Permitting in North Van: Part 1: While You Were Waiting

Over the past few months, I’ve been talking with local businesses, builders and residents about what it’s like to navigate City Hall.

One issue keeps coming up: permitting.

Strong standards matter, alongside building safety, fire safety, accessibility and good planning.

However, time matters too.

For a small business, homeowner or builder, an unpredictable process can mean more rent, financing costs, contractor delays and uncertainty.

So I looked through the City of North Vancouver’s own public permit records.

A few examples stood out

At 137 Chadwick Court, home to Play & Learn Toy, a $20,000 commercial tenant improvement took:

259 days from received to issued.

At 1446 Lonsdale, home to Hafez Exchange, a $10,000 tenant improvement took:

150 days.

And another comparison caught my attention:

• A $4,000 commercial tenant improvement took 117 days.

• A $9.86 million commercial tenant improvement took 135 days.

Project value isn’t the same as complexity. A small project can raise difficult issues, and a large one can arrive well prepared.

But it raises a fair question:

Are we doing enough to separate straightforward work from complicated work?

The bigger issue: we can’t see where the time went

The public records show when an application was received and when the permit was issued.

They don’t show how much time was spent:

• under City review

• waiting for applicant revisions

• between departments

• waiting for outside information

That distinction matters.

If an applicant takes six weeks to respond, that shouldn’t count as six weeks of City processing.

But if a complete file sits internally, the applicant should be able to see that too.

If a permit takes 150 or 259 days, people should be able to understand why.

North Van is already working on this

The City has started reviewing its development approvals process and is looking at changes intended to improve predictability and customer service.

That’s a good direction.

North Van also has Gateway, online permit-status tools, and is exploring a Development Concierge role for more complicated development applications.

But there’s room to go further.

Applicants should know: Who has the file? What’s outstanding? What happens next? When should I expect an answer?

Other cities are already trying different approaches

There are useful examples around Metro Vancouver.

Surrey publishes both service targets and current processing times, and has a dedicated stream for minor tenant improvements.

Burnaby has a fast-track pathway for qualifying tenant improvements, uses completeness checks and online tracking, and applies project-management approaches to more complex reviews.

Vancouver has expanded fast-track permitting and has reported significant reductions in processing times for commercial renovations and laneway homes.

Different approaches, but the same basic lesson: Separate simple work from complex work. Make requirements clear earlier. Coordinate reviews better. And measure the actual timeline.

North Vancouver can do the same.

In Part 2, I’ll lay out the specific changes I’d push for.