San Francisco panels push planning-led overhaul of site permits, seek public input on 30-day consolidated review

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Commission and the Building Inspection Commission met jointly on May 11 to review a staff-led plan to reform how the city reviews site permits and to collect public feedback on proposed changes.

Michael Christiansen, principal planner with the city's Permit Center, told commissioners the project would shift intake to the Planning Department using the Accela online portal, publish checklists so applicants know what will be reviewed, and provide one consolidated plan-check letter within 30 days after a complete application. "We want the ability to know on day 29 when we haven't done it yet, and we can start to be proactive and fix that issue," Christiansen said. He said the approach would create a "development review permit" that preserves the same appealable milestone as today's site permit but adds an implementation plan for applicants.

Staff said the change addresses three persistent problems: duplicative intake between agencies, sequential plan checks that can take years, and an aging permit tracking system that limits proactive management. Christiansen cited a staff review that found roughly "96%" of new building projects are processed as site permits and emphasized that the current work flow often leaves…