NARROWSBURG, NY — The number of permits, variances, ordinances and zoning changes issued in 2022 along the Upper Delaware increased more than 40 percent from the prior year and more than 60 percent from before the COVID pandemic.

There were 228 permits, variances, ordinances and zoning changes issued in 2022 along the Upper Delaware, according to the annual Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational Corridor Code Enforcement Activities Report for 2022, issued by the Upper Delaware Council (UDC).

The numbers were 132 in 2021, 84 in 2020 and 85 in 2019. “This data suggests the impacts that the coronavirus pandemic had on building and development activities since 2020,” said the UDC in releasing the report.

Established in 1988, the UDC operates under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) to oversee implementation of the River Management Plan. It is required to perform an annual review of land use practices in each of its 13 participating New York towns and Pennsylvania townships to ensure that the goals, principles and objectives of the management plan are being met. The NPS is responsible for monitoring enforcement within the two non-participating townships that comprise the Upper Delaware unit of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The UDC’s review examines building permits issued, variances granted and any patterns of ordinances, code amendments or project approvals which could impact the river or contradict the provisions set forth in the RMP.

The number of building permits issued increased by 27 percent over 2021 numbers, both in the towns of Tusten and Highland in New York, and Westfall Township in Pennsylvania. Lackawaxen and Damascus Townships had building permit numbers that were consistent with 2021 numbers.

A total of 28 permits were issued for new single-family dwellings within the corridor. Most of the other permits were for minor property improvements.

The full report can be viewed at upperdelawarecouncil.org/publications.