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ORANGE COUNTY <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 1, 2003 <br />SUBJECT: Building Inspections Division — Report and Proposed Action <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />New Position Request Summaries <br />Building Division 2003 Activity Report <br />Action Agenda ', <br />Item No. �_ <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Donna Dean, ext. 2151 <br />Elaine Holmes, ext. 2552 <br />Craig N. Benedict, ext. 2592 <br />Susan Mellott, ext. 2593 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough <br />Chapel Hill <br />Durham <br />Mebane <br />732 -8181 <br />968 -4501 <br />688 -7331 <br />(336)227 -2031 <br />PURPOSE: To receive an update on building inspection activity and to consider establishing three new <br />Code Compliance Officer (Building Inspector) positions and one new Plans Examiner position in the <br />Planning and Inspections Department to address inspections and plans review workload. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Building Activity <br />Building activity in the residential and non - residential sectors has been steadily increasing over <br />several years. The Inspections Division has experienced several factors that cumulatively have <br />created the current status. It is important to note that this has been a gradual yet continuous <br />process of both increased building activity and of increase in the complexity of code application. <br />Some significant examples are listed below: <br />• Increase in the size of new single - family homes in Orange County by about seven percent, from <br />2979 square feet in 2001 to 3215 square feet in 2003. The increase in size and complexity of <br />new single - family construction translates into more time required to complete individual <br />inspections and this reduces the number of inspections completed in a day. <br />• Increase in commercial activity by 193 percent from 2001 thru 2003. Of this, 56 percent is within <br />the Town of Hillsborough jurisdiction. <br />• Increase in multi - family projects within County and Town jurisdictions. Currently, 240 new multi- <br />family dwelling units are pending permits. <br />• Increase, historically, in the numbers of inspections by approximately 10 percent each year. <br />