City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0414
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 05/18/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: City Manager’s Office
SUBJECT:
City of Corona Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council on April 28, 2021, established a Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee. The purpose of the Committee was to evaluate the permitting process in the Planning and Development Department. The Planning and Development Department is responsible for issuing permits related to construction. The Department performs building plan reviews and grading plan reviews involving new construction, additions to existing buildings, tenant improvement plan reviews within existing buildings, subdivisions of land, public improvement plan reviews for new streets and utilities and other miscellaneous permits issued over the public counter such as block walls, patio covers, pools, and business signage. The Committee along with staff from the Planning and Development Department evaluated the Department’s permit operations such as turnaround times on plan reviews, the number of times plans are reviewed before approved by staff, current staffing resources within the Department, and common complaints from the public. The Committee and staff also proposed solutions to improve and enhance the permit process for the public. This report covers the outcome from the Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee in addition to recommendations to the City Council for consideration.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council
a. Receive the report on the Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee proceedings and initiatives. b. Direct staff to prepare an ordinance that would allow for the ministerial acceptance and release of public improvement securities.
c. Direct staff to update the City Council on the progress with the Permitting Process initiatives City of Corona Page 1 of 7 Printed on 5/14/2022
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c. Direct staff to update the City Council on the progress with the Permitting Process initiatives outlined in this report in approximately six months from the date of this report.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
At the City Council Study Session of April 28, 2021, the City Council met to discuss and review the City’s permitting process (staff report attached without attachments as Exhibit 1). The process of issuing a permit to build or make improvements to facilities or structures, be it a home, business, or other such use, may seem complex, which it can be. It involves many City departments and outside agencies. The City is required by law to enforce numerous federal, State, and local construction and development regulations to ensure that a project is safe and ultimately becomes an asset to the community. In order to provide a better view of how the process works, staff has provided a flowchart, which is intended to simplify and assist with understanding this complex and iterative process (Exhibit 2). One of the primary areas of concern is the iterative review process, wherein staff reviews plan submittals and provides comments and needed corrections until the plans are deemed acceptable and approved. While both the City and the Applicant hope to minimize the number of review iterations, sometimes plans can go through this process multiple times, which could be the City’s fault, if it misses something in a prior review, or the applicant’s if a correction was missed or not rectified appropriately. Potentially, something could be changed or added, due to staff comments or simply added in for other reasons, on the plan that wasn’t there on a prior review, necessitating a new review by staff, prolonging the review process. At the study session, the City Council received a report from staff highlighting the City’s permitting process and how it works and the improvements that were planned to enhance the City’s performance and customer service when reviewing projects.
At the conclusion of the City Council Permitting Process Study Session, the City Council approved the establishment of a Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee. The Council also appointed Mayor Speake and Vice Mayor Daddario to the Committee. The Committee was established to work with the staff within the Planning and Development Department to evaluate the Department’s permit process operation and to recommend solutions to improve customer service and meet the demand from residents and the development community when trying to obtain a permit for: a) new building construction, b) grading, c) public improvements associated with new construction, d) interior tenant improvements to existing buildings to accommodate the expansion of existing businesses or the relocation of new businesses into the city, e) additions to existing buildings, f) accessory dwelling units on residential properties, and other similar permits. The initial work plan for the Committee was as follows:
· Develop and/or buildout performance dashboards for the Building Division and Development Services Division covering the number of plan reviews being submitted and number of permits being issued.
· Develop and benchmark performance standards for the Building Division and Development Services Division covering turnaround times on plan reviews. · Prepare process roadmaps for various permit types, such as new single-family construction, new commercial and industrial construction, accessory dwelling units, tenant improvements. · Improve or revamp the submittal checklist for various permits. · Develop a virtual inspection program.
· Update and publish a dry utility permit roadmap.
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· Identify procedures to streamline the Department’s sign off for gas meter releases. · Update the plan submittal checklist and guidelines to include electronic plan check procedures. · Explore the ministerial acceptance and/or release of improvement securities related to grading, public improvements, erosion control, and other similar improvements.
The Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee met on a quarterly basis over the past year. At these meetings, City staff provided the Committee with an overview of the Department’s permitting process to help clarify and define how the process works and potentially identify opportunities for improvement. As the conversations at these meetings evolved between the Committee and staff, the initial work plan intended for the Ad-hoc Committee was discussed in addition to the following items requested by the Committee:
· Investigate quality control concerns from the work performed by the City’s consultants. · Provide a policy recommendation on the acceptance of entitlement applications (should the Planning Division continue to accept entitlement applications that are partially complete or only accept completed application submittals).
· Explore the feasibility of a Construction & Demolition Debris Ordinance. · Explore streamlining the plan check process for infill development.
At the final meeting, staff provided an overview of its progress with the action items listed above. All items have either been competed or are actively being worked and are underway. The Ad-hoc Committee provided staff with direction to report out to the City Council on the Committee proceedings, including recommendations that should be brought forward to the City Council for review and consideration of approval. As part of the reported recommendations to the City Council, which would include any items that staff is directed to work on, the Ad-hoc Committee recommends that staff provide the Council with an update on its progress in completing the assigned objectives approximately six months from the date of this report before the City Council.
ANALYSIS:
As mentioned above, the Permitting Process Ad-hoc Committee had a series of initiatives that were reviewed and discussed as part of its meetings this past year. An update of each initiative is provided below for reference.
Item Status Task Project Update
1. Complete Building Division and
Development Services
Division dashboard buildout
and development.
Dashboards have been developed to track
customer service information and the types
and quantity of permits being issued.
2. Complete
and OnTrack
Building Division and
Development Services
Division performance
standards benchmarking.
Customer Service Survey and dashboard are
established. New data is being gathered and
integrated into the new dashboard.
Building’s dashboard has been active for 18
months and Development Services
dashboard originated in October 2021.
3. Complete
d O
Prepare process roadmaps
fiit t
Flowcharts for the acquisition of various
ittd lid dditil
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Item Status Task Project Update
1. Complete Building Division and
Development Services
Division dashboard buildout
and development.
Dashboards have been developed to track
customer service information and the types
and quantity of permits being issued.
2. Complete
and OnTrack
Building Division and
Development Services
Division performance
standards benchmarking.
Customer Service Survey and dashboard are
established. New data is being gathered and
integrated into the new dashboard.
Building’s dashboard has been active for 18
months and Development Services
dashboard originated in October 2021.
3. Complete
and On
Track
Prepare process roadmaps
for various permit types.
Flowcharts for the acquisition of various
permits are posted online, and additional
charts are being added as they are
completed.
4. On Track Create checklists for various
permit types.
Homeowners and builders will have access t
o an online permit guide offered by Camino
that will navigate them through zoning rules,
required permits, and inspection
requirements. The Camino software will link
users to the various processes, offering a
unified, one-stop-shop experience. Phase 1
of the software implementation will begin in
June 2022 for single family construction and
accessory dwelling units. Additional phases
for other permits will be implemented over
time.
5. Complete Develop a virtual inspection
program.
Virtual inspection software was launched in
April 2022. The software allows for
inspection to be completed virtually via a
smart phone. Virtual inspections for certain
permits are now offered to the public.
6. Complete Updating and publishing a
dry utility permit roadmap.
Flowchart completed and posted to the
website highlighting the process.
7. Complete Identify procedures to
streamline Department
signoff for gas meters.
Handout updated and posted to website,
identifying when and how utilities are
released for projects.
Item Status Task Project Update
8. Complete Update plan submittal
checklists and guidelines to
incorporate electronic plan
check procedures.
The checklist and was launched with Project
Dox Version 9.2 in June 2021. The guidelines
provide information to applicants on how to
use the City’s online plan check software.
9. On Track Ministerial acceptance
and/or release of grading
and public improvement
securities.
The Ad-hoc Committee recommended this
item be brought before the City Council for
consideration of an ordinance allowing
ministerial approval/acceptance of securities.
Such an amendment to the Municipal Code
would delegate to the City Manager, or
his/her designee, the authority to enter into
grading and public improvement security
agreementsEstablishes a uniform process
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Item Status Task Project Update
8. Complete Update plan submittal
checklists and guidelines to
incorporate electronic plan
check procedures.
The checklist and was launched with Project
Dox Version 9.2 in June 2021. The guidelines
provide information to applicants on how to
use the City’s online plan check software.
9. On Track Ministerial acceptance
and/or release of grading
and public improvement
securities.
The Ad-hoc Committee recommended this
item be brought before the City Council for
consideration of an ordinance allowing
ministerial approval/acceptance of securities.
Such an amendment to the Municipal Code
would delegate to the City Manager, or
his/her designee, the authority to enter into
grading and public improvement security
agreements. Establishes a uniform process
and eliminates “busy work” by staff, while
preventing delays for the developer due to
the City Council agenda schedule.
10. Complete Consultant Quality Control
Concerns.
To provide better customer knowledge of the
City’s processes and quality control over plan
reviews, increasing the number of full-time
City staff was recommended by the Ad-hoc
Committee overusing consultants. Five new
positions were approved by Council in
January 2022. Additional staff has also been
recommended for consideration as part of
the budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
11. Complete Policy recommendation on
the acceptance of
entitlement applications
accept application
submittals that are partially
complete of entirely
complete.
Discussed whether application submittals for
entitlement applications should require a
complete submittal package for application
acceptance or continue with the current
process to accept partially completed
application submittals. To provide better
customer service, many applicants find it
more cost effective to provide partial
submittals rather than a comprehensive one.
The Ad-hoc Committee recommended
adding an acknowledgement to applications,
wherein the applicant acknowledges a partial
submittal. Staff is to continue with current
process.
Item Status Task Project Update
12. Complete Explore the feasibility of a
Construction & Demolition
Debris Ordinance
City code and the State’s CAL Green Code
includes an adequate provision for the
recycling of debris from construction and
demolition projects within the City. No
further action needed.
13. On Track Streamline the plan check
process for infill
development.
Staff presented new review standards to the
Ad-hoc Committee. Infill and smaller plan
review times will be 10 working days for the
first review. The second and all subsequent
reviews will be seven working days for
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12. Complete Explore the feasibility of a
Construction & Demolition
Debris Ordinance
City code and the State’s CAL Green Code
includes an adequate provision for the
recycling of debris from construction and
demolition projects within the City. No
further action needed.
13. On Track Streamline the plan check
process for infill
development.
Staff presented new review standards to the
Ad-hoc Committee. Infill and smaller plan
review times will be 10 working days for the
first review. The second and all subsequent
reviews will be seven working days for
Development Services. This will mirror the
Building Division’s review timeframes. This
new review timeframe is to take effect when
new city staff positions are filled, and the
Department is fully staffed.
Actions Already Completed
As shown in the table above, staff was able to complete a number of items over the past year as part of the Ad-hoc Committee proceedings. These items include:
· Performance dashboard and Customer Service Survey for the Development Services Division. · Dry utility permit flowchart.
· Procedures to streamline Department signoff for gas meter releases. · Updated the plan submittal checklist and guidelines to include electronic plan check procedures.
· Implemented quality control concerns on work performed by consultants. · Provided a policy recommendation on entitlement application submittals: partially completed application submittals vs completed application submittals. · Explored the feasibility of a Construction & Demolition Debris Ordinance. · Launched a virtual inspection program for certain building permits.
Actions Ontrack with Proposed Continued Staff Effort
In addition to the completed items, there are activities that staff has underway. This included the following items:
· Dashboard to benchmark performance standards for the Development Services Division. · Prepare roadmaps (flowcharts) for various permit types. · Create checklists for various permit types.
· Streamline the plan check process for infill development.
Staff has made progress on the above action items. If the Council has no objections to the work listed, staff will continue to work on these items until they are completed. As these items required additional time to complete, the Ad-hoc Committee recommended that a report be given to the City Council in approximately six months from the date of this report to keep the City Council informed of staff’s progress in completing these actions.
Action Requiring Additional Council Direction
Finally, there is an action item that staff will need direction from the City Council in order to proceed City of Corona Page 6 of 7 Printed on 5/14/2022
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File #: 22-0414
Finally, there is an action item that staff will need direction from the City Council in order to proceed with completion. This item was reviewed and recommended by the Ad-hoc Committee as a way to provide better customer service to the community, while reducing staff time and workload. This item is:
· Ministerial acceptance and/or release of grading and public improvement securities.
Should the City Council agree with moving this item forward, staff will prepare a municipal code amendment for the City Council’s consideration to implement this action. This item was proposed as there are often agenda items brought before the Council to accept or release various public improvement securities. In most cases, there isn’t much discretion that Council has with such actions. As a result, such actions lend themselves to ministerial review, where only more complex actions need to be presented to the City Council for review and approval. By allowing staff discretion to accept and release public improvement securities, the City will be providing better customer service by preventing delays in the process. It also provides a more valuable use of staff’s time because it eliminates the need to prepare a staff report as part of the agenda review process.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to receive and file this report. Many of the actions highlighted herein may require staff time or other resources to complete. However, such projects will be evaluated for their financial impact independently when considered for approval of funding or when authorization to proceed when the project is requested.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is a report on the City’s permitting process, and there is no possibility that this report will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: ROGER BRADLEY, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: JACOB ELLIS, CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Staff Report - April 28, 2021
2. Exhibit 2 - Permit Process Flowchart
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