Woodside embraces plan to improve Engineering Division Woodside embraces plan to improve Engineering Division (August 10, 2005)

** The division reviews building plans, from retaining walls to new homes.

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Considering the amount of time Woodsiders spend complaining about how hard it is to get permits to build anything in town, it's surprising that only one person showed up at a recent Woodside Town Council meeting to comment. The topic of the night: recommendations for how to improve the town's building-review process.

The report by consultants Management Partners Inc. of San Jose focused on the Engineering Division headed by Kent Dewell, where plans for everything from retaining walls to new homes must pass muster before permits can be issued.

The carefully worded report, presented at the July 26 meeting, acknowledged that overall, Woodside's Planning and Building Department is working well. The report found more significant issues in the department's Engineering Division and included 16 recommendations for making improvements. A key recommendation is the addition of a new full-time engineer to town staff, which could be funded by increasing fees.

Town Council members were uniformly pleased with the report, and directed Town Manager Susan George to get started implementing the recommendations on a 5-0 vote with Deborah Gordon and Joe Putnam absent.
Complaints

Contractors, architects and other frequent users interviewed about Woodside's building permit process for the report complained that the town requires overly detailed information and takes too much time to check the plans.

Management Partners found the average engineering review took 41 days, compared to 21 to 30 days in other cities.

This is not entirely the Engineering Division's fault, said Gerald Newfarmer, president of Management Partners. Woodside's difficult terrain, lack of storm drain and sewer systems, and the sheer size and scope of the elaborate custom homes being built make the review process difficult and time-consuming, Mr. Newfarmer said.

"It's not your ordinary cookie-cutter type of situation that you have out in suburbia," he said.

Woodside engineers would be doing well if they could average half the number of plan reviews per day that other municipalities do, he added.

Woodside has no engineer solely dedicated to development review, and should hire one, he said. The two engineers on staff have many other duties, including overseeing road and drainage work, maintaining trails, and a host of clerical tasks.

"There aren't enough staff hours in the engineering department to do the work well," Mr. Newfarmer said.

The town should stop subsidizing the Planning and Building Department and revise fees so that the department pays for itself, he said. By raising fees 11 percent, the town could afford additional staffing and needed improvements, such as new computers and a software system to track projects and handle billing, he said.

A number of other problems were cited in the report, including: professionals unfamiliar with Woodside's regulations, poorly prepared or incomplete plans, demanding property owners, and outright fraud by applicants.

However, town engineers need to improve their communication skills, better organize their comments on plans and better educate applicants about the development review process, Mr. Newfarmer said.

He recommended creating a detailed application checklist, such as the one used by the city of San Jose, and using a standard format for review comments.

He also recommended copying property owners on all comments and conditions given to their contractors or agents. This will prevent contractors from blaming town staff for delays caused by their own failure to submit complete plans and respond to staff requests, he said.

The town should set timelines for reviews and standards for customer service, and measure employee performance against them, Mr. Newfarmer said.

"I'd be a very rich woman if I had a nickel for every complaint I ever heard about the planning process," said Anne Kasten, a member of the town's Architectural and Site Review Board.

Ms. Kasten said she was pleased the town commissioned the report, as it gives Woodside an opportunity to make a "really good department even better," but that she was concerned that she was the only person commenting on the subject at the Town Council meeting.
COUNCIL ACTIONS

The Woodside Town Council directed the staff to take these actions: ** Hire an engineer solely dedicated to development review. ** Raise fees 11 percent so the Planning and Building Department and its Engineering Division pay for themselves. ** Improve communication with applicants by organizing comments, providing detailed checklists and copying property owners on all correspondence.

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