Article

From red tape to results: Transforming the development review process for local government leaders

Dec. 10, 2024 · Authored by Jacquelyn McCray

Efficient permitting and development review processes empower local governments to better serve the community, support economic vitality and uphold regulatory standards. The effectiveness of a city or county's development review process is crucial for ensuring predictable and consistently applied processes and cycle times.

Challenges in development review processes

Our process improvement team has identified challenges that occur in large urban areas, experiencing a surge in development applications as the economy recovers and small municipalities facing growth pressures due to an abundance of un- and under-developed land. Development processes are often complex, involving multiple layers of review and approval across several review stages (e.g., pre-application, application intake, land use and subdivision review, infrastructure development, site plan review, permit issuance, building construction, inspections and project completion). By choosing to use community development consulting, all these challenges can be organized into a holistic strategy.

The complexity of land use and land development permitting review and approval processes can significantly challenge developers and contractors. An application for a new commercial or mixed-use project can involve numerous reviews and approval cycles by various government departments (planning, community and economic development, public works, fire, parks and recreation), external agencies, boards and commissions (planning commission, and zoning board, architectural design review boards, etc.), as well as city council meetings and public engagement sessions.

Each stage of the process requires detailed documentation, regulatory compliance and coordination among different review and approval entities. For instance, the land use analysis might necessitate an environmental impact assessment, re-zoning and additional meetings with review staff. Similarly, the infrastructure development stage could involve coordination with utility companies, adherence to safety standards and detailed engineering studies and inspections. This multi-layered approach ensures thorough scrutiny but can also lead to delays and increased costs if not managed efficiently.

Common pain points

Based on our work in this area, we have identified three common pain points that hinder the effectiveness of development permitting processes.

1. Misalignment between staffing and increasing permit applications