News and Documents  
April 2007 - First phase of changes to development services rolls out:

1.  TURN-AROUND TIMES for Improvement Plans: 20-10-10 Turn-Around for Improvement Plan Review – 20-10-10: 20 days for first review, 10 days for second and third review.

2.   DEVELOPMENT REVIEW MUTUAL COMMITMENT– a new set of guidelines has been agreed upon promising the County will meet turn-around expectations on Improvement Plans and Building Permit reviews if complete project applications are received. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

3. IMPROVEMENTS TO EFFICIENCY: complex projects will be assigned a project manager to shepherd the project through and provide a single source for customers. Universal “black-out periods” will be instituted so plan checkers can focus on moving the workload through their departments faster.

4. COMMUNICATION IMPROVEMENTS– Submittal checklists have been prepared so that builders know exactly what is expected. Invoices have been overhauled to provide more complete project accounting. 

5. ACCELA DATABASE – Expected to go live in May, private and commercial developers, outside agencies, and other County departments will be able to log on 24/7 to check the status of an application, or project, offering complete access and transparency to the process.

6. INSTANT ACCESS – The Department of Environmental Review (DERA) online access to the status of projects in their queue. http://www.dera.saccounty.net/.  DERA will also clarify exactly what level of studies will be needed for projects up front to eliminate unnecessary technical studies.

7. SIGN ORDINANCE: For residents eager to learn about projects coming to their neighborhood, applicants are now required to post a sign on each property where zoning changes or new projects may be built, allowing citizens to engage in the review process as early as possible.

8. PLANNING PROJECT VIEWER: allows the public to view information on all new projects in an area by simply typing in an address or clicking on a spot on the map is expected to launch during the summer.

9. TURN-AROUND TIMES FOR BUILDING PERMITS: County commitment to meet the following turn-around times for building permits: Plan Review:
Residential Project Valuation
$0 to $50,000 7 Days
$50,001 to $150,000 10 Days
$150,001 and greater 15 Days
Subdivision Master Plans 21 Days

Commercial Project Valuation
$0 to $100,000 7 Days
$100,001 to $400,000 14 Days
$400,001 and greater 21 Days

Field Inspections:
Next Day Inspections 95 %

Definitions and Terms Definitions

Steering Committee
This committee provides process oversight and insures staff resources to accomplish the project mission, document and validate progress, and keep the process on track and on time. Members:

• Joyce Horizumi, Director of Environmental Review and Assessment
• Carl Mosher, Director of Facility Planning, Architecture and Real Estate
• Victor Morrison-Vega, Director of Neighborhood Services
• Steve Pedretti, Deputy Director of Municipal Services Agency
• Michael Penrose, Director of County Engineering
• Robert Sherry, Director of Planning and Community Development