with master planning this summer. Noryne Robinson has been reclassified as a Permit Technician II and Rebecca Casey is becoming a full-time employee to assist with the increasing workload of the department

Future Projects:

Pleasant Street Master Plan – A Council goal is to complete the Pleasant Street Master Plan this next biennium. Planning staff will be engaging the community on a visioning process and hiring a consultant and intern to assist in the creation of the Pleasant Street Master Plan. This project is exciting and will be done in coordination with the future development of the Community Center on Pleasant Street. I also want to include realignment of Shelley Avenue/Alt Avenue in the plan. Much more to come on this project starting in early summer.

Code Revisions – We are planning on code revisions to numerous sections of the municipal code and development code. Modifications to the sign code, annexation provisions, residential design standards, and fence/retaining wall standards are just to name a few.

Rezone Parkland – We are planning on rezoning some of the existing parkland in Sandy to the Parks and Open Space (POS) designation. This modification will clean up the zoning map, but more importantly will streamline modifications to the parks for the Community Services Director.

Consolidate the I-3 and I-2 zones – We are anticipating a major modification to the I-3 zoning district. Again, this is a Council goal. I anticipate some push back from ODOT, but making this change before any I-3 zoned property is within the city limits will limit the TPR (Transportation System Planning) findings the City is required to conduct.

Annexation of Cedar Ridge Campus – Staff will propose annexation of the fields to the north of Cedar Ridge Middle School this summer once the UGB Expansion is complete.

Other Projects:
-Update the hillside overlay and FSH Overlay mapping layers for the new property in the expanded UGB area.
-Annex Islands as directed by City Council.
-Implement fee modifications if necessary.

Recent Planning Action:

UGB Expansion – On February 27, 2017 the Clackamas County Planning Commission forwarded their recommendation to approve our UGB Expansion to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. On March 15, 2017 the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners will review the City of Sandy UGB Expansion. Planning staff is hopeful the Board will adopt the expansion so we can move forward with sending ‘the record’ to DLCD for state acknowledgement. We anticipate that the director of DLCD will acknowledge the UGB Expansion in the next few months. I have already heard from several landowners within the expansion area who will be requesting annexation this summer.

Energov Permit Software – Sometime in May or early June our department will be launching new permit software for both Planning and Building permitting. The software has the capability to link with GIS to track data and will allow for remote inspections. Eventually this software will also contain a citizen access portal that will enable residents, contractors, and other applicants to submit applications online. Staff is excited to launch this system and join the 21st Century. That being said there will be a learning curve and unanticipated hurdles just like any new software.

New Subdivisions – Zion Meadows was platted on March 6, 2017 providing another 43 lots for single family homes. We are already receiving building permits for houses within the subdivision and are anticipating a flood of activity within the subdivision this spring. Fleischman Estates 3 (4 lots) and View Point (6 lots) are also close to plat recording. I expect all 53 lots in these three subdivisions to most likely be built by year end. Birdsong subdivision (39 lots) and Pioneer Meadows (28 lots) are also expected to move forward in the near future.

Pre-Application Meetings – We have been processing a number of pre-application meetings in the last few weeks ranging from a 156 unit apartment complex at Sandy Heights Street and Bluff Road to new industrial development on Ruben Lane (i.e. Freightway Lane). I anticipate a hot planning year filled with many exciting projects.

Tickle Creek Terrace

Timberline Meats

December 2016 – Planning and Building Report

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1) APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED/UNDER REVIEW 

a) File 16-029 VAR – Type III variance requesting Planning Commission approval to waive parking drive aisle requirements.  A second hearing was conducted on October 24 and the the applicant requested a continuance of that hearing to January 23, 2017.

b) File 16-039 SUB/VAR – Type III subdivision and variance for a 38 lot subdivision on Arletha Court (Birdsong Subdivision).  The Commission will review this application at their January, 2017 meeting.

c) Urban Growth Boundary project udpate – The draft UGB Expansion report has been sent to DLCD and was released to the public on October 20th.  We held a public hearing before the Planning Commission on November 28, 2016 and the commission has forwarded a recommendation to the City Council.

2) BUILDING DIVISION ACTIVITY 

a) Total value for the month was $183,198.
b) 0 permits for single family dwellings.  
c) 2 permits for additions to single-family dwellings with a value of $8,848.
d) 0 duplexes.
e) 5 commercial permits with a value of $276,372.

Other Projects:  We recently started conducting a customer survey for the Building Department.  The Planning Director and City Manager are conducting one-on-one interview/surveys with various contractors who have done work in Sandy in the last year or so. Questions are being asked regarding the process for obtaining permits, the permit inspection process and other general questions.  We anticipate completing these interviews in the next month of so and will share this information with the Council when the results are compiled.

FROM TERRE GIFT, BUILDING OFFICIAL – The year is proving to be a better year than expected. A total of 82 for single-family residences and townhouses have been permitted so far this year – which is expected to exceed the record number from 2014.

The three most active builders in November’s report are Vista Homes and Hayden Homes, with a total of 18 new single-family houses and townhouses each, followed by Palladin Group, with 13 townhouses permitted and 18 more currently in submittal stage.  Hayden Homes is nearing completion of their last three homes, and will no longer lead as the busiest of the residential contractors. Ron Haggerty has 3 custom homes underway.  Stonewood Homes, Raasch Construction and Vanport Builders have 2 permitted each.   Richard Haggerty Construction and Jim Raze Custom Homes each have one custom home nearing completion.  And Alan Seymour is on the finishing stage of his own custom home.

Commercial activities continue steadily along as we near the end of 2016, with 89 non-residential permits so far as we enter into December.  The most prominent projects include the new Goodwill Store and PAD Building on Hwy 26, and the new La Bamba restaurant location on Strauss, west of the Sandy Elementary School.  Also worth noting, interior demolition at the old Sandy High School complex has begun.

One last item worth mentioning is that the Planning and Building Department has began the process of updating our permitting and plan review software.   Permit Specialist, Noryne Robinson, has been working exceptionally hard to simplify and streamline the permit process.  Live date is scheduled early 2017.