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Issaquah staff outline permit‑process overhaul and new metrics as state timelines take effect
Summary
City planning staff described 12 recommended permit process improvements, new performance metrics and target dates, and said staff will pursue a permit‑coordination hire and submit state reporting required under Senate Bill 5290 by March 31.
Issaquah planning staff on March 17 presented a multi‑part update on permit process improvements designed to streamline reviews and bring the department into compliance with new state timelines.
City staff described a package of 12 recommendations from a consultant and the department’s internal follow‑up work. The recommendations cover submittal guidelines, completeness review procedures, applicant communications, peer‑review contracts, internal cross‑department review meetings, a postcard mailing approach for public notices, and the creation of a permit coordinator position. Staff said most items are targeted for completion by the end of the second quarter of 2025.
Tina Eggers of the executive office and Community Planning & Development Director Minnie Dhaliwal led the update and credited department staff with creating cross‑division teams to implement the recommendations. Tina Eggers said the department has started updating submittal guidelines, moved to reduce in‑house email coordination in favor of established systems, and implemented quarterly improvement retreats. Dhaliwal said the department will compile standard operating procedures in a single location and conduct targeted staff training to improve consistency.
Building Official James Gray described technical review challenges that can extend review cycles: complex geotechnical conditions, new energy‑code modeling requirements and design verification that often require specialist review. Gray said some plan checks now require modeling and computer verification that take specialized review time and, in some cases, third‑party checks.
Staff also discussed the new state reporting obligations under the guidance issued by the Washington State Department of Commerce. The city must report 2024 baseline measures and meet new statutory deadlines that came into effect January 1, 2025. Staff said Commerce’s guidance narrowed the permitted sample of land‑use and construction permit categories for statewide reporting; the city will submit its Commerce report by the March 31 deadline.
Key near‑term steps staff described include recruiting and filling a budgeted permit coordinator position (target: July 2025) and returning to council with a progress report in September. Staff said they are tracking several performance metrics, including first‑round review timelines, number of reviews per full‑time equivalent, and the percentage of permits approved within one or two rounds of review. The department reported progress on several measures for 2024 but flagged that building permits with plan review and some site permits missed the department’s internal targets and are the focus for improvement.
Staff also noted outreach to partner review agencies — for example, Eastside Fire & Rescue and the school district — and said the city will request cooperation to meet consolidated timelines, although those partners are not under the city’s direct hiring authority.
The presentation was informational; council members asked questions about metrics, customer feedback, and the feasibility of improvements within the stated timelines. Staff said they will continue refining metrics, expand customer surveys and return to the council with a fuller report in September.
