Houston Retail Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 GREAT NEWS!Reorganization plan calls for formation of new city divisionJenna ColleyHouston Business JournalMayor Bill White on Wednesday announced a reorganization plan across city departments aimed at commercial and residential development.The plan stems from a report issued earlier this year by a 10-member task force made up of city and building industry representatives charged with developing a set of recommendations to attract and encourage new development, protect neighborhoods and improve city services.The plan essentially establishes a new arm of city government that will be housed in the city's Public Works and Engineering Department which will handle plan review, issuance of building permits, building inspections and utility development. Those duties were previously handled by the city's Planning and Development Department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston Retail Posted September 17, 2004 Author Share Posted September 17, 2004 This is from the ChronSept. 16, 2004, 5:45PMBuilding a better processCity creating unit for permits and inspectionsBy NANCY SARNOFFCopyright 2004 Houston ChronicleLong-standing complaints from builders about endless delays in getting permits to build real estate projects have finally prodded the city of Houston into action.ADVERTISEMENTFor years, developers have griped about long lines at the permitting office, rude employees, an inconsistent inspection process and favoritism in the system."One of the things Houston used to be able to tout was that you could get a permit in a couple of days here, and it was very, very business friendly," said Steve Jaggard of Vantage Cos., a development firm. "That has since become a nightmare."Mayor Bill White announced Wednesday that a new arm of city government will be created within the Public Works and Engineering Department to handle most aspects of a development project, from reviewing plans to inspecting buildings.Various developers, architects and contractors interviewed for this story complained that recent projects have been delayed for up to five months but were reluctant to go on the record for fear of being blacklisted by city building officials.To pay for this reorganization, local builders may face increased fees when they submit plans for development.City officials say grouping development functions under one department should reduce the time it takes for a developer to receive the necessary approvals to build a project.But this is not the first time these development functions have been moved out of Planning and Development and into Public Works. They have bounced around different departments for the past two decades."Tangibly, we're going to have to be judged by our results," said Mike Marcotte, director of Public Works and Engineering."Developers will have to see a change in attitudes and timeliness and hopefully a reduction of running things around in circles from one unit to the other."One of the main problems facing the city's building departments is understaffing.Both the Planning and Development and Public Works departments are still reeling from a wave of recent retirements, as numerous city workers opted to take early retirement for fear of losing their benefits.As of mid-August, the planning and development department had 13 positions to fill.And the staffing shortage has coincided with an uptick in development activity, which only exacerbated the problem."The last thing we should be doing as a city is trying to slow that down," said Marcotte. "We should be reacting to it rather nimbly to make that happen."Customer service the goalPaul Nelson, a veteran of the Public Works department, will serve as the interim director of the new department, called the Development Service division.The new division will focus on providing better customer service on such issues as reviewing plans, issuing building permits, inspecting buildings and developing utilities.Some of those functions were formerly under the scope of the Planning and Development Department.The city is also looking at ways to expand a fund using fee income to cover the cost, said Marcotte.Officials didn't provide details about how they will add to this fund.Wednesday's announcement to reorganize the development process comes on the heels of a report issued earlier this year by a task force on building permits, chaired by John Walsh, the Mayor's new deputy chief of staff for neighborhoods and housing and former head of Friendswood Development Co.The task force was created out of a concern that Houston was losing construction projects to outlying areas because the permitting process was unduly slow and bureaucratic."The public and the building industry alike have told us, for good reason, that we need to do a better job," White said in a written statement.Vantage's Jaggard said the news is positive for Houston, which has been trying to attract more company relocations and economic development."No one's asking for any handouts," said Vantage's Jaggard."They're just asking to get a system that's efficient." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 That's great news! Im glad Mayor White is doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 YAY! Now, he can redeem himself! I hope this goes through! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 (edited) Good news: one caveat.Hope they don't 'streamline' it to the point that the few restrictions on developers that we currently have on the books are overlooked, specifically the 90 day hold on demolition of historic properties. I'm still fuming over that fiasco in the 6th ward.Link Edited September 17, 2004 by dbigtex56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Houston_Retail...Where've you been? I've been looking forward to reading your 'latest scoop'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston Retail Posted September 17, 2004 Author Share Posted September 17, 2004 Actually, I just got back from a city tour of Vancouver, Seattle and San Jose where I had a Urban Land Institute conference on "Placemaking". I will post some pics soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Excellent...I'm looking forward to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Oh, I cant wait to see the pictures! I love your pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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