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Union County Water launches dedicated development website to speed plan reviews
Summary
Union County Water unveiled a new website, unioncountywater.org, aimed at centralizing developer guidance and reducing phone inquiries; staff described a 10-step process and typical timelines for new development reviews.
Union County Water officials demonstrated a new, dedicated website for developers and builders designed to centralize forms, checklists and process steps for new water and sewer development.
County Manager Brian Matthews and Crystal Panico, new development program manager for Union County Water, presented the site, which is hosted at unioncountywater.org and replaces buried content on the county’s main website. Panico said the new site explains a 10-step process grounded in the county’s water and sewer extension ordinance, links to the county’s Evolve permitting portal, and provides checklists for sketch-plan and construction-plan submittals.
Panico said her team averages 120 to 130 plan reviews per month, spanning single-family homes to 500-lot subdivisions and large commercial campuses. She told commissioners the fastest end-to-end timeline—if applicants submit complete materials and respond promptly—can be about eight months from sketch plan through permitting; larger or more complex developments commonly take 12 to 18 months.
The site also explains that Union County does not provide “will-serve” or capacity commitment letters at early stages; capacity allocation is a later step after certain reviews are complete. Panico highlighted a plan-review meeting the county holds after first construction-plan comments are issued so developers and county staff can align before resubmittal.
Public communications staff said the water site redirects from the county’s water page, improves search indexing and has been viewed roughly 1,000 times since October. Commissioners suggested adding the URL to staff email signatures and other communications. Staff said the monthly board packet includes water and sewer capacity reports and that no projects have yet been turned away for lack of sewer capacity to date.
The website launch is intended to reduce repetitive phone calls by giving builders and contractors a single, public source of guidance, checklists and timelines and to improve transparency about the county’s review process.
