DeKalb County is currently in the process of revising its permitting process. The County recognized that its plan review process was limited in scope and extremely time intensive. The county also recognized a need for more consistent interpretations of building codes and filing and record keeping systems. Additionally, the new planning and sustainability initiative seeks to greatly improve customer service levels and departmental communication.
DeKalb has come up with a comprehensive planning and sustainability plan to correct for the aforementioned problems. In the short-term, DeKalb will begin a streamlined permitting process as well as a streamlined planning and zoning review process. The county will also administer a customer service survey to identify key areas where improvements can be made.
Additionally, the use of the DeKalb County Builders Information Exchange (DeCoBIE) should increase communication capacity. To further enhance communications DeKalb will begin issuing newsletters, as well as providing new project EZ-Flow charts. New analyzing metrics will also be created and implemented to provide a more comprehensive review process. To best prepare for the future, the county will also begin development of a digital e-plan submission system.
The Council for Quality Growth has been closely working with members and staff on DeKalb’s new planning and sustainability initiative to ensure the new system is efficient and transparent while for our members and the county citizens. We would like to thank Gary Cornell, Interim Director DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability Dept., Andrew Baker, Associate Director of Planning, and Eric Woods, Building Development Administrator for DeKalb County, as well as our partners at the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce for their hard work on this initiative. We look forward to our continued involvement with this group.