Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Planning & Development Services
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager
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FROM: |
Barry Walthall, Building Codes Administrator
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CC: |
Scott McCullough, Planning & Development Services Director Kurt Schroeder, Asst. Director, Development Services
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Date: |
May 13, 2014
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RE: |
April 2014 Monthly Permit Reports
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The Building Safety Division issued 181 building permits in April, with total construction for the month valued at $7,974,683. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $58,863. Permits were issued for 11 new residential projects, including 10 single-family dwellings and 1 duplex. Comparisons to previous years will be tracked throughout 2014 in the following table:
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One- & Two-Family Permits |
Multi-Family Permits (New Units) |
Total Number of Permits |
Total Valuation |
Permit Fees |
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Year |
Month |
YTD |
Month |
YTD |
Month |
YTD |
Month |
YTD |
Month |
YTD |
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2014 |
11 |
42 |
0(0) |
0(0) |
181 |
497 |
$7,974,683 |
$25,758,663 |
$58,863 |
$190,745 |
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2013 |
17 |
59 |
11(88) |
23(374) |
179 |
613 |
$19,842,958 |
$54,826,597 |
$112,265 |
$348,060 |
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2012 |
9 |
39 |
22(184) |
22(184) |
236 |
769 |
$19,790,910 |
$33,607,547 |
$119,012 |
$240,230 |
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2011 |
14 |
35 |
0(0) |
10(63) |
196 |
652 |
$5,536,213 |
$19,479,026 |
$53,112 |
$171,261 |
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2010 |
8 |
56 |
0(0) |
0(0) |
155 |
607 |
$12,605,541 |
$28,772,687 |
$41,878 |
$168,465 |
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2009 |
6 |
21 |
2(16) |
15(172) |
169 |
565 |
$6,482,254 |
$28,256,184 |
$47,978 |
$194,760 |
Two permits were issued for City projects in April. Both permits were to replace water heaters at Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority dwelling units, at 1541 New Hampshire Street and 2930 Peterson Road. The projects were valued at $500 each. The highest valued projects for the month were for the construction of a new multi-tenant commercial shopping center at 2626 Iowa Street, with construction valued at $1,800,000; and an addition for API Foils at 3841 Greenway Circle, with construction valued at $979,000.
These statistics are of interest in tracking construction activity in the community, but only partially tell the story for staff workload and performance. Staff has established performance goals of completing “initial” reviews for residential permits within 5 business days and for commercial permits within 15 business days of the application date. An initial review is a comprehensive first review of an application and plans for a building project, and may include review work performed by staff from Planning and Development Services, Fire and Medical, Utilities and Public Works Departments, as well as other relevant review agencies (depending on the nature and scope of the project). Initial and subsequent reviews and comments are tracked in the Innoprise permit tracking system from which reports may be extracted. Development Services staff is responsible for coordinating review work and disseminating review comments to applicants.
In April, staff completed 107 of 118 residential reviews within 5 business days (90.6%), and 103 of 128 commercial reviews within 15 business days (80.4%). The following table tracks performance in meeting these objectives.
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Residential Permits |
Commercial Permits |
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Total Number of Reviews |
Number of Reviews Completed within 5 Business Days |
Average Review Time |
Percent of Reviews Completed within 5 Business Days |
Total Number of Reviews |
Number of Reviews Completed within 15 Business Days |
Average Review Time |
Percent of Reviews Completed within 15 Business Days |
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Jan |
57 |
54 |
2.4 |
94.7% |
61 |
61 |
4.7 |
100% |
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Feb |
47 |
47 |
2.6 |
100% |
88 |
87 |
4.6 |
98.8% |
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Mar |
111 |
108 |
2.3 |
97.3% |
105 |
103 |
4.6 |
98.1% |
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Apr |
118 |
107 |
3.3 |
90.6% |
128 |
103 |
8.0 |
80.4% |
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May |
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June |
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July |
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Aug |
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Sept |
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Oct |
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Nov |
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Dec |
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YTD |
333 |
316 |
2.7 |
94.8% |
382 |
354 |
5.7 |
92.6% |
Permit reports for April are attached.
Also attached is a revised permit report for March 2014. Revisions reflect permit fees being rebated in May for a USD 497 building project for Hillcrest Elementary School at 1045 Hilltop Drive. Permit fees in the amount of $21,307.32 are being refunded to the applicant. The construction valuation for this permit was also adjusted from $7,159,246 to $130,495 to reflect the limited scope of work for phase 1 of the project. A phased permit was issued to facilitate work to the electrical system over spring break when students and staff were not occupying the building. Plans were under review for the entire scope of the project but have since been returned to the applicant in the wake of the May 6, 2014 decision by the Commission to waive requirements for building permits and inspections for USD 497 construction projects.
Top Projects for 2014:
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Rank |
Construction Valuation |
Project Description |
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1 |
$2,335,000 |
Corpus Christi Catholic School addition, 6001 Bob Billings Pkwy |
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2 |
$1,800,000 |
Multi-tenant commercial center, 2626 Iowa St |
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3 |
$1,285,000 |
Sigma Kappa Sorority addition, 1325 West Campus Rd |
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4 |
$1,000,000 |
Genesis Health Club renovation, 3201 Mesa Way |
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5 |
$979,000 |
API Foils addition, 3841 Greenway Cir |