All land development applications including Subdivisions, Rezoning, Development Permits, Building Permits and Business Licenses are processed through Development & Engineering Services.
1. Who is involved with Development?
There are three main departments involved with providing service to the Development Community:
These three departments as well as other City departments and outside agencies coordinate input on development applications and on changes to City processes and bylaws through a group known as the:
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Planning Department [ Planning main page ]
Planning is the lead department for development applications and approvals. Planning staff also provide professional advice to Council on land use planning issues. Land use planning functions are both short and long term and typically involve items such as:
| Short Term |
Long Term |
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| • Official Community Plan Amendments |
• Redrafting the Official Community Plan |
| • Zoning and Rezoning |
• Redrafting of the Zoning Bylaw |
| • Development Permits |
• Sector land use plans |
| • Development Variance Permits |
• Comprehensive Development Plans |
| • Subdivision |
• Development Cost Charges |
Planning carries out this responsibility through the City Planner, Anthony Haddad, managing a permanent staff of six (6).
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Figure 1 illustrates the volume of planning applications handled by the department since 1998. The application volume increased from 1999 to 2006, but has declined somewhat in 2007 and 2008 in response to market conditions. Application
turn-around time in 2008 ran from 5 – 23 weeks depending on the nature and complexity of the application. |
In 2008, our planning department handled 53 applications per staff person per year. This was a five year high. The department typically handles 35 applications per staff person per year. Unfortunately in 2008 they were severely short staffed.
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| Figure 2 illustrates the time taken to process planning applications for six different categories. The figure clearly shows that for the most part, the time to process has been on the increase. This is due to the number and complexity of applications (mixed use and high-rise) coupled with staff vacancies during 2008 and new inexperienced staff unfamiliar with City processes. |
Regulatory Services Department [ Regulatory Services main page ]
Regulatory Services is responsible for regulating construction within the City through the permit and inspection process for all types of buildings including residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and agricultural buildings.
Building Inspection is managed by the Manager of Regulatory Services, Glenn Peterson, managing a permanent staff of seven (7).
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Figure 1 illustrates building permit volumes addressed by the department since 1995.
The high was experienced in 2005 and a 25% drop in volume has occurred from 2005 to 2008. |
In 2008 the Department handled 209 Building Permits per Building Inspector. This is on par with 2007 and significantly lower than 2005 and 2006 due to a decrease in application volume.
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| Application turn-around time in 2008 ran from 3 to 6.2 weeks depending on the application, see Figure 2 below. |
Engineering - Private Development [ Engineering main page ]
The area of our Engineering Department tasked with addressing Private Development is headed by the Assistant City Engineer, Kristen Meersman, leading a staff of 1.5. This area is responsible for reviewing infrastructure servicing issues associated with building construction and land development.
Technical Planning Committee [ TPC Terms of Reference ]
The Technical Planning Committee (T.P.C.) is a frequently encountered best practice for the efficient and effective determination of development applications project requirements. The Committee has representation from all areas of the City that are involved in Development.
The Committee’s mandate is to identify project requirements for land-use development applications: Development Permits, Development Variance Permits, Rezone, OCP Amendments, Subdivision and Building Permit applications and recommend requirements on private/public sector development applications and projects, bylaws and other development issues including City generated applications.
2. Hours of Service
The Planning and Building Departments are located on the second floor of City Hall, 171 Main Street. The Engineering Department is located across the street at 166 Main Street. These three Departments must maintain a balance between:
- Providing customer service at the front counter.
- Reviewing development applications and building permit applications.
- Drafting Council reports.
- Undertaking field inspections.
Planning and Building
In an effort to provide the highest level of service possible, the Planning and Building Departments only have counter hours between 8:30 and 10:00 am. During this time, customers can attend at the counter on the second floor of City Hall and meet with a building official or planning technologist.
After 10:00am, a receptionist is available to assist (to the degree possible), take messages, and set up appointments for the appropriate Building or Planning person who will get back to the customer. If a customer wishes to meet outside of the posted hours, a specific appointment can be made. In the event of an emergency, Managerial staff can attend to the counter (as available).
Engineering
The situation in the Engineering Department is different because the number of service staff is considerably smaller. Customers can attend to the Engineering Department from 8:30am - 1200noon and 1:00 - 4:30pm. Engineering staff engaged in private development activities will assist you should they be in the office. Reception will be available during the posted hours and will assist customers (to the degree possible), take messages, and set up appointments for the appropriate Engineering person who will get back to customer.
3. Application Schedule
When is your application scheduled for Council?
Planning Staff schedule applications for Council meetings once per week. The scheduling is done in consideration of numerous items such as: When the application was submitted, complexity of the application, completeness of the information, critical developer deadlines etc. To see when your application is scheduled, please click the link below:
 Applications Going To Council - April 6, 2010
Applications Going To Council - April 19, 2010
What governs how your application will be sent to Council? Click here to review Development Procedures & Delegations
4. The Development Services Committee [ Development Services Commitee main page ]
One of the many Committees’ of the new City of Penticton Council is the Development Services Committee. This Committee is co-chaired by Mayor Dan Ashton and Councilor Dan Albas8. One of the mandates of the new Council is to take steps to understand and address issues that the Development Community has had conducting business with the Development Services area of the City of Penticton and to improve customer service. Committee Details...
The Committee has been busy over the last six months getting a handle on Development Issues and taking steps to address them.
The Committee has met with:
5. Upcoming Changes
Over the last months the Development Services Committee has been addressing the issues presented in Section 4. Many recommendations for positive change have been made and endorsed by Council. To what changes are forthcoming please click on the link below:
Upcoming Changes
6. Major Initiatives and Projects Underway
The Development Services Committee has been meeting over the ensuing months to address the Consolidated Comments and make recommendations to Council. The following recommendations have been endorsed by Council and are now being worked on by City staff:
- a. The City of Penticton Planning Department is currently working on the following large projects:
- i. A complete rewrite of the Zoning Bylaw
- ii. The Skaha and Peach Tree Village Plans
- iii. The Upper Valleyview Area Plan
- iv. Planning Fee Revisions
- v. Minor Changes to Development Cost Charges
- b. The City of Penticton Building Department is currently working on the following:
- i. A complete rewrite of the Building Bylaw
- ii. Closing out approximately 4000 outstanding Building Files
- iii. Clearly defining when a Building Permit is required.
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