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Westminster officials report faster permit processing, new e-plan review and code-enforcement metrics
Summary
City staff told council in a June 11 study session that new technology, written procedures and performance standards have reduced review times for many permits, expanded e-plan submittal, and raised code‑enforcement productivity; staff said more work remains and asked council to allow zoning code edits to improve process clarity.
At a June 11 study session, Westminster interim community development director Ashton described changes underway in the Community Development Department, including wider use of EnerGov and a new e‑plan review option intended to speed permit processing and improve public access.
Ashton said EnerGov now provides workflows that let staff track every phase of a case, identify deadlines and measure workload, and that the city’s Westminster Build portal lets applicants check status remotely and schedule inspections. He said the city launched a soft e‑plan review in December and had processed 127 e‑permit submittals — about 14 percent of submittals — and planned a full advertising push once early issues are resolved.
The department also published standard processing timelines and wrote procedures to reduce review cycles, Ashton told the council. "We are trying to limit our cases to two reviews," he said, adding that the city now aims to move cooperative, applicant‑cooperative cases — such as several recent commercial projects — through faster than before.
During public comment, resident Terry Raines and others praised the steps but urged quicker implementation and greater transparency around older internal memos that previously guided staff interpretations.
Councilmembers pressed staff for specifics about the e‑plan rollout, ADU processing and the department’s use of technology. Ashton and Principal Planner Ken Fichtelman said the city had eliminated a separate zoning screening step for accessory dwelling units, allowing zoning review to run concurrently with building plan review. The city has also produced six pre‑drawn ADU plans available for free and reported processing about 213 ADU permits so far this year.
On code enforcement, Interim Code Enforcement Manager Sergio Vrino reported a marked increase in cases: officers initiated more proactive cases, expanded evening and weekend vendor sweeps and increased measurable productivity. The department reported 901 cases handled in the first half of 2025 versus 354 in the same period of 2024, and an increase in identified violations from 280 to 829 over that span.
Ashton and Fichtelman told council they are drafting more policies and performance metrics and that some recommendations from a June 2024 organizational review could not yet be implemented because of recruitment and budget limits. Councilmembers praised the progress but pressed for faster hiring and for a plan to sustain improvements when the interim director leaves.
Council direction: staff asked for council approval to initiate certain zoning code edits that would clarify which cases require planning commission review versus staff approval; Fichtelman said those code text amendments would still be subject to public hearings under the planning commission and city council, and would let staff prepare ordinance language more quickly when changes are needed by state law or to remove obvious procedural barriers.
City staff said they will return to council with drafts of those zoning code amendments and with follow‑up reporting on performance indicators as the department continues implementation.
