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Ahead of the Curve blog series authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov explores trends in municipal management, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. Leading communities are taking on all of these trends and leveraging opportunities to improve services to citizens and productivity.

Trend: Development Review and Approvals

The development review and approvals process is a key part of how local governments manage land use, buildings, infrastructure, transportation and economic development in support of community objectives. These processes are complex, with local government as the centre or ‘hub’ of development approval information needs and expectations, so they require thorough internal and external agency reviews, as well as careful housing and organization of extensive information. Good review and approvals processes must meet the following needs:

• Local government staff need to communicate effectively with each other (between departments and with other nearby jurisdictions) on the application reviews.
• Development applicants need to know what stage their application review is in, and how long it will take to get approval.
• Referral agencies require compliance with regulatory conditions and measures.
• Citizens want to know that community values are retained, well managed and that good decisions are being made.

Accordingly, a land development application must be reviewed for many considerations, each of which requires tracking and documentation. While the specifics of reviews vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the chart shows in more detail the central role of the permitting process in managing requirements.

Previous Ahead of the Curve blog posts Trend 1, Trend 2, Trend 3, Trend 4, Trend 5, Trend 6.

Click to read Ahead of the Curve white paper

Ahead of the Curve blog series authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov explores six major trends in municipal management in the 21st century, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. And leading communities are taking on all of these, and are leveraging benefits through their response to each trend. Read below and comments are welcome. Read trend 1, trend 2, trend 3.

Trend 4: Competition to reduce “red tape” in local governments

Development is a long and costly process. Municipal managers that are clear in setting desired areas for growth, and fast processes for meeting regulations and amenities, are attractive places for the development community. Therefore, there is competition among municipalities to improve application processing efficiency and to reduce the “red tape” factor. At the same time, however, citizens want to ensure public objectives are not ignored through speedy permitting processes.

Leading municipalities are responding by using technology and internal processes to reduce permitting time while ensuring public objectives are achieved. In communities where the public has identified infill and redevelopment as priorities, leaders are also building public support in advance of development applications, making it easier to get approvals for these otherwise difficult and time-consuming projects.

Click here to read Ahead of the Curve white paper