Board of Public Works approves contract with American Structure Point to review development services

The Bloomington Board of Public Works on Sept. 23 approved a contract with American Structure Point to conduct a multi-month review of the city’s development services and permit-review processes.

David Bridal, director of the Department of Planning and Transportation, told the board the consultant will perform roughly a six-month review of how the city accepts and processes permits and development-related filings, coordinate closely with Bloomington Utilities and other internal departments, and then remain available for two to three months to help implement recommended changes if needed.

Bridal said the review will include targeted outreach to the development community — engineers, surveyors, builders and frequent filers — and that the plan commission will hear presentations at the start and conclusion of the study. He said there will not be broad public comment opportunities during the review beyond those plan commission public hearings.

Board members voiced support for the study. A motion to approve the contract passed on a roll-call vote: Caron, Roach and Board President Kyla Cox Deckard voted yes.

The contract aims to identify bottlenecks and redundancies in the city’s permit review flow and return recommendations for streamlining and implementation support. Bridal said the follow-up period will allow American Structure Point to assist if recommended changes prove difficult to enact.

The board’s action was routine and did not include details about the contract’s dollar amount in the meeting record.

The board moved immediately to its next agenda item after the vote.