New software helping fast-track Sarnia building permit processing

New software at city hall is helping turn around building permits much quicker by sharply reducing the time needed for staff review.

Concurrent review software, which lets the building department permit circulating proposals for comment to all city departments simultaneously, came online in January, city chief building official Adam MacDonald said.

“If there’s no resubmissions needed and everything is good to go, now you have a permit that’s out the door in anywhere from two to three potential days, which would have normally taken upwards of close to 10,” he said.

“Just being more efficient throughout the department — getting stuff in, getting stuff out the door.”

The software, known as DigEplan, was approved for about $60,000 in 2022 budget spending and works with the $1.1-million Cityworks system, said MacDonald, also manager of building and bylaw services.

Cityworks has been in place for about a year, letting the department of seven better track applications and break down residential unit creation per application, he said.

That efficiency is started to be reflected in monthly reporting, he said.

For instance, there were 29 building permits issued in January, valued at $4.8 million, and five residential units created, four single-detached dwellings and one additional dwelling unit.

Permits creating residential units accounted for about half the monetary value of permits issued for the month.

“The past two years have proven to be the busiest as far as permit volume goes that I’ve been able to find in the last probably 20 years,” said MacDonald, noting that’s good for investment locally.

There’s been no reaction to speak of from the public about the faster permit processing times, he said.

“The fact that things are quiet is a good thing,” he said.

People calling to complain about why things might be taking a long time doesn’t really happen anymore, he said.

“I think the silence alone speaks volumes.”

Faster processing also helps with the provincial goal of building more homes, he said.

“It’s just a matter of supporting (developers) in a way that they get their applications in, and we get all their stuff done and back to them as quick as possible to get them moving along with construction,” he said.

Information technology personnel are also working on making it so people can submit and track their applications via an online portal that could be available in 2024.

“That should help provide a little more transparency,” he said.

Most submissions currently arrive via email, though there are still some that are done in person, he said.

“In kind of a weird way, COVID kind of put an end to a lot of the paper applications that we typically get,” he said. “Just with everything being closed, everything went online.”