Processing Action Team/Permitting Review

Site Plan Process Task Force

Minutes of Meeting of January 9, 2007

 

Present:

 

  • Bill Gordy, Facilitator
  • Matthew Drew, AWB Engineers
  • John Jacobs, Director, Salisbury Public Works
  • Brock Parker, Parker and Associates
  • Dale Pusey, Supervisory Civil Engineer, City of Salisbury
  • Henry Hanna, Long and Foster
  • John Redden, Wicomico County Public Works
  • Chip Messick, Deputy Director, Salisbury Public Works
  • Greg Muth, The Shelter Group

 

Meeting Discussion Points:

 

Bill Gordy made opening remarks.  This meeting will be a time to go through the recommendations created at the last meeting to make sure everyone agrees, and the wording is clear.  He would also like to create a timeline for each recommendation, along with who will be implementing the recommendation.

 

PAT Recommendation #1- Fill vacant staff positions as soon as possible.  Effective immediately.  The task force recommends increasing the minimum pay grade for the vacant positions, to be more competitive with local consultants.  Additional funding for advertising Public Works vacancies is recommended.  Public Works will research starting an internship program to decrease workload.

 

PAT Recommendation #2-

 

a.   Establish electronic document, and post on City of Salisbury’s website to communicate policy and procedural changes or concerns from Public Works, including a timeline to implement the change.  Public Works will send an email to inform consultants when a change has occurred.  The email will include a brief explanation of the change along with a link to the City’s website, where further information can be found.  Effective immediately.

 

b.   Consultants who are already in the middle of a project when a policy change occurs, who wish to apply for a waiver, should submit a letter to Public Works requesting the waiver.  Effective immediately.

 

PAT Recommendation #3- Outsource design review.  Develop guidelines that will qualify what work will be outsourced.  Determine who qualifies as an outsource vendor by pre-qualification, review must be unbiased.  All agree that the outsource vendor must be someone outside the City of Salisbury.  Set terms and conditions that apply to the selected outsource vendor’s performance. 

 

Establish system to pay for additional review fees for 3rd party review services. 

 

Set and maintain timeframe for Salisbury Public Works plan review.  Set by size of development, reviewer should make it clear to the consultant at submittal the review timeframe that applies.  Public Works should give the developer/ consultant the choice of paying an additional fee for 3rd party review based on Public Works review backlog.

 

PAT Recommendation #4- Establish mandatory concept design submittal, followed by a review meeting with the City, the design consultant, and the owner to discuss the feasibility of the development proposal, identify any significant issues and concerns the proposal will need to address, specific site plan submittal requirements, and technical studies required. 

 

From concept design review, Public Works issues a design criteria summary letter that addresses all significant design requirements.  All parties agree that final designs that meet these requirements will be approved. 

 

Make submittal of concept design a required step in the Planning & Zoning review process.  Include Public Works comments and design criteria in staff report to Planning & Zoning.  Public Works will discuss this with Planning and Zoning (Jack Lennox and Gloria Smith) before the next meeting.

 

PAT Recommendation #5- Allow for issuance of grading permit without a recorded subdivision plat.  This will need a change in City Ordinance.  Public Works will discuss this recommendation internally, before the next meeting.

 

PAT Recommendation #6- Salisbury Public Works will provide updated checklists for initial plan submittal.  One checklist should be general guidelines, and be used by Public Works for plan rejection.  A second checklist will be created as a detailed guideline to be used in the consultants review (should be the same as used in the Public Works plan review process). 

 

Allow Public Works the option of pseudo-reject drawings by reviewing full submittals as a “concept review”.  Instead of a full review, allow the drawings to be sent back to the consultant to rectify major design issues prior to Public Works fully reviewing the drawings.

 

PAT Recommendation #7- Upgrade Salisbury Public Works design standards to match current Public Works practices and policies.  Hold a workshop for City reviewers and consultants together to review/learn what these new design policies and preferences. 

 

PAT Recommendation #8- Plan comments should be divided into two sections, one for the developer and one for the consultant, and accompanied by a brief red-lined plan indicating examples of the comment change or modification required.  Comments should be clear and specific to the mistakes made, generalized and vague comments should not be permitted.

 

Consultants will circle or otherwise highlight changes made in response to Public Works comments.  Circles or highlights are to be removed on final plan submittal.

 

 

At the next meeting the team will finalize these recommendations with John Jacobs, before presenting them to the Mayor.  The next meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 4:00 in Room 305.