Development, code enforcement the highlight of new city report

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By Stefanie Donahue

Development in Blaine is on the rise, according to a mid-year report released by the city late last month.

Most residential development is taking place on the west side of Drayton Harbor in Semiahmoo, partially due to the limited number of building lots available in other areas along the harbor, according to the report. Additional construction on 18 lots in the Mountain Estates subdivision, located near Lincoln Park, is expected to accelerate residential construction in east Blaine.

Since January 2017, the city has approved 21 residential building permits, including one accessory dwelling unit (an independent living space on a single-family property); this number reflects a 31 percent increase from 2016, when the city approved 16 units by mid-year, and 72 units total.

The value of new building construction is also higher in comparison to 2016, according to the mid-year report. New residential construction is valued at $5,871,863, while non-residential sits at $925,000 – totaling $6,796,863. Halfway through 2016, new building construction value was $5,984,482.

The report revealed the city had generated $152,669 in revenue from building permit fees and $19,393 from land use permit fees since January 2017. So far this year, the city issued 88 miscellaneous building permits. In 2016, the city issued 114 for the year. An additional 41 land use applications were processed in 2017, while 36 were processed halfway through the year in 2016.

The city’s municipal code enforcement data showed $3,857.17 in fines for the mid-year mark. In 2017, six notices had been issued to property owners and 60 cases had been resolved. At the time of the report’s release, the city was working on 23 active cases that dealt with abandoned and structurally unsound property.

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