Large, multibillion-dollar projects happening in Sacramento, Calif., are expected to bring jobs and money to the city amid tough times, according to sacramento.cbslocal.com. Construction work has been deemed essential, and experts believe it could be key for the local economy when businesses start to reopen.
“The more momentum we have right now that we can do safely, the better our recovery is going to be,” said Greater Sacramento Economic Council CEO Barry Broome.
Broome expects multimillion-dollar projects to continue on schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including the new major league soccer stadium and Kaiser Permanente Hospital. However, smaller projects face obstacles such as lack of access to supplies and construction loans.
The city said requests for permits in Sacramento have declined amid COVID-19 slowdowns.
“If you’re requiring a construction loan right now, those are tough to get,” Broome said. “We basically absorbed our banking system for three weeks pushing SBA loans out.”
However, local governments are becoming more efficient as they try to help. Placer County saw a 10% increase in the number of people applying for building permits last month because of an easier online process.
Additionally, Sacramento and Placer county now offer virtual building inspections so people can call into Skype and have their buildings reviewed over the phone.
Broome said this efficiency will help the economy get through the COVID-19 crisis.
“My hope is with the curve being bent, it’s time for us to start to have the conversation about when are we going to get to go back to work,” Broome said.
