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DBI details steps to speed permits, adds new permit-services chief
Summary
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection outlined a package of permitting improvements — expanded appointments, a wait list, electronic plan-review enhancements and extra permit technicians — and introduced Sam Sheruri as the new chief administrative officer for permit services.
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) on Tuesday outlined a set of operational changes aimed at reducing permitting delays and improving customer service, and introduced a new permit-services chief.
Assistant Director Christine Gasparek told the Building Inspection Commission that DBI has expanded in-person and online permit options, ramped electronic plan review and increased staffing to raise daily permit issuance from roughly 50 per day at the height of shelter-in-place to close to 100 per day today. "We have fully been able to ramp that back up," Gasparek said, adding that DBI has issued more than 34,000 permits and performed about 80,000 field inspections since shelter-in-place began.
DBI added 50% more appointment slots for plan drop-offs and launched a wait list that moved about 500 customers into earlier appointments. Gasparek said every customer offered a new appointment was able to come within three weeks. The department also plans to expand electronic plan review to additional project types and hired a consultant to add a project-management function to the electronic-plan-review workflow.
Interim director Patrick O'Rearn announced the hiring of Sam Sheruri as chief administrative officer for permit services. Sheruri, described by the interim director as having more than 30 years of building-department experience and technology leadership, said he will focus on modernizing DBI's systems and improving accessibility. "I look forward to serving the city and county of San Francisco, and I would be happy to answer any questions," Sheruri said.
Gasparek said DBI has also added several permit technicians and will continue technology and staffing improvements, including automating certain no-plans kitchen and bathroom permits. The department has partnered with the Permit Center and other city agencies to triage customer service requests and to bring in staff with customer-service expertise.
Public commenters at the meeting urged DBI to prioritize over-the-counter and counter-revision permits and to set up a dedicated team to prevent small-project applications from "languish[ing]." Assistant Director Gasparek said the wait-list and additional appointments were designed to address those concerns.
The commission asked staff to return with more detail; President Angus McCarthy and several commissioners supported treating permit access and the role of expediters as a multi-session topic for 2021.
The commission received the update; next steps include further planning and a customer update session led by DBI director and chief building inspector.
