Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 22-5212 Meeting Date: 12/13/2022
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: GREG KAPOVICH, WATERFRONT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO IMPLEMENT A CONCIERGE PROGRAM TO ASSIST
BUSINESSES IN THE CITY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the Strategic Plan, City Council directed staff to explore options for the implementation of a concierge program in the City centered on improving the user experience of prospective Redondo Beach businesses. City staff have been exploring ways to improve and streamline the process for new and existing business customers in their interactions with City regulatory departments. A prospective business might interact with up to four City divisions across three departments during the process to obtain licenses or permits, which can sometimes lead to confusion.
This program would look at ways to provide a seamless, welcoming customer experience that serves as an excellent “front door” to the City. The program includes enhancements to unify our communication between Departments, improvements to the format and type of information on the website to help clarify customer workflows and expectations, and ensuring City staff are more accessible to local community members going through the process. The program will involve updates to the City website to make business and development information easier to obtain and understand, as well as having Waterfront & Economic Development staff act as a point of contact for customers that are navigating the process.
BACKGROUND
Development Services within Redondo Beach, which crosscut three City Departments, work together to review and facilitate business licenses, leases and the development of safe residential and commercial buildings that comply with applicable codes and regulations. The process can include ministerial permitting (i.e. new business licenses or a building permit for a restaurant remodel), discretionary approvals (i.e. Conditional Use Permits, contracts, or leases), or both, depending on the scope of the project. When businesses interact with the City, the process can involve numerous contacts with City staff in the Community Development Department (Planning Division and Building & Safety Division), Public Works Department (Engineering Services Division) and the Waterfront & Economic Development Department. Based on feedback from local businesses, the process of acquiring information about obtaining a business license, permits or zoning requirements can oftentimes be difficult to navigate. Depending on the type of business, permits required and other factors, the timeline of getting through the process can sometimes stretch beyond the expectations of applicants.
City Staff recognize that the current structure presents opportunities to improve internal
N.2., File # 22-5212 Meeting Date: 12/13/2022
City Staff recognize that the current structure presents opportunities to improve internal communications between Departments, as well as with customers to ensure they have timely, accurate information that helps establish realistic expectations for these important processes.
Acknowledging the diversity of operations across several City Departments and Divisions, staff seeks to use this program to improve the overall experience by providing:
· Staff Liaison - Establishing a primary point of contact at the information gathering stage. The Waterfront and Economic Development Department recently hired a new staff member with experience in economic development and business support services. As such, the Department is well positioned to provide a staff member to act as a liaison for customers wishing to conduct business in the City of Redondo Beach. Said liaison can ask pertinent questions, identify City Departments that would require input, provide necessary literature, and walk the customer through the front counter experience to obtain minimum requirements. For more complex projects, the liaison could organize as needed meetings with the customer and the various Department representatives to discuss the proposed project. This effort would provide the customer with all of the necessary information from the on-set and establish guidelines and expectations to help them navigate the discretionary or ministerial permits.
Currently, a designated staff point person does not exist. · Consolidated Comment Letters - Once the customer has obtained all of the pertinent information and submits the necessary permit applications for review by City staff, they are often tasked with communicating with several City Departments in parallel. Comments from staff are commonplace and are typically required to address necessary plan revisions to meet minimum standards. Based on customer feedback, frustration occurs when comments trickle in over time (“piecemeal”) causing multiple rounds of revisions of the same set of drawings.
For example, customers will be in the process of revising their drawings based on comments from one City Department, not anticipating another set of comments from another Department, thus creating more adjustments to the same sheet of plans. In addition to revising plans multiple times, there is additional frustration experienced when customers receive comments from a second Department that impact a design decision that was made by the customer due to comments received earlier from a different division. Thus, requiring that decision to be reevaluated.
Staff proposes a consolidated comment letter that includes all of the comments from every City Department. The new process would provide the customer with piece of mind that, once a letter has been received from the City, it represents the last such letter for that particular round of permit review. The process also allows City staff the ability to review the letter and ensure there are no comments that potentially conflict with one another. For example, the Planning Division requires a six-foot building setback and the Fire Department requires a fivefoot setback. When examining the letter, conflict between comments often results in confusion from the customer on which to address and by what means. The consolidated letter allows staff to identify conflicts and work out a solution prior to sending the letter to the customer. · Updated Website, Updated Literature, and Defined Expectations - In addition to identifying a staff liaison to assist customers in navigating the process, staff proposes an update to our website, as well as any literature provided to customers, outlining City processes. Staff would review various division workflows during the review process to assist in the development of a comprehensive critical path workflow (with estimated timeframes) so Redondo Beach
N.2., File # 22-5212 Meeting Date: 12/13/2022
comprehensive critical path workflow (with estimated timeframes) so Redondo Beach customers have defined expectations depending on the type of project sought. Currently, City staff has embarked on a project to make the website more user friendly. As staff works to improve, and replace, the existing website, they can ensure contact information for the proposed liaison is easy to locate and that appropriate links to necessary literature and process workflow information are readily available.
This program can draw inspiration from other cities that have implemented similar programs to help streamline processes for their business and development communities. A simpler and more streamlined process could benefit the local community and help foster economic growth that would benefit the City as a whole. Staff recommends moving forward with the aforementioned changes and direction to implement the necessary workflow improvements.
COORDINATION
The Waterfront and Economic Development Department coordinated the preparation of this report with the City Manager’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact associated with the business concierge program recommendations is expected to be minimal at this time. Existing staff can accommodate the creation of a primary point of contact, as well as the formation of a consolidated comment letter and work flow diagram. The existing project to improve the City website can accommodate the necessary changes needed to update the site with pertinent information related to the business concierge program and any new workflow literature. It is anticipated that a successful concierge program would have net positive effect on the local economy.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· Presentation to City Council (Blue Folder)