Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning And Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning department says permit backlog is shrinking, reports hundreds of short-term rental enforcement cases
Summary
Planning Department told supervisors that permit case volume is at a high, backlog is falling after process changes, and nearly 289 active short-term rental enforcement cases are open, most alleging units without on-site residents.
The Department of City Planning updated the Budget & Finance Committee on May 6 about permit workload, process improvements and long-range planning priorities.
Planning staff said permit volumes are the highest in the department's history and that process changes'including a new small-projects team, added staff funded by fee revenue and a streamlined community plan exemption process'have increased case closures by about 10% per month over the prior nine months. The department reported a current backlog of roughly 258 applications and 150 building permits and said those numbers are being reduced.
On short-term rentals, Planning said the ordinance adopted in fall 2014 took effect Feb. 1 and that staff had received 579 applications, issued 282 registration certificates, had about 50 under review and about 200 awaiting review. "We have about 289 active enforcement cases with respect to short term rental," the director said, noting the program is complaint-driven. He said the majority of enforcement cases appear to allege that no one is living on-site at the listed unit, which is a violation of the ordinance.
Supervisors asked about online scheduling for appointments, preserving neighborhood character, and how planning will support the city's affordable housing goals. The department said it has prioritized projects offering on-site affordable housing and is using fee revenue to fund additional long-range planning staff needed to address housing and transportation policy issues. The director also described a five-year long-range plan focusing on the Market Street corridor, neighborhood commercial corridors, the southeast growth quadrant, waterfront resilience and regional engagement.
The committee acknowledged progress but requested continued attention to staffing stability so the department can maintain reduced backlogs even if permit volumes change with the economy.
