Baltimore officials, developers and residents press for fixes after permitting system rollout falters

Baltimore City Council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee heard hours of testimony Tuesday on Resolution 25,003 R, an informational hearing on reforms to the Department of Housing and Community Development’s permit process, where homeowners, small developers and city officials described months of delays and outlined near‑term steps to stabilize the system.

The hearing featured homeowners who said urgent repairs stalled for weeks, developers who described stalled projects and mounting carrying costs, and multiple agency officials who acknowledged technical problems with the new Acela permitting platform and cited staffing and process failures as causes of the backlog. The administration described a multi‑track plan — a Tiger Team to stabilize the platform, targeted hiring and training, expanded third‑party plan review and an “auto‑issue” pilot for simple permits — but gave only milestone windows rather than firm deadlines for clearing the backlog.

Why it matters: Permit delays affect homeowners’ safety, slow business openings and lengthen real‑estate renovations. Several witnesses said the current permitting experience discourages reputable contractors from working in the city and can push projects into unpermitted work.

Public testimony highlighted the problem. Homeowner Hilma Munson said she struggled to reach the permit office after discovering water damage and that a permit was only issued after she contacted her council member’s office: “I truly don't know if it would have happened at all without outside intervention,” Munson said. Developer Rich Montoni said a…