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Staff explains permit timelines and use of '52 90' waivers for concurrent reviews
Summary
Commissioners asked whether permit reviews were missing statutory deadlines. Staff said a "52 90" waiver is used when applicants submit concurrent permits, acknowledged a few permits exceeded deadlines due to short staffing, and described how the city documents precedents to speed future reviews.
Commissioners questioned permit performance charts and whether many permits went beyond statutory review deadlines. Staff responded that the city routinely asks applicants to submit a "52 90" waiver when multiple permits are submitted concurrently, which allows the city to manage combined submittals without penalty; staff acknowledged a small number of permits exceeded deadlines when the department was short-staffed.
Planning Manager Christie Schmidt explained the practical reasons for waivers: "So what we do to comply with 52 90 when we have projects that go over to reviews, let's say 4, we ask the applicant to provide a 52 90 waiver letter..." She added the city documents precedents (for example, permit approaches that later become accepted practice) to reduce delays for subsequent applicants.
