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Planning Division reports fewer applications, more online engagement in annual briefing
Summary
The Planning Division presented its annual report showing declines in walk‑ins and some application categories, increased phone and online engagement, nearly 983 land‑use applications last year, and more than 4,600 building permits reviewed; staff emphasized shifting work away from minor application reviews toward policy work.
Director Nick delivered the Planning Division’s annual report and walked commissioners through workload metrics and service changes since 2020. He said walk‑in customers are down roughly one‑third compared with pre‑COVID years while phone inquiries have risen to more than 5,000 and email contacts are about 2,000 annually.
Nick highlighted that staff reviewed about 4,600 building permits last year and processed roughly 983 land‑use applications; many historic‑building requests are resolved at staff level. He noted pre‑submittal meetings remain an important early step (about 110 last year) even though many such meetings do not lead to formal applications.
The director framed the staffing and workload picture as a deliberate shift: "We have a goal from a time perspective of trying to maintain as close to a 50 50 split with what we're working on city stuff versus private stuff," he said, adding the department emphasizes training and internal review to build capacity.
Staff also described changes to public engagement: the division used online open houses for 108 early‑engagement applications and recorded about 15,100 visits to those materials, a level of public reach that far exceeds typical in‑person turnout. The director said these shifts free time for the commission to focus more on policy (community plan updates, community benefit provisions) rather than routine administrative items.
Commissioners asked about mapping verification letters and fee structures; staff explained zoning verification letters are fee‑based and many application fees cover only about 30–40% of processing costs. No formal actions were taken; the report will remain available on the Planning Division website.
