Construction site review requirements needed

by mbuckstein | October 16, 2013 4:26 pm

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A report released by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) outlines financial impact of site plan review delays on owners, commercial tenants, and building developers.

“A Review of the Site Plan Approval Process in Ontario,” commissioned by Bousfields Inc., and Altus Group, reviewed close to 500 provincial site plan applications. The approval process is technical and considers layout, access, and safety, among other things. The report’s findings determined 35 per cent of applications take upwards of nine months.

“Unnecessary delays, inefficiencies, and lack of a co-ordinated process are creating additional costs that are inconsistent with the value of the site plan review,” OAA’s president Bill Birdsell said.

For example, each month of delay for commercial facility developers is costly. According to the report, one additional month can add more than $100,000 in taxes, financing, construction, and material costs. Residential developers see similar costs, while local municipalities lose out on tax revenue when there are delays.

The province’s Planning Act, Section 41, lays out the regulations for site approval. However, the report findings suggest many municipalities are not following these regulations. After releasing the report, OAA is encouraging the government to further define the guidelines for consistent site approval processes and application across the province.

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/construction-site-review-requirements-needed/

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