Development Review Process Improvement
Zoning Practice — May 2017
By Norman Wright, AICP
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Over the course of decades, the work planners do to review projects and issue approvals has grown in complexity. The negative effect this has on customer experience is becoming more apparent. But inefficient processes not only cause frustration, they also contribute to greater delay and expense in the construction process, and worsen the economic conditions planners seek to remedy.
Every great new policy requires an equally responsive implementation process. A more efficient process for administering zoning ordinances is a relief to frustrated applicants and overburdened planners; it is also a key element of a response to the housing affordability crisis seen in many regions of the country.
This issue of Zoning Practice explains how to increase efficiency and value of development review and approval processes by applying methods developed for improving manufacturing processes.
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About the Author
Norman Wright, AICP
Norman Wright is the Community Development Director at the City of Salem, Oregon. He is a regular contributor to the APA's Zoning Practice magazine and has also been featured with blogs, video series, and articles with Planetizen.com, Practicing Planning, Better! Cities and Towns, and Public Management Magazine. He is also a member of the APA's Foresight Commmittee on Artificial Intelligence.