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DBI outlines electronic plan‑review rollout hurdles and a curbside remedy to address backlog
Summary
DBI staff told commissioners the rapid shift to Bluebeam for electronic plan review amid the COVID‑19 shutdown produced a large backlog (about 4,000 submissions between April 1 and June 14, ~500 open Bluebeam sessions) and multiple bottlenecks. DBI proposed staff reassignments, overtime, a curbside appointment pilot and technical integration work to speed processing.
DBI staff told the Building Inspection Commission on June 17 that the accelerated transition to an electronic plan‑review platform (Bluebeam) during the COVID‑19 emergency has produced a sizable backlog and multiple operational bottlenecks.
Melissa Whitehouse, Permit Center Director, said the city began accepting electronic submissions April 1 but had never completed an end‑to‑end electronic permit through the new workflow prior to the COVID‑driven acceleration. Between April 1 and June 14 DBI logged roughly 4,000 submissions (including duplicates), established approximately 500 open review sessions in Bluebeam and had issued about 60 fully electronic…
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