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MEMORANDUM Date: September 7, 2012 To: Janine Jordan, City Manager From: Randy Hunt, Community Development Director Subject: Report: Community Development Dept. – August 2012 Building Permits: August 2012 building statistics: Month YTD 12 YTD 11 Month YTD 12 YTD 11 New Single Family 11 49 59 1,366,419.00 5,992,563.00 8,361,493.95 New Multiple Family 1 2 17 1,631,419.00 2,086,419.00 10,314,275.00 No. Units - YTD 12 (19) No. Units - YTD 11 (90) New Manufactured Homes Residential Remodel 36 185 193 377,710.00 1,950,508.00 1,848,914.31 New Commercial or Industrial 1 2 1 90,000.00 367,686.00 1,714,000.00 New Public Facilities Commercial, Industrial or Public Remodel 5 40 69 1,339,149.00 10,379,116.00 21,273,466.00 Demolition 1 9 14 5,000.00 74,490.00 412,402.00 Signs 1 12 8 2,000.00 56,459.00 21,335.00 Electrical 29 193 290 159,860.00 2,630,389.00 2,481,419.47 Plumbing 44 233 256 339,394.00 3,442,147.00 5,201,477.00 Mechanical 23 133 172 98,512.00 1,621,213.00 5,572,582.00 Misc. TOTALS [PHONE REDACTED] $5,409,463.00 28,600,990.00 57,201,364.73 Permits Valuations1 Valuation of construction stands at exactly 50 percent of last year’s YTD total. Although we gained a little ground compared to last month, that is still a troublesome statistic. It seems to be common belief in town that the UDC has stifled construction, and I will not disagree that we may be seeing some dampening effect, but that is certainly not the whole story. The new single-family home construction figures are substantially down, and single-family development on existing lots is only indirectly affected by UDC. On the other hand, one of the few categories ahead of last year’s figures is residential remodels. These two trends indicate that people are adding to their current dwellings instead of moving to a new house. That is a classic (and logical) response to difficult economic times. Laramie’s City of Laramie Community Development Department P.O. Box C Laramie, WY 82073 Planning: (307) 721-5207 Code Administration: (307) 721-5271 Fax: (307) 721-5248 Engineering: (307) 721-5250 Fax: (307) 721-5216 TTD: (307) 721-5207 ---PAGE BREAK--- September 7, 2012 Page 2 dependence on state employees, and the uncertainties of next year’s state budget adjustments, are primarily responsible for the single-family trend, I believe. The ripple effects translate to commercial construction, as people buy fewer goods, eat out less often, and so forth. I would prefer to be optimistic and believe the state revenue issues will turn out to be less severe than thought, and that recent adjustments in the UDC will bring back at least a little more confidence in the local development scene. Most importantly, it’s hoped that the Cirrus Sky project will bring a turnaround, beginning next year. The Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals heard no cases in the past month. Code Enforcement: Following are violation and abatement statistics for August 2012, with previous month for comparison: New Issues for August 2012 Type of Violation Total Number Not Resolved Total Number Not Resolved Total Number Not Resolved Offensive Growth 217 113 103 216 89 445 89 Junk 34 15 13 28 11 149 11 Junked Vehicles 16 9 1 10 10 44 10 Abandoned vehicles 2 0 0 0 0 7 0 Other 8 0 13 13 0 70 0 Snow removal 0 0 0 0 0 205 0 Nuisance Totals 277 137 130 267 110 920 110 Volunteer Hours 135 0 89 89 0 224 0 2012 End of Year to Coordinated cleanup of 2 properties owned by disabled citizens using volunteers Holds a position on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Association of Code Enforcement Officials, which includes 6 members from Wyoming Date End of August July 2012 2012 The Department conducted 267 nuisance investigations during the past month, including 130 new investigations. Of the total, 110 cases remained unresolved by the end of the month. Our typical summer-weather pattern in the nuisance categories is still very evident, with offensive growth issues strongly ahead of all other violations.. Volunteer hours for assisting with clean-up efforts total 89 this past month. This continues the increase in volunteer hours we first saw last month, and indeed for the entire year. ---PAGE BREAK--- September 7, 2012 Page 3 The Board of Nuisance Appeals heard no appeals during the past month. Planning: August 2012 highlights include: • Planning Commission/Board of Adjustment met twice in August holding a hearing on the following matters: o CUP-12-05 303 South 8th Street (Dozer Dental Clinic) o FP-12-07 Walker Final Plat o A-12-01 Walker Annexation o Z-12-02 Walker Zoning o CPA-12-01 Southeast of Garfield and 30th (Suburban Residential and Park/Open Space to Auto Urban Multifamily) -Denied o Z-12-03 Southeast of Garfield and 30th (LR to R3) -Recommended Denial • 8 new development applications were submitted to the Planning Division during the month of August, consisting of: o CUP-12-06 15th and Gibbon (UW Storage Building) o DR-12-05 352 N. 4th Street (Dental Clinic) o CUP-12-07 2663 Sybille (Accessory Building) o CUP-12-09 2475 Riverside Drive (Accessory Building) o Street Re-naming Mitchell Street to Plains Street o Street Re-naming Hilltop Street to Crestridge Street o LL-12-02 2512 Lindsey Court o CUP-12-08 (Child Care - 1272 Lyons Street, Space #37 ) • The Ad-Hoc Committee established to oversee the update to the Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan met on August 8th and 22nd. The committee is currently working on evaluating service areas for different types of parks and recreations facilities and will begin to prepare for Town Hall type meetings regarding the progress made. • Work on other long term projects continues: o The Annexation, Zoning, Code Amendment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Cirrus Sky Technology Park will be before the Laramie Planning Commission and City Council in September. o A draft Ordinance on the Tree Area Overlay Zone is anticipated to be ready for City Council sometime late September, early October. o Staff and Laramie Main Street are currently reviewing the completed draft of the Downtown Plan submitted by the consultants. The goal will be to have the document ready in time to begin review by the Planning Commission in September. o Enforcement has picked up with the start of school, specifically related to over occupancy violations. o Staff continues to receive feedback for future Development Code revisions and expects to bring “Round Three UDC Revisions” forward to the Planning Commission this fall. ---PAGE BREAK--- September 7, 2012 Page 4 Report of Engineering Division DATE: September 4, 2012 TO: Randy Hunt, Community Development Director FROM: Larry Ketcham, City Engineer RE: August Activities Development Review • Completed a review, and prepared a list of concerns/comments for Indian Ridge Final Plat Submittal. • Staff is participating in discussions of the future Bill Nye Avenue alignment, and its implications on water, sewer, storm, and street infrastructure. • Fox Addition has been inspected and has been brought under the normal 1 year warrantee period. Coordination with other City Departments • Staff continues to meet with UW to discuss issues associated with the license agreement, relinquishing City rights to Lewis Street north of the main campus. • Staff provided cost breakouts for the grant application for the Cirrus Sky Tech Park project. • Staff is participating in discussions of the “Bolt Parking lot (public parking at 1st and Grand). Construction Inspections • Inspection oversight for infrastructure improvements within the City’s Right of Ways, has hit normal summer level of activity. • Staff has completed various inspections of local development projects erosion control measures. • The oil separators previously installed at the Water Dept. and Street Shops have been inspected and have completed the 1 year warrantee period. Capital Improvement Projects • Last year’s Harney Street reconstruction project has been inspected and has completed the normal 1 year warrantee period. Staff is working with some adjacent residents who have concerns over noise and vibration from the roadway. • North Laramie Drainage study reached a stalling point on detention needs. Staff is regrouping, and evaluating options. A meeting with Parks, Trails Ad Hoc Committee has taken place. • Engineering Staff provided comments to various SPT projects, and has participated in kick off meetings with the consultants. ---PAGE BREAK--- September 7, 2012 Page 5 • Staff inspecting SPT Phase 2, Schedules 7 & 8, (water and sewer replacements located in the southern part of the City). • Staff continues working on the other SPT alleys, and street reconstruction projects that will be bid for construction later in the year. • A drain tile has been designed in 21st Street (south of Reynolds), and the project was awarded. • Pavement Patch project has been awarded and is underway. Traffic Commission • With the vacant positions on Traffic Commission, obtaining a quorum to conduct business is getting increasingly difficult. It is hoped that additional commission members will be appointed.