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staff adequate review time to identify any “deal breaker issues,” as well as potential
design and regulatory concerns.
Subsequent DRC meetings are only conducted when a project is required to undergo
substantial revision/redesign. In addition, agendas are typically prepared for DRC
meetings and are distributed in advance of the meeting. If the Division desires to
inform DRC members about new projects that will be reviewed in future meetings,
they can add a heading to the agenda to alert members of upcoming reviews.
142.
Recommendation:
Eliminate the practice of scheduling a project for
DRC for introduction and only schedule new projects for a single DRC
meeting within 2 weeks from submittal on or after the close of the 14-day
review period.
143.
Recommendation:
Create and distribute a structured agenda for
DRC that lists projects to be discussed and a summary of the meeting
protocol (e.g., Senior Planner will chair, assigned project planner will
introduce and lead discussion, participants will attend and be prepared, etc.)
and email to scheduled applicants and post it on the Department web pages.
144.
Recommendation:
The CDD should create an annual “DRC
Schedule,” which outlines the dates that the DRC meetings are scheduled
and post it on the Department web page.
We also noted that application materials are routed either electronically or in paper
format to DRC members depending on the complexity of the plans. Once TRAKiT is
launched all applications materials should be routed electronically through the
TRAKiT system to expedite the review process and reduce associated labor.
145.
Recommendation:
Use the TRAKiT system to route DRC materials
to participants.
Currently, Planning Commission, Council and Director-level Administratively
Approved applications are required to be reviewed in a DRC meeting. We believe that
Director-level approved applications should be excluded from the formal DRC
meeting process, except in an unusual case, because they are routine by nature. In best
practice communities, we often find that only the more complex projects are taken
through DRC to facilitate streamlining objectives.
See our above recommendation to exclude Director Administrative Approvals from
the formal DRC meeting process.