“We want folks to know that we’re listening, and we want to work with the community to improve the system,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said at a town board work session last week, in a discussion about ways to efficiently process building permits.
“We know that there’s a backlog of applications and we want everyone to know that this remains a top priority for the board,” she added.
Take as evidence then, that for three weeks in a row, the board has discussed the Building Bepartment and highlighted steps it has taken to speed the review of building permits. This culminated in a visit from Richard Normoyle, the new principal building inspector, at this week’s meeting.
Mr. Normoyle, who has been with the town for only three weeks, outlined the function and future of his department, introduced new hires, and discussed steps being taken to reduce application review time.
“It’s difficult to give a single estimate because every application is different,” said Patrick Derenze, the town’s public information officer, when asked about the current wait time for a building permit. “Our goal, once we get through the backlog, is to provide building permits within six to eight weeks for a new build
and within two weeks for a simple permit application, like solar, decks, and pools.” Mr. Normoyle, reading from prepared remarks, told the board that “Until recently, building inspectors performed not only building inspections but in addition performed plan reviews for building permit applications. These combined duties, while allowable, are not a common practice.”
By assigning that function to dedicated plan examiners, he anticipated better plan reviews and more inspections. A new front office assistant will answer questions from the public and builders, freeing the rest of the staff to process applications.
Apart from hiring and the new positions, the department will lean into technology. The new OpenGov system has “streamlined” the application process, he said, while also allowing for the categorization of applications.
“By classifying permits into different categories, wait time for certain permit applications can be reduced,” he said. “Simple permit applications for pools, solar panels, decks, sheds, and the like would be expedited.”
Further help for the department may come in the form of “a series of code changes,” according to Jake Turner, the town attorney, including allowing some third-party inspections.
At last week’s meeting, Mr. Turner talked the board through revising the code that requires house sellers to provide an updated certificate of occupancy to the town.
Councilwoman Cate Rogers pushed for the code change at the request of then principal building inspector Joe Palermo, who, with her, was part of the zoning code amendment working group.
“This was one of the first code changes we made when we were amending the zoning codes,” she said.
“At the time it was very difficult to go to properties and find out what was in the C. of O. when they changed hands. It wasn’t a requirement, and you weren’t always able to ensure that what was on the property was built properly and in compliance with our code,” she said.
Mr. Turner said the purpose of requiring the updated C. of O. was threefold. “First and foremost, it protects buyers, so they are ensured that what they ultimately purchase has the appropriate levels of approval, which ensures that it has passed the necessary tests of safety — any structure that is. It protects inhabitants so those who are actually there are safe. Finally, it ensures proper taxation for all structures that are on properties.”
“We need to balance the speed and efficiency for obtaining the updated C. of O.s with those goals,” he said.
To that end, he is working on drafting code that would allow inspections to be performed by a licensed engineer or architect.
“Those engineers and/or architects would be ensuring that a structure on a property has the necessary certificate of occupancy. The third-party inspector would not be reviewing the work done by a contractor. It is still the Building Department’s jurisdiction to inspect for code compliance,” he said.
“There shouldn’t need to be a third party,” said Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte, “but in the case that somebody’s in a real hurry, I think this is a good option to offer.”
Further, Mr. Turner said the town is looking at times when a building permit may not be needed at all, for example if there was a proposed demolition. “That would not require an updated C. of O. because the house is going to go down.”
“The intent was not to make something more onerous,” said Ms. Rogers, “but to just ensure that there’s compliance. If we can do it this way that’s a win for everybody.”
Ms. Burke-Gonzalez also announced a dedicated email address, [email protected], where the community could share feedback and suggestions, specifically about Building Department operations.
“We’re going to do our best to turn things around,” said Mr. Normoyle in the hallway after his presentation, standing next to three beaming new hires, two building plan examiners and a new building inspector, local young men all.
