Recent changes to Atlanta's building permit process, could create a spike in new housing developments across the city, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to the newspaper, developers, real estate agents and homeowners are hoping that the legislation signed by Mayor Kasim Reed will help speed up the development process by allowing builders to obtain permits more easily.
"The tool is there and now it’s time to use it," Atlanta-based Watts & Browning Engineers vice president Steve Roos told the AJC.
With this legislation, Atlanta will be taking a step in the right direction to streamline the industry, added Atlanta Development Authority president Brian McGowan.
In past years, the Atlanta construction industry managed to prosper, despite the tangled permit process. However, in the wake of the economic recession, the industry has struggled to gain a stable footing. During the past four years, the Atlanta-area has lost roughly 57,000 construction jobs.
The reformed permit process could usher in an era of prosperity in the construction industry. It could also help improve the city's unemployment rate of 11 percent, and in turn could create more homes for sale in Atlanta.
