Audit critical of Vista's development review process

By: CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer | Saturday, March 24, 2007 10:54 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- City departments that deal with developers and architects are staffed with qualified personnel who enjoy their jobs, but customer service still suffers due to outdated policies, inadequate staffing, and technological shortcomings, according to a recently completed "performance audit" of Vista's development review process.

The 182-page report by Folsom-based consultant Citygate Associates includes more than 30 recommendations for retooling the process, from hiring additional employees to overhauling the city's "nearly unreadable" development code.

"What the report shows is that although (city staffers) had good intentions and were doing the best they could, we were short manpower and weren't utilizing the tools we have available," Councilman Steve Gronke said. "That's where it fell apart."

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the audit at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 600 Eucalyptus Ave.

At a recent goal-setting workshop, City Council members said that fostering better relations with the development community was a top priority. Last year, the panel brought Citygate on board to see if there was validity to the complaints they had been hearing.

"Were there surprises? No," Gronke said of the consultant's findings. "But opportunities? Definitely."

Working through the system

Citygate's audit encompassed all of the city departments and divisions involved in development review ---- a process that includes everything from routine permitting to code compliance to plan checks.

For large projects, the city's review process typically begins with a pre-development review, where city staffers provide a developer with general information about what permits must be obtained and what regulations apply. The developer then prepares an application for staff review and conducts any special studies that might be required.

City Councilman Bob Campbell said staffers get "an awful lot done with minimal resources," but added that he often hears complaints from developers ---- especially newcomers ---- about unpredictability while working through the city's requirements.

In conducting its evaluation, Citygate conducted an Internet survey and hosted focus groups with architects, contractors and property owners who had been through the city gauntlet. While complimentary of the pre-development reviews ---- not all cities offer them ---- developers complained that applications were almost never deemed complete after the first submission and planners were inconsistent in what they required, the report states.

The paper foundations

Many of the frustrations expressed by customers and city staffers can be traced back to outdated and inconsistent policies, the report states.

"Vista's Development Code is far from being an 'elegant regulation,' " the report states. "It is difficult to read, inconsistent from chapter to chapter, and lacks the graphics to make difficult concepts understandable to the average applicant. When one adds on the state and federal standards, the process can be a mystery to anyone trying to follow the process."

A city development code outlines allowable uses, building standards such as height limits, and development procedures.

Vista's code, the report states, needs a comprehensive rewrite, and the city's general plan ---- Vista's blueprint for growth ---- could use an update as well, the report states.

The state advises cities to revise their general plans every 10 years.

Vista's plan has 10 elements ---- covering topics such as circulation, open space and housing ---- and, according to John Conley, the city's acting community development director, many are out of date. The land-use element, which sets standards for development and population density, was last updated in 1998.

Conley said last week that Vista is already gearing up for a comprehensive revision of the general plan, a process that could take up to two years and cost "anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million."

After that, the city will turn its attention to the development code, he said.

Staffing and technology

Vista should also hire additional staff and make better use of the Internet, e-mail and computer programs, the audit states.

The city's Web site, for example, should display development requirements and allow inspections to be scheduled and fees paid online. Field officers should be equipped with personal computers for remote access to city databases, the report states.

To ensure deadlines are met consistently, the city should consider adding a technician to work the permit counter, a senior planner, a part-time land development engineer, and other staff as needed, the report states.

But all this costs money, and it's not yet clear what the city can afford.

Councilman Bob Campbell said he had already asked the city manager to start pricing all the recommendations in the $92,000 report, which he dubbed "a guidebook for success."

"With the right amount of resources, it's all attainable," Gronke said of the report's suggestions. "Whether the budget is going to allow us to get in all the personnel it recommends, I don't know."

Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 631-6621 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.

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