Processing Action Team/Permitting Review

Site Plan Process Task Force

Minutes of Meeting of December 12, 2006

 

Present:

 

  • Bill Gordy, Facilitator
  • Matthew Drew, AWB Engineers
  • David Bates, Vista Design Group, Inc.
  • Brock Parker, Parker and Associates
  • Dale Pusey, Supervisory Civil Engineer, City of Salisbury
  • Henry Hanna, Long and Foster
  • John Redden, Wicomico County Public Works

 

Meeting Discussion Points:

 

Bill Gordy made opening remarks.  He said from the emails he had received regarding the last meeting, he felt that there was a general consensus that it was time to make the team’s recommendations.   Brock added that the recommendations need to be agreed on by the whole group and then presented to the Mayor.

 

PAT Recommendation #1- Fill new staff positions as soon as possible.  Effective immediately.

 

PAT Recommendation #2- Establish a form of electronic communication to communicate policy and procedural changes or concerns from Public Works, including a timeline to implement the change, and way for consultants who are already in the middle of a project to apply for a 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.  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 and 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.

 

PAT Recommendation #5- Allow for issuance of grading permit without a recorded subdivision plat.  This will need a change in City Ordinance.

 

PAT Recommendation #6- Salisbury Public Works will provide an updated checklist for plan submittal (should be the same as used in the plan review process), which may be used as rejection guidelines. 

 

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.  Limit design review scope by Salisbury Public Works to public utilities, right-of-ways, and stormwater management. 

 

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

 

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 9, 2007 at 4:00 in Room 305.