Economic development and planning board discuss simplifying permitting and website help for small businesses

Representatives from town economic development and the Swansea Planning Board discussed ways to make permitting and regulatory information easier for small-business owners at the May 8 meeting.

Speakers said the town website is not intuitive for first-time business owners and recommended a concise "Doing Business in Swansea" online guide or a centralized page that lists required steps, contacts and frequently required state approvals (for example, water-supply or sewage design approvals). Several participants urged a single-click pathway from a business landing page to permit forms and checklists; planning staff and the economic development representative said they will coordinate with the town’s website lead, Christine, who is working on a site redesign.

The group recommended encouraging new small-business applicants to schedule pre-application conversations with planning staff, and to advertise the availability of a streamlined administrative review process for many tenant moves. The parties discussed adding explanatory links in the zoning and site-plan regulations (for example, to the state Water Supply and Pollution Control Division) so applicants can quickly find relevant state contacts and approvals when submitting an application.

Economic development and planning staff said they will draft a consolidated online resource and work with the website lead on layout and links. Planning staff also recommended conducting outreach so entrepreneurs know that small projects often require minimal site-plan work and that the planning board is available for preliminary, nonbinding consultations.