Overhaul of city permits

Mayor Nutter yesterday announced plans to streamline the city's development permit process, which is often criticized as sluggish and inefficient.

Nutter released a report that outlined ways to improve the process to get permits for things like construction work, plumbing, or street closures. And Nutter said that the city has already made some changes, including reducing processing times for permits.

"We need to ensure that more people can get through the process quickly, predictably and cheaply," Nutter said.

The next big change will be implementing an electronic permit system, with tools to guide developers and citizens, as well as the option to pay online.

The 200-page review of the city process, done with the help of Clinton Rubin Management Consulting, was funded with a $250,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation. The city receives an average of 150,000 building license and permit applications a year, which are handled by seven departments and agencies, Nutter said.

The report says the city's permit process is inefficient, hard to follow and can be confusing. Alan Greenberger, acting deputy mayor for planning and development, said, "The goal is to make the easy projects truly easy. The hard projects are always going to be hard."

Greenberger said that the city is also working to rewrite the zoning code, which he said is also key to making the entire development process more efficient.