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Local businesses say planning delays and ADA requirements are blocking moves and costing money
Summary
Business owners told the Business District Commission that city planning and permitting delays, unclear inspection paths and strict application of ADA access requirements are preventing moves into storefronts and imposing financial costs; city staff said the issues are on the city's radar and promised follow-up.
Business owners and commissioners discussed repeated delays in planning approvals, inspections and enforcement that, they said, are preventing tenants from moving into storefronts and costing landlords and small businesses money. Business owners described difficulty getting plan approvals and inspections, problems with the city's online permitting system and constraints created by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access requirements for older buildings. City staff acknowledged the problems, said the issues are a priority and asked affected businesses to provide written examples to support a targeted follow-up.
The issue matters because prolonged permitting and unclear inspection processes can make vacant retail space unaffordable to operate, block new businesses from opening and shift costs to property owners. Business owners said they have paused repairs and tenant moves after repeated unsuccessful attempts to reach planning staff.
At the meeting a business owner described repeated efforts to secure approvals: "I mean, I can do this better than you at this point. So can I just write it up and send it over? Because I know it better for me." The owner said they have lost tenants and taken on costs while waiting for plan approvals and that some code requirements are physically infeasible for older buildings.
City staff responded that the planning backlog and faulty online permitting are known problems. A city staff member said the online permitting system "was supposed to make everything more efficient. Turns out that's not working," and added that hiring and regional staffing solutions are being explored. The staff member said a newly hired deputy city manager will have economic development in the portfolio and could provide additional capacity to address planning workload.
Speakers raised ADA access specifically as a practical barrier in older storefronts. One business owner described the site constraints: a 9-inch step up at the front requires a 23-foot ramp with a 4-foot landing, which the owner said cannot be accommodated on the property. The owner described prior informal leniency on old buildings and said recent stricter enforcement leaves longtime vacant buildings unusable without impractical demolition or major construction.
City staff asked that affected property owners submit a short narrative documenting their experiences, including time spent, lost rent and other costs, so the city can quantify the economic impacts and present specifics when seeking solutions. Staff also said contracting for short-term third-party inspection services has been considered but is constrained by availability of qualified professionals.
The exchange closed with staff saying the problems are on the municipality's radar and that staff will follow up, while business owners urged both short-term remedies to allow moves and a longer-term plan to fix the permitting process.
The discussion was a matter of public comment and commission discussion; no formal motion or new regulation was adopted at the meeting.
