Clariti

12/14/2022

We're excited to formally announce that the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs () has selected Clariti's Business Licensing Solution to modernize its business registration processes! Part of a state-wide effort to provide a modern, standardized service experience for the public, the project will support the division's goals of managing registrations in real time, and will provide a better overall online experience for customers and staff.

Read the full announcement to learn more:

The State of Hawaii DCCA has selected Clariti's Business Licensing Solution to modernize its business registration processes.

11/01/2022

Employee churn at an all time high? Dated or nonexistent technology may be the culprit.

Hear from a former and current Chief Building Official why technology adoption in building and planning departments is so important, and how a well-oiled permitting and plan review system can not only improve the employee experience, but majorly boost your department’s performance overall.

Join the discussion and dive into the details during this one-hour webinar next Thursday, November 10.

You'll learn how to:

✅ Improve employee experience with a modern permitting and plan review system
✅ Leverage technology for staff recruitment and retention
✅ Dodge technology transformation roadblocks with tips and best practices from industry experts

Register for free now → https://hubs.ly/Q01r4C7b0

Are people within your building and planning department leaving at an alarming rate? Are vacancies taking longer to fill or remaining open with no end to resourcing shortages in sight? You’re not alone.

09/26/2022

ICYMI, Clariti ranked among Canada’s top growing companies in 2022! 🇨🇦📈🌱
The annual Globe and Mail report highlights businesses that managed to grow through some of the most tumultuous years on record. Check out the full article to learn more about how Clariti’s technology is helping governments streamline the development approvals process.

https://hubs.ly/Q01n61SS0

Sponsor Content

09/14/2022

Maintain the status quo or finally invest in something new? 🤔

We sat down with 40+ year permitting veteran Barb Mock to discuss her experience with homegrown and vendor permitting solutions, how they compare, and what advice she’d give to anyone in the market for a new solution.

Check out the interview for Barb’s full breakdown of what you need to know before you buy 📝

https://hubs.ly/Q01mjjVW0

40+ year permitting veteran Barb Mock details her experience implementing and using homegrown and vendor permitting solutions and how they compare.

08/29/2022

We sat down with the City of Aspen's field inspections team to talk about their day-to-day work life, how they complete tasks in-office and in the field, and what's changed since adopting Clariti's permitting system. Check out the full story to learn how the system helped reduce admin work by 75%, and "just made everything a million times easier."

https://hubs.ly/Q01l1J450

Aspen Colorado's field inspections team share their day-to-day using Clariti's Land Management and Building Permitting Solution.

08/24/2022

3.5 million more homes in Canada, and 4.6 million more homes in the U.S.

That’s how many additional units need to be built by 2030 to make housing more affordable.

But with permit approvals sometimes taking years, output is unlikely to come anywhere close.

To get there will require a transition to digital permitting systems that can help staff process submissions in less time, with the resources they already have. The impact could be huge.

In the province of Ontario, Canada, for example, a 2020 Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis report found that over a 5-year period, a 6-month reduction in development approval timelines could result in an additional 33,100 new homes, $4.5 billion of annual revenue, and 40,500 new jobs. And that’s just in Ontario, not Canada-wide.

Imagine the impact a 6-month reduction across Canada and the U.S. would have.

08/02/2022

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT):

It’s not your regular old timber, but rather an engineered ‘new’ material that’s stronger and more durable.

And it’s cheaper and more sustainable than concrete and steel. Plus, you can build quicker with it.

At a glance, with CLT as the primary building material:

- It’s estimated that a 4-story building could cost 30-40% less than with traditional materials.
- It’d be possible to build a floor a week once materials arrive on site - about twice as fast as using concrete.
- Emissions resulting from high-rise construction could be cut down. Right now the production of carbon and steel is estimated to account for 13% of global emissions.

But it could also present complexities when it comes to permit approvals.

The ICC just recently approved mass timber buildings up to 18-storeys high, so it’s safe to assume we’ll be seeing more CLT buildings in the near future - and with it, a host of new permit requirements and codes, predominantly surrounding fire safety.

Especially for cities and municipalities that haven’t dealt with these types of buildings before, a proposal for a CLT building would presumably require the addition of net net permit types, requirements, and fees. And that could take considerable effort without a configurable system in place.

Suffice to say, a boom in CLT high-rises could be our north star for more affordable, greener homes - but it could also present complexities for cities ill equipped to make system changes on the fly.

That’s why configurability matters.

Read more: https://hubs.ly/Q01j3lrK0

07/21/2022

Are manufactured homes a promising solution to the affordability crisis? Maybe so. They could present an opportunity to build homes quicker and at a lower cost - governments just need to break the barriers to their adoption first.

https://hubs.ly/Q01hkxtM0

Could manufactured housing be a promising solution to the housing affordability crisis?

07/19/2022

What if public housing could pay for itself?

Sounds great, right?

Well, according to a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), it’s a possibility.

Private sector developers already follow the self-financing housing model, so why can’t governments?

The formula is simple: leverage public housing rental income to cover upfront development costs.

Even taking into account that public housing rents are lower than market rental rates, the formula could still work. Governments can not only borrow at cheaper interest rates to private-sector developers, but can pay that debt off over a longer period of time (sometimes 50+ years).

In Vancouver, Canada, for example, the CCPA found that for a non-profit development, the range of break-even rents for a one-bedroom could drop to between $1,357 to $1,995, and $1,765 to $2,597 for a two-bedroom. Comparably, to break even, for-profit development would demand between 43-49% higher rents for the equivalent number of units.

And that’s just the start. Break-even rents could be even lower with faster permitting processes and the expansion of modular construction.

Cheaper borrowing + a longer time to pay off the debt using below market rent = more affordable rentals and public housing that could pay for itself.

Private-sector developers are stretched thin trying to build enough affordable housing alone. An expansion of public-led approaches and non-profit development could help.

It’s not the whole solution, but it could help to increase the pace of building.

Think this could work where you live? Let us know in the comments 👇

07/14/2022

Housing affordability won’t come from policy and regulatory change alone.

It’ll take a mindset shift, too.

From 🙅‍♀️ “not in my backyard - it’ll be too crowded” → 🙌 “YES in my backyard - there’s plenty of space for everyone”.

NIMBY → YIMBY.

Agree?

07/13/2022

After making improvements to their building permitting operations, a large county in California saved over $1 million in costs over 6 years - all while their workload increased by 80%.

Following a similar change, a county in Oregon saved $40,000 per year.

The common denominator?

An investment in Building Permit Software.

📘Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q01gN9Qr0

With building permit software, governments can simplify and speed-up the building permitting process to support community development and economic growth.