As permits rise, so does BUILDS facility

Home permit increase reflects Republic’s exploding growth
 
The number of building permits by the Republic BUILDS department issued for the construction of single-family residences more than doubled between 2018 and 2021, according to information provided by Karen Haynes, assistant administrator for BUILDS. In 2018, 107 single-family residential building permits were issued, 162 in 2019, 131 in 2020 and 252 in 2021. The numbers do not include the permits which were issued for the construction of multi-family dwellings.
By contrast, the number of building permits issued for construction projects remained fairly steady during the same time period. In 2018, 19 commercial building permits were issued by BUILDS, 15 in 2019, and 17 in both 2020 and 2021.
In her figures, Haynes noted that the number of commercial building permits issued were for “what we would consider major remodels, additions, and infills and new construction.”
BUILDS Administrator Andrew Nelson said he expects the number of construction permits to only go up in 2022.
“We expect permit issuance to continue to increase overall and residential single-family permits to continue to increase and to issue (over) 300 in 2022, in addition to several multi-family permits in 2022,” he said.
Nelson said part of the reason that he expects to see a continued increase in the number of building permits this year is that it will take time to build the residences needed to meet the growing demand for housing in the city.
“I believe the numbers are still behind the actual growth that is coming to the city,” he said. “It takes a while to build the infrastructure for new development, so the actual occupancy of new homes is still increasing.”
Construction underway for new BUILDS Department building:
Interestingly enough, Republic is constructing a new 25,000 square-foot building for the BUILDS department, which Nelson said is adding more employees.
“We have approximately 50 personnel and are continuing to grow to keep up with the growth of the city,” he
said.
The BUILDS Department, which Nelson said was created by consolidating the city’s Community Development Department and the Public Works Department, handles several of Republic’s municipal operations, which Nelson said includes “all infrastructure development, commercial (and) residential development, permitting, business licensing code enforcement, animal control, water, wastewater and street departments.” The new building is necessary, he added, because their current building cannot reasonably be upgraded to meet the city’s growing needs.
“The current Public Works building is over 100 years old and cannot be cost effectively renovated or expanded,” he said. “For reference, we can’t even fit one snowplow into the garage area. We have added staff and equipment over the last several years and simply do not have space for employees or additional equipment.”
The new BUILDS Department facility is currently under construction at 6552 W. Republic Road, near the intersection of West Republic Road and Highway ZZ, across from Republic High School. Nelson said it is scheduled to be completed either in late 2022 or
early 2023.