by Gary Nelson, Dianna Náñez and Amy B Wang - Sept. 19, 2012 09:17 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A new Phoenix permitting-process model with efficiencies suggested by Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio could become a model for the Southeast Valley region.
DiCiccio is pushing a new system that in many cases boils the permitting process to a day or less. The program is called self-certification.
Southeast Valley permit figures
After a period of training, the design professionals are entitled to walk into Phoenix City Hall with a set of self-certified plans and walk out all but immediately with their building permits.
The program, DiCiccio said, sprang from the deliberations of a 125-member committee representing such diverse groups as unions, builders, city staffers and the libertarian Goldwater Institute.
DiCiccio organized the panel along with Phoenix Councilman Tom Simplot, even though the two differ on political philosophies.
The aim, DiCiccio said, was "to make the city of Phoenix literally the best in the country when it comes to job creation."
Government, he believes, is too cumbersome in approving construction permits.
So far, he said, 115 professionals are entitled to use the expedited process, and other individuals or companies can go through them if they want quick permit approvals.
Not all projects are eligible, however. Buildings taller than 75 feet, steep-slope projects and potentially hazardous land uses still must have full vetting by city staffers. Otherwise, every commercial and residential project in Phoenix can hit the fast track.
Further, DiCiccio said, the professionals undergo rigid scrutiny their first few times through the process.
"If they fail three times they can't do business in the city of Phoenix under this model for three years," DiCiccio said.
Similarly, a recent call from an irate entrepreneur struggling with Tempe's development department prompted a Tempe councilman to push for a permitting-process review. Councilman Joel Navarro said he wants to know if more can be done to make opening a business in Tempe easier.
Navarro said he is open to a new Phoenix permitting-process model, and efficiencies being suggested by DiCiccio.
"If there's a way to make things better for a business, especially in this economy," he said. "why wouldn't we look at it?"
In Chandler, starting this fall, certain businesses could be eligible for a pilot program that will allow an expedited permitting process, modeling the Phoenix program.
"It's a novel approach, but I think it addresses an old challenge," said Chandler building official Dave Nakagawara.
Navarro said he has heard from business owners frustrated with permitting delays. A recent call from Julian Wright, who is opening his third restaurant downtown, was the last straw.
Wright said he was tired of bickering with the city development-plan checkers and decided it was time to appeal to reasonable council members for help.
Among the problems, Wright said, was the city's concern that the lighting in front of his restaurant was not bright enough. Navarro checked it out for himself.
Not only was the lighting sufficient, Navarro said, but he had to shake his head in disbelief when he noticed that one of the city's newer brighter street lights is posted directly in front of Wright's new business, the Handlebar Tempe.
"That's the hold up? Come on," Navarro said.
Navarro said Tempe must acknowledge that the tough economy calls for more efficiencies, lower permitting fees and a speedier permitting process.
"It's just not business friendly,'' Navarro said. "We've lost businesses that have gone to other cities and they really wanted to be in Tempe."
According to Wright, "The permitting process in the city of Tempe, in my experience is extremely inefficient. However, there ... have been folks at the higher level who have gotten involved ... when I have run into a problem."
Despite his concerns, Wright said he has plenty of positive feedback for administrators in the development department. He singled out deputy community development director Michael Williams, who Wright said has intervened on behalf of his businesses.
"The plan checkers are the ones who cause me to pull my hair out," Wright said. "They interpret (city building and safety) codes to the nth degree without any flexibility."
Chandler hopes to start with a few projects, using those professionals who are already self-certified with Phoenix. The process tends to place a greater responsibility on architects and design professionals to "get their ducks in a row ahead of time," resulting in time saved when the city needs to review plans, Nakagawara said.
"The higher quality of product that comes in for review, the faster you can turn it around," he said.
However, Nakagawara stressed that in most cases, the amount of time spent from start to finish will be about the same for developers and others seeking construction permits. After all, there are few shortcuts to be made when it comes to planning for new construction or for building renovations.
"It might change the balance of where that time is spent, but the overall time that's spent is going to be comparable," Nakagawara said.
In Chandler's pilot program, the expedited permitting process would be for "non-hazardous" projects only, such as existing retail stores that need to be converted for different use.
Mike Perry, principal architect with Whitneybell Perry Inc., has worked on various developments in Chandler for about 30 years, and said the existing process works fairly smoothly.
"My experience has been positive on all aspects, from the rezoning process to the process that you go through the planning commission and then the permitting process," Perry said. "Maybe it's just because I've been here so long and done so many projects here."
Perry is a self-certified architect with Phoenix. He feels self-certification could be a positive addition to Chandler's permitting options but said he has not yet chosen the self-certification process for larger projects in Phoenix.
"I think it's going to work really well on smaller projects: single-family homes, tenant improvements, smaller custom homes," Perry said. "For the larger projects, I'm not totally sure."
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2012/09/17/20120917ahwatukee-quicker-city-permit-process-could-model.html
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