By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer
“What does attending the recent Subcontractors’ USA Top 25 Subcontractors Awards Luncheon have to do with building permitting?”
Aside from the fact that there was a super networking environment, tasty food, and a great jazz musician adding to the ambiance, there were anchor institutions like Dallas Independent School District (DISD Bond Program) in the mix to learn about upcoming design and construction projects. And aside from PermitUsNow being the only building permit expediting firm to be recognized with a Top 25 Subcontractors Award, the keynote luncheon speakers: President of Houston Metro Transit, Tom Lambert, and VIA Transit, San Antonio Deputy CEO, Ed Johnson talked about their $7.5 billion and $1.3 billion light rail expansion and bus rapid transit (BRT) capital projects, respectively.
Both projects discussed during the luncheon required permitting. From demo to civil to building, etc., permits will be sought from the City of Houston Permitting Center and the City of San Antonio’s permitting jurisdiction. When these organizations move into permitting, their perspective Permitting Centers’ workload will increase. And when this happens, where are you in the scheme of things? Are your projects being pushed aside?
“Helen, that’s nice to hear about the Subcontractor’s Award Luncheon and the good food, but what does this mean to me as a General Contractor or Architect or Project Owner in Houston and San Antonio?”
I’m glad you asked. So, here’s the bottom line. When billions of dollars of capital projects begin rolling into the Houston Permitting Center and into COSA’s permitting jurisdiction, it behooves you to be aware so you can plan accordingly to minimize possible delays in plan review.
Below are 6 questions you should think about when large capital projects are heading into your local jurisdiction.
- Should you hold predevelopment meetings with Permitting staff to ask reasonable code questions so they are aware of your projects coming through?
- Can you phase your project work? And if so, what makes the most sense in phasing?
- What do we gain by demolishing some areas early?
- Do we have any long lead time materials possibly causing deferred submittals?
- Has the Permitting Center changed any internal processes or issued any new amendments that could impact the project?
- Do we have the bandwidth and know-how to handle permitting internally?
Luncheons and industry events are important to attend for identifying opportunities to grow your business and to make new contacts. When doing so, consider listening to keynote speakers with an ear to hear how what is being shared will impact your projects and ways you can mitigate hiccups.
If your organization is strapped and wants to look at alternatives to managing permits, know that at PermitUsNow, we are committed to pulling permits for our Architect, Contractor, and Project Owner clients without delay, eliminating their frustrations with the permitting process. Plus, we make it easy for you to work with us. Simply: 1) Email us your plans, 2) Follow up on our feedback for any missing items, and 3) Let us get your permitting done for you.
So, send us your plans today and we’ll free you up to focus on doing what you love – building your customers’ dreams. Call the PermitUsNow team at 1.844.PERMIT.4. Visit us on the web at permitusnow.com. #BuildCustomersDreams #BuildSafe
