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Staff outlines zoning rewrite, permitting overhaul and grant updates to committee
Summary
City staff told the committee that a comprehensive zoning rewrite is in final public comment and that a proposed overhaul of the permitting system — including a single-project permit and expanded in-house plan review — will be presented to council soon.
City staff told the Community and Economic Development Committee on March 26 that the zoning rewrite is in its second public comment period, which closes March 31, and that the draft will return to the planning commission for additional review before coming to the City Council for final approval.
Staff said the city is proposing major changes to its permitting process, including a one-permit system for multiunit projects (so a single project permit would cover repetitive unit-level permits such as multiple plumbing fixtures), expanded in-house plan review by newly certified plan reviewers, and options for expedited inspections and permitting on projects with tight deadlines. Staff said these changes are expected to streamline permitting, reduce duplicative fees, and allow inspectors to be cross-trained for mechanical, electrical and plumbing reviews.
The department reported progress on the recompete grant: subcommittees are forming, strategies for subgroups are being developed, and the city has selected a final candidate for a grant-funded position pending mayoral approval. Staff said they have already been drawing recompete funds for existing staff salaries since October and that they will propose budget adjustments to reflect those reimbursements.
Staff also reported that community reinvestment contracts have been issued, though a few were delayed by negotiations or outstanding property or inspection issues; those providers now have contracts and work is beginning. The city is accepting applications for CDBG, HOME and ESG federal funds, and staff emphasized that awards depend on federal funding stability.
The redevelopment authority completed an in-depth strategic planning process with city staff; priorities for redevelopment properties and classifications are being drafted to move some properties toward owner-occupancy or commercial reuse.
In public comments, Gary Newman of Blackstone Structures praised the recent changes in the building department, particularly cross-training of inspectors and assigning inspectors by ward. "It's been absolutely incredible," he said, calling the restructuring material to the development community because it reduces inspection delays and paperwork burden on large projects.
Staff said they are also reviewing possible tweaks to nuisance-property abatement legislation and building-code standards to better recoup costs and streamline enforcement and are training inspectors to perform additional fire-related inspections for higher-risk facilities.
