Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Permitting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Salinas staff and developers cite permitting backlog as barrier to housing; city plans staffing increases
Summary
Officials and developers said permitting capacity is constraining housing production in Salinas. Staff acknowledged the permitting group is understaffed, said the city has recently hired a plan checker and will propose more positions in the next budget, and noted a pending zoning‑code update intended to streamline reviews.
City officials and building‑industry representatives at the June 10 joint special meeting of the Salinas City Council and Planning Commission said the city’s permitting capacity is a limiting factor for housing production and that staffing and procedural changes are underway to speed reviews.
A planning‑department staff member told the council that, “for a city of our size, with the volume of permits and applications that are coming through, we are understaffed.” The staffer said the department has been adjusting workflows, hiring consultants for internal assessments and recently added a plan checker I position; more permit‑services positions will be proposed in the upcoming budget process.
Why it matters: developers and residents at the meeting connected permitting delays and limited inspection capacity with slower housing production. Staff said unresolved staffing and code clarity issues make review times longer, and staff and council members discussed using a zoning‑code update to reduce subjectivity and streamline permit decisions.
Evidence of demand and staff response - Permit demand: the planning director said the city had received tentative‑map applications for over 5,400 homes and approved a central‑area tentative map for more than 1,600 units; staff said model‑home and building permits for those projects are expected in the coming months. - Staffing steps: staff reported hiring a new plan checker I and said that through the budget process the city will propose additional permit‑services positions to increase intake, plan review and inspection capacity. - Zoning reforms: staff said a zoning‑code update — proposed in three phases — will first address “low‑hanging fruit” and consistency issues between the general plan and code, then proceed to a full rewrite after general plan adoption to reduce ambiguity in plan implementation.
Industry concerns Christy Cromings, representing the Central Coast Builders Association, told the council the permit center has been under‑resourced for many years and urged streamlining to accelerate ADU approvals and other housing work.
Council and commissioner discussion focused on whether staffing alone is sufficient or whether changes to process design and training are also needed. Several commissioners recommended engaging architects, contractors and developers to co‑design permitting improvements and create a permitting playbook to standardize reviews.
Ending: Staff said they will return with a staffing proposal as part of the budget process and with a consultant recommendation for the zoning‑code update; no formal action or vote on staffing took place at the June 10 meeting.
