The days of multiple trips to Boca Raton City Hall for liquor licenses, zoning requests and other approvals will soon be a thing of the past.
Beginning Aug. 1, the city’s planning and zoning department will accept applications and development plans online.
“We’re changing with the times, and we realize we can do things more efficiently,” city spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said. “For residents, architects, land-use attorneys and developers, the move [online] will not only save trips to City Hall, but will enhance communication with the many agencies involved in the review process.”
The planning and zoning department reviews applications for development, redevelopment, rezoning, business zoning, liquor licenses and variances. City departments, including municipal services, fire, police and utilities, each review the plans, as do outside agencies including AT&T, the Lake Worth Drainage District and the Boca Raton Airport Authority.
“There can be as many as 20 people reviewing documents, asking for clarification, making changes and comments,” said Jim Bell, the city’s acting development services deputy director. “You can imagine how important communication is, and how one missing or incomplete document, or a delay by one agency or department, can really prolong the review.”
Benefits of the online format are evident in the city’s building department, which automated the permitting process in 2010, city officials said. Last year, computerizing the process cut the time to run a permit through the department from 60 days to 18 days.
In 2009 and again in 2013, the City Council Action Plan included direction for implementing and funding technology upgrades. Since then, different divisions and departments have become digitized.
“This move to bring the planning and zoning division online is part of a broader effort to increase efficiency, collaboration and document management among city departments, and to support a green initiative,” said Sherilee Fairweather, the city’s business system analyst who managed the project.
As part of the new planning and zoning process, a pre-application meeting will be required so the city can make sure applications are complete before they are submitted online, said Elizabeth Eassa, city planner. In the past, incomplete applications often caused delays.
“Staff will provide a checklist to help customers gather all required plans and documents,” Eassa said.
Completed applications will then be entered into the system and once the project is created, applicants can upload all drawings and documents to the file.
Applicants can also submit files to the city on CDs, and the city will upload the files to the system at no charge. There will be an additional charge, however, if the city has to scan paper documents into the new system. All application fees must be paid in-person.
“This new procedure for electronic plan review and routing will save customers time and money, while improving the overall efficiency of the process,” Gibson said. “By uploading all application documents to the new system, the process can be electronically managed and monitored, will improve accountability and provide transparency for all parties involved.”
Customers and reviewers can then see where the project is in the process, and can mark up the plans online where everyone involved can see the notes, changes or questions. Email notification will be sent with each step of the process.
Greater transparency will translate into fewer delays, Gibson said. That means less staff time being used and fewer tax dollars being spent to pay for it.
“There will be no digging for files — all the information is right there,” Gibson said. “It’s going to be very easy to see what the holdup is. Everyone will know their roles and responsibilities.”
The city will offer public training sessions on using the new system at 2 p.m. July 27, 28 and 29 at City Hall, located at 201 W. Palmetto Park Road. Each session is expected to last about two hours and will include PowerPoint presentations, opportunities for questions and a tutorial on how to upload files.
No reservation is required. For more information about the trainings, call the city’s development services department at 561-393-7789.
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