How long does it actually take to get a building permit approved?
in Real Estate ·
Greetings.
Back in 2015, I planned to upgrade and finish a residential building. Current status: one floor, unfinished (just a flat concrete slab). The structure dates back to 1979 and was legalized exactly as it stands. It has been sitting like that since the 80s.
06/ 2015. - A designer drafted the main project in compliance with the Department of Planning and Zoning, including all attachments, and submitted it to the local building department (project: adding a low attic to the structure).
12/ 2015. - Still no response from the office, nor any requests for additional documentation. I heard unofficially that they are currently drafting a new Department of Planning and Zoning plan.
02/2016 - The head of the office tells my designer that they are in the middle of creating a new Department of Planning and Zoning plan, suggesting some regulations will be easier and advising us to wait for the new plan to be finalized.
-WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER A YEAR, despite numerous inquiries.
07/2017 - We finally receive the first official response from the relevant office—a denial. They are demanding a revision of the main project to comply with the new Department of Planning and Zoning regulations. (The total height of the building no longer meets the newly imposed limits). Based on these new rules, I can now only add a roof to the ground floor, not an extra level, because I only have 1 meter of clearance left before hitting the limit. There is no room. The notice claims there is no right to appeal.
I lost my mind. I immediately sent a formal letter explaining that I submitted the application for a building permit under the old Department of Planning and Zoning rules back in 2015, yet the response arrives in 2017 based on the new zoning. (For context, this is a small cottage on a sloped lot where the new Department of Planning and Zoning has capped the height. Even within the neighborhood, my building is the lowest; all neighboring properties are finished with two stories. It is absurd regarding the neighborhood context, and my unfinished structure just looks like an eyesore.)
08/2017 - The head of the office sends me a Gmail stating I would receive a new decision in September. To this day, nothing.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE? Can an office really go two years without responding to a building permit request? What does Zog say?
Back in 2015, I planned to upgrade and finish a residential building. Current status: one floor, unfinished (just a flat concrete slab). The structure dates back to 1979 and was legalized exactly as it stands. It has been sitting like that since the 80s.
06/ 2015. - A designer drafted the main project in compliance with the Department of Planning and Zoning, including all attachments, and submitted it to the local building department (project: adding a low attic to the structure).
12/ 2015. - Still no response from the office, nor any requests for additional documentation. I heard unofficially that they are currently drafting a new Department of Planning and Zoning plan.
02/2016 - The head of the office tells my designer that they are in the middle of creating a new Department of Planning and Zoning plan, suggesting some regulations will be easier and advising us to wait for the new plan to be finalized.
-WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER A YEAR, despite numerous inquiries.
07/2017 - We finally receive the first official response from the relevant office—a denial. They are demanding a revision of the main project to comply with the new Department of Planning and Zoning regulations. (The total height of the building no longer meets the newly imposed limits). Based on these new rules, I can now only add a roof to the ground floor, not an extra level, because I only have 1 meter of clearance left before hitting the limit. There is no room. The notice claims there is no right to appeal.
I lost my mind. I immediately sent a formal letter explaining that I submitted the application for a building permit under the old Department of Planning and Zoning rules back in 2015, yet the response arrives in 2017 based on the new zoning. (For context, this is a small cottage on a sloped lot where the new Department of Planning and Zoning has capped the height. Even within the neighborhood, my building is the lowest; all neighboring properties are finished with two stories. It is absurd regarding the neighborhood context, and my unfinished structure just looks like an eyesore.)
08/2017 - The head of the office sends me a Gmail stating I would receive a new decision in September. To this day, nothing.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE? Can an office really go two years without responding to a building permit request? What does Zog say?