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Planning department outlines development‑review reforms and digital permitting push
Summary
Planning Director Heather Lamboy and consultants reported stakeholder interviews and launched a public survey, identifying pain points—paper submittals, inconsistent code interpretation, review conflicts—and recommended digital permit transition and a plain‑language development review guide.
The Planning and Land Use Department presented an update on the development‑review guide project on April 29. Director Heather Lamboy and consultant Ciaran Lithgow (Bohannan Houston) described a two‑part approach: document the existing processes, solicit broad stakeholder input and then deliver a plain‑language development review guide to improve transparency, reduce conflicts and shorten timelines.
Key findings from stakeholder interviews and a peer‑city analysis included:
• Paper submittals impose costs and delay resubmissions; stakeholders urged completion of a digital permit transition (OpenGov).
• Departmental independent reviews sometimes deliver conflicting comments (e.g., landscaping vs. water‑budget constraints); clearer internal guidance and documented interpretations would reduce rework.
• Applicants report confusion about triggers for traffic studies or utility upgrades and inconsistent administrative vs. public‑hearing routing; stakeholders asked for explicit triggers and clearer, searchable guidance.
• Several respondents urged additional planning staff and budget to reduce review times and improve responsiveness.
Implementation steps: staff said they are already piloting administrative changes (for example, shifting re‑roofing and solar permits to streamlined administrative review where appropriate), launching a digital survey that had 90 responses in its first days, and planning a fee‑schedule study. The department also committed to produce Spanish translations for key materials and to beta test draft guidance with homeowners and professional users.
Councilors praised the initiative and asked staff to ensure outreach reaches nonprofessional permit applicants and to include guidance on appeals and quasi‑judicial processes. Lamboy said the final development review guide will be a living document intended to be searchable and updated as procedures evolve.
Speakers quoted (first reference): Director of Planning and Land Use Department Heather Lamboy; consultant Ciaran Lithgow.
