Highland Park officials say local building and planning teams rebuilding permit system, outline pipeline of projects

Highland Park’s community and economic development director and the city building official told a local public‑affairs program on June 25 that the city has rebuilt an in‑house building department and is working with a planning consultant to clear a pipeline of projects while enforcing health and safety codes.

The discussion on the Highland Park Spotlight program laid out how the building department — returned to the city in February 2018 after state oversight — now handles inspections and permits, and how the city engaged McKenna (planning consultant) to provide planning and related services. The officials said the combined staffing and consultant arrangement is intended to speed review and maintain safety standards as new development moves forward.

“This department plays a major, major role … for the health, safety of the community,” Clyburn Jr., who identified himself as the city’s community and economic development director, said on the program. He described the current effort as “laying…