San Diego Permit Process Speeding Slowly

Data show noteworthy trends in the city’s permitting process.

(AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)

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As Next City contributor Andrew Zaleski recently reported in “Pittsburgh’s Budget Just Got Way More Click-Worthy,” “breaking down budget information in a succinct, accessible format makes it even more useful for journalists, good government organizations … and watchdog groups — the people citizens have depended on for a long time to expose corruption and malfeasance.”

While many cities continue to work out the kinks of transparent government, journalists keep digging. To that end, Voice of San Diego did some, well, badgering recently and got the city to release a ton of info about its permitting system. The Voice reporters plan to analyze the data in an ongoing series, but the first finding pointed to a minor success story: The city’s rate of permit approval has steadily picked up speed since the recession. (Unfortunately, other San Diego efforts haven’t fared as well, as Next City recently featured in “One Mayor’s Downfall Killed the Design Project That Could’ve Changed Everything.”)

“When it comes to the city’s more complicated permits, it took about nine months to get a project approved in 2013,” Voice of San Diego reports. “That’s faster than in any of the last 10 years.”

Discretionary permits, permits that require a community review, for example, show median approval time below what it was in 2006.

“On the discretionary side, that’s where we have the chance to really affect change, and where we end up hearing complaints if things get too long,” David Graham, the city’s deputy chief operating officer in charge of development, told Voice of San Diego.

Despite the trend, some developers say it doesn’t seem much has changed when it comes to bureaucratic delays in permit approval. Jeff Barfield, planning manager for developer RBF Consulting, told Voice of San Diego that knowing permit approval times is irrelevant because of how many diversified projects fall under the broad “discretionary permit” umbrella, whether the project is a redesign of a coastal community or simply a homeowner’s attempt to open a B&B in their house.

“It feels like they’re keeping it from getting worse,” Barfield said. “But no, it doesn’t feel like things are getting much better.”

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Marielle Mondon is an editor and freelance journalist in Philadelphia. Her work has appeared in Philadelphia City Paper, Wild Magazine, and PolicyMic. She previously reported on communities in Northern Manhattan while earning an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.

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Tags: city hallsan diego

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