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January 16, 2013
Inside
Lake Country’s chamber of commerce has a new manager. Corrine Cross joins the LC chamber from the Sicamous chamber. ...............................
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KEVIN PARNELL/LAKE COUNTRY CALENDAR
BUILDING PERMIT VALUES in Lake Country were on the rise last year as the area continued to see modest growth.This house is being built in The Lakes subdivision.
Singers and songwriters will be looking to follow in Becca Mabbett’s footsteps and win the second annual Open Mic Has Talent contest in March. ...............................
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Local MLA Norm Letnick says this area has benefited greatly from an infusion of funding for health care facilities. ...............................
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Flyers ■ JYSK ■ Staples ■ Home Depot ■ Little Caesars
▼ CONSTRUCTION
Building permits numbers rising again in Lake Country KEVIN PARNELL STAFF REPORTER
Building appears to be moving ahead in Lake Country, while property values saw a small decrease last year. The District of Lake Country building permit reports for 2012 show that permit values for the year were once again at the 2005 level and exceeded the previous year by $4 million. Since incorporation in 1995, the District of Lake Country has had an average building permit value of just over $26 million per year. However, 2012
showed a permit value of close to $33.3 million with the value of single family dwellings making up $27.3 million of that total. Property values are remaining stable according to the B.C. property assessments sent out last week. According to the district, Lake Country had the smallest decrease in the value of the average residential home among all North, South and Central Okanagan jurisdictions, and only Peachland and Lumby residential home values showed an increase, according to the 2013 as-
sessment rolls released Jan. 2. As part of a business systems review implemented throughout 2012, the District of Lake Country streamlined the application process and approval timelines for new development permits. In August 2012, council amended the applicable bylaws to allow staff in planning and development to work with applicants to approve straightforward development applications without the lengthy process of going back and forth to development permit committee or council
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DURING THE LAST QUARTER OF THE YEAR WE SAW MANY APPLICATIONS PROCESSED IN AS LITTLE AS THREE WEEKS. Mark Koch
meetings. “The streamlined process balances the need to move development permit applications forward
in a timely manner with the importance of life safety and environmental protection,” said Mark Koch, Lake Country’s director of planning and development. “During the last quarter of the year, we saw many applications processed in as little as three weeks instead of the regular 12 weeks and that definitely had a positive impact on our building statistics in Lake Country.” Koch indicated the current increased level of building permit values appears to be sustainable, and with increased business confidence and
the proactive approach council and staff are taking to encourage new starts in the community, 2013 will likely continue to see positive growth. “I was really impressed with the quick processing time and the ease of dealing with the staff at the district,” said Doug Pusey, with Legacy Homeworks, a recent building permit applicant. “I’ve been involved with other similar significant lakefront building projects and this one started on a very positive note due to the straightforward process through the municipal hall,” added Pusey.