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2023-05-11 MinutesNew Hanover County Inspections Department Advisory Council (IDAC) Meeting Notice and Proposed Agenda Regular Meeting of 2023 Thursday, May 11th , 2023 at 1:00 PM Town of Carolina Beach May Report Attending: Hans Schult, Pete Avery, Shawn Sweeley, Bert Billings, Jeremy Hardison, Rob Zapple, Gina Parker, Teresa McCormick, Nicholas Gadzekpo, Eion Dockery I. WELCOME COMMENTS & ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM 1) Jeremy Hardison greets members of the public and briefly introduces the council members, DSC staff, and others. 2) Hans Schult welcomes everyone and introduces the council members to the public, including Rob Zapple. II. INTRODUCTIONS 1) A few members of the council introduce themselves to the public. III. COMMERCIAL & BUILDING PERMITTING PRESENTATION- GINA PARKER 1) Gina Parker introduces herself and goes into detail regarding the commercial permitting process, specifically the required documents needed, including one complete set of construction plans, floor plan, Appendix B, site plan, and lien agent. She adds that if the customer is the builder or owner and plans to perform the work themselves, they must have an affidavit signed and notarized. All documents must be in PDF format. The COAST website is where applicants should go to apply for their permits and have a registered account. Additionally, the new residential permit eliminates the need for subcontractors to apply for their sub-permits; it is all under one main application. 2) She goes over the NSFR permit. The process for this permit is similar, including the required documents needed to be submitted. Still, the only difference is that general contractors are required to upload their Certificate of Insurance (COI) and the paid release form from CFPUA. Gina emphasizes that the permit process can go faster if all required documents mentioned are submitted, as well, as it can be a timely process. 3) Gina demonstrates the commercial application process for a permit on COAST, detailing what the applicant is expected to do at each step. She advises that customers should only include the address number and name if they were searching for their address. Along with this, she recommends if the applicant is unsure of who is their general contractor, then they can simply add a project contact. The fourth step of the process is where the actual application begins. She stresses that an applicant must provide the required information, such as the stated property owner and their address, and agree to the acknowledgment. Gina demonstrates where applicants upload their required documents, stating that they should only submit their application if they have all the information required. 4) She provides another brief demonstration of the application process, this time for the residential single-family permit. While similar to the commercial process, there are a few differences. Gina mentions that the general contractor, as well as trade contractors, must be added before continuing the application process. If a contractor’s information is not available, a contractor setup form must be completed. Additionally, she stresses that if the property is a duplex, two separate permits must be completed. If the applicant is located in Carolina Beach, they should mention that their water source is community supported on the application. 5) Gina brings up a common issue regarding revisions and shows the public where they would locate the forms needed for their resubmittal application from the website. i. Hans comments on the importance of including Appendix B, specifically for every commercial project. He states that they are legally required to ask for this document since they are regulated by the Department of Insurance. Additionally, the builder/owner affidavit is only applicable to those who have occupied and owned the land and property for a year. ii. Rob Zapple mentions that certain applicants feel hesitant regarding the resubmittal as they might have to wait for a certain period of time, asking Gina to go over how the system works. Gina goes over how the review process goes, mainly explaining that if the customer is transparent with their information and they are able to properly submit it, they won’t be able to experience any delays in the resubmittal process. 1. Hans Schult stresses that the process does sound tiresome, but he emphasizes that there are times when the DSC Staff will be unaware of what documents the customer resubmitted, requiring the reviewers to review them before the issuance can begin. iii. Questions were asked from the public regarding the possibility of uploading their revisions during the review process. Teresa McCormick comments that they are unable to upload any revisions until the review process is completed, and then they are prompted to do so. iv. Hans Schult recognizes that there is some pushback regarding the changes made to the permitting process, but he stresses that it is beneficial for the staff to attend to other permits, as well as the general contractor being responsible for providing their subcontractors. v. A public member asked if the staff receives the $ 1,000 bond that applies to electrical inspections. Gina clarifies that they do not receive them in New Hanover County and states that for the new residential application, a three-signature document is not needed for the electrical prior, but it is needed for other separate permits and applications. vi. Another question was asked regarding what process is needed if there is a change in a contractor for the new residential family permit. Gina states that the contractor would submit a contractor change form stating who is taking over the project. IV. STORMWATER REQUIREMENTS PRESENTATION- EION DOCKERY 1) Eion Dockery goes over what specific permits he is involved in, which range from clearing permits to building or new construction and permits. He highlights that site visits are essential to those who applied for the building permits as it allows him to get an estimate of the applicant’s budget, as well as establish a timeline for the project. It is highly stressed that the stormwater requirements are there to make sure that no other property is impacted by runoff and that the builder is aware of their responsibilities when it comes to the increased runoff. Drainage plans are a must for specific permits. 2) He goes over the requirements for the drainage plans, stating that the plans must be prepared by any licensed professional who is able to perform stormwater management practices. Eion is more than willing to assist in the plans, mostly offering his suggestions and his sketches. Additionally, any existing and proposed flow lines must be shown in the plans also. i. A public member asked if a drainage pipe is still needed if the property was under 10,000 square feet. Eion confirms that a drainage pipe is needed if it is under 10,000 square feet. 3) Issues with the silt fence are addressed. Eion states that failures of the silt fence are the responsibility of the contractors, and he only asks that if they are able to, be more vigilant of the issues to prevent receiving a stormwater violation. He goes over what he expects for the stormwater area throughout construction. The silt fence must be present during the process of construction, and if a final inspection is taking place, the silt fence must be removed. Eion stresses that the majority of the process is based on communication between the staff and contractors. 4) Eion goes over the stormwater improvements and clarifies what the section is detailing, stating that in certain circumstances, the required stormwater fees can be waived. Additionally, if the contractor has some input regarding the improvement of the area’s stormwater, it can be mentioned during a site meeting. He stresses that this is at the discretion of the town, including Eion and his team. i. Members of the public questioned why it is the builder’s responsibility to pay for the required fees, suggesting that the fee should be handled by the contractor. Eion does acknowledge and understand the concern but states that, as of now, the ordinances made clear that the builder has to be responsible for those fees as it is essentially increasing the property size or value. ii. Another question was mentioned regarding if site visits can be done before a permit is submitted. Eion clarifies that it can be done if the project only requires a small portion of the lot. V. ADDITIONAL UPDATES? 1) Energov Updates? - Teresa McCormick i. Teresa briefly mentions that the website will experience an update on the evening of May 25 for approximately 5-6 hours, causing the website to be down temporarily. She estimates that the website will be back online the following morning. VI. ADJOURNMENT 1) Hans motioned to adjourn. 2) Rob was in favor. 3) All were in favor. 4) Meeting adjourned.