Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2008 - (Page 40) REGULATORY Flexibility in the Permitting Process Short Circuits Development Process On local levels, in the name of efficiency and effectiveness, each municipality has implemented its own internal system to route plans and process permits. Although it’s imperative that a system is in place, some programs don’t ASPHALT PERFORMANCE WAT E R Q U A L I T Y easily and readily translate to the developer’s overall timeline. Additionally, often it’s difficult for agencies to fathom the extent of external pressures that the developer has to contend with during the approval process. There are literally hundreds of steps required to realize development goals with permitting representing only one piece of the puzzle, and it’s a piece that cannot be controlled by the developer. The Sustainable Pavement ENERGY & RECYCLING CLEAN AIR & COOL CITIES Asphalt is the sustainable material for constructing pavements. Learn more at PaveGreen.com. From the production of the paving material, to the placement of the pavement on the road, to rehabilitation, through recycling, asphalt pavements minimize impact on the environment. Low consumption of energy for production and construction, low emission of greenhouse gases, and conservation of natural resources help make asphalt the environmental pavement of choice. • What industry is America’s number one recycler? • How can asphalt pavements reduce road noise? • What kinds of asphalt pavements can help manage stormwater? • How can asphalt pavements mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect? To that end, some jurisdictions are making strides to assist developers in getting through the approvals process more efficiently. Flexibility by the city, county, or state agencies is paramount to enhance success. For example, it’s a step in the right direction to allow a building permit to be issued with the condition that the approved plat or the final easement documentation must be recorded prior to Certificate of Occupancy. Another timesaving concept allows fire sprinkler shop drawings to be provided prior to installation rather than requiring them at plan submittal. Allowing contractors to be named at permit issuance rather with the submittal of plans, also supports efficiency. More jurisdictions now require that general contractors and even subcontractors, be named prior to submittal. This wreaks havoc with the timing of the overall development schedule as often times, bidding and plan approval submissions occur simultaneously. Waiting until a permit is issued to identify contractors can in itself save four to six weeks at a minimum in the project timeline. More and more jurisdictions are evaluating their internal system to identify ways to assist developers in streamlining the approval process for building permits. It’s clearly a step in the right direction that some state agencies, as well as various local municipalities have been confronting and examining approachs to streamlining the permitting process. They are taking developers concerns under advisement and making adjustments to their process which can equate to huge time savings in construction starts. Those who are all too familiar with the intricacies of permitting will no doubt concur: flexibility in the permitting process is extremely helpful in short circuiting the timeline for overall development. SLDT About the author: AnneMarie “Bemmie” Eustace is the director of site development for Interplan LLC. She can be reached at: beustace@interplanorlando.com or 407-645-5008. Visit PaveGreen.com to learn more. Circle 109 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard 40 March 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today http://PaveGreen.com http://PaveGreen.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard
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