According to DailyHive, the City of Vancouver's development permitting process has undergone another round of reforms, working to speed up project schedules and reduce costs for builders and owners. This will include four key changes that are in line with the City Council's 3-3-3-1 licensing strategy, which can be described as "saving money, time, and convenience."
Increase the maximum cost limit for home renovation permits
First, the maximum cost limit for obtaining a home renovation permit has been increased from $95,000 to $250,000, which means that owners can get a home renovation permit as long as the cost of upgrading sewer and water connections is less than $250,000. It is estimated that there is a 10% increase in the number of home renovation permits eligible for 3 days, resulting in an average reduction of about $30,000 in simple renovation costs. The change was approved by the City Council in December 2023.
Exemption from Traffic Impact Studies
Second, as of February this year, the city will no longer require a Transportation Assessment and Management Study (TAMS) as part of a development permit application.
TAMS would have been used to review the local transportation network surrounding the proposed development and to identify potential community impacts during peak commuter and projected site peak periods, as well as traffic mitigation strategies if necessary.
Waiving this document shortens the processing time and saves the applicant $10,000 in fees. It is estimated that this will benefit around 100 development licence applications per year.
Exemption from street use permits
Third, for small home renovations valued at less than $250,000, starting in late April 2024, it will no longer be necessary to obtain a Street Use Permit as part of the application process, which is designed to consider the space required for temporary construction bins.
The new rule requires that only applicants who need temporary bins need a permit, which means that a small home renovation permit will be eligible for processing within 3 days. If the applicant does not need to use a temporary dumpster on a public street, they are no longer required to have insurance.
Sprinkler permits are automatically issued
Fourth, sprinkler permits have also changed, and it is now up to industry professionals to design sprinkler systems. Municipalities now mostly issue sprinkler permits automatically, a far cry from the previous practice of having city staff review each sprinkler permit.
With these changes, qualified sprinkler permits can now be issued in 24 hours or less. In the first nine weeks of these changes, approximately 250 sprinkler permits (93% of the total number of sprinkler permit applications) were eligible for automatic issuance.
"3-3-3-1" strategy
The 3-3-3-1 permitting strategy is now the goal of the City of Vancouver, which is to approve housing renovation permits in 3 days, single-family and urban housing permits in 3 days, multifamily and mid-rise housing project permits in permitted use areas in 3 months, and high-rise or large-scale project permits in 1 year.
"By streamlining the permitting process, removing unnecessary requirements, and implementing efficient practices, we can expedite the approval of new homes and renovations, ensuring that our residents receive quality housing in a timely manner," ABC Councilmember Lenny Zhou said.
City staff will provide a more formal and comprehensive update to the City Council on the latest licensing reform early this summer.
According to a report by the Canadian Home Loan Corporation (CMHC) earlier this year, the average construction time for all housing types in Metro Vancouver is the longest of Canada's six largest cities. In Metro Vancouver, the average construction time is 14.5 months for detached houses, 13.6 months for semi-detached houses, 15.4 months for urban houses, and 26.4 months for condominiums.