By Sacramento City Express<\/p>\n
Streamline Sacramento is accelerating housing and economic development one year after its launch, with a recap of major actions presented\u00a0Feb. 24 to the City Council<\/a>\u00a0as part of the Streamline Sacramento 2025 update.<\/p>\n Streamline Sacramento\u00a0<\/a>, spearheaded by Mayor Kevin McCarty and Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, identifies improvements to the City\u2019s development approval process to increase housing and economic activity.<\/p>\n \u201cTo balance our budget long-term, we must grow our economy to increase revenue,\u201d said Mayor Kevin McCarty. \u201cWith our Streamline Sacramento initiative, we are cutting red tape and making it easier to do business in the City \u2014 from housing to hotels to entertainment districts. While we cannot control interest rates, inflation, or the cost of labor and materials, we can control the process and certainty. These are common sense reforms that make our permitting process more transparent and user friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n The initiative is led by the Community Development Department\u2019s (CDD) Building Division and has been a customer-driven, cross-departmental effort focusing on all aspects of the building permit process.<\/p>\n This includes submittal of building permit applications, plan review, issuance of building permits, inspections, and final sign off to allow projects.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past year we\u2019ve spent time listening to builders, developers and small businesses about their ideas to speed-up approvals and reduce costs,\u201d said CDD Assistant Director Matt Hertel. \u201cThis has resulted in nearly 40 actions, with 72% of them being completed in the first year of Streamline Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n Key impacts<\/a>\u00a0in the first year included shorter approval timelines, lower development costs, easier business openings and expansions, and improved customer service. Significant actions included:<\/p>\n Creating the\u00a0Small Business Liaison Program<\/a>: providing personalized guidance from the City\u2019s Building Division for restaurants and other small businesses navigating the permitting process, including development of a comprehensive webpage providing detailed guidance and the launch of the Permitting 101 classes.<\/p>\n Increasing in-person Public Counter access: to enhance the customer experience, the City\u2019s Public Counter increased their in-person hours to five days a week for those who need assistance, while still maintaining a 24\/7 online portal.<\/p>\n Implementing virtual inspections:\u00a0Launched a new application for minor permits that allows real-time virtual inspections, reducing travel time, increasing daily inspections and giving customers flexible scheduling options. Inspectors can also focus more time on complex projects, helping move development forward more quickly.<\/p>\n The City has established itself as a statewide leader in housing production, being the first in the State to earn the\u00a0Prohousing Designation<\/a>\u00a0from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Through the Streamline Sacramento initiative, the City has demonstrated its commitment to economic and housing vitality and will continue advancing and refining the development process through ongoing collaboration and improvement efforts.<\/p>\n A full list of improvements is available on the\u00a0Streamline Sacramento webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n