The city of Albuquerque's Planning Department on Wednesday announced a new express permitting system and third-party plan review, which will "streamline the construction plan review process and issue permits faster," according to a news release.
The express permitting system is only for select residential projects, beginning with reroofing and followed by roof-mounted solar installations, window replacements, minor alterations and water heater replacements starting Oct. 15. These projects will receive same-day approval, the news release said.
The second option allows businesses to opt for a privately contracted third-party review agency to review their construction plan documents instead of the city.
The option came highly requested by the development community, prompting the planning department to conduct a one-year pilot project to "ensure accuracy and safety," the release said.
The city is currently accepting applications from third-party agencies and will compile a list of vetted agencies from which applicants have the option to choose.
Planning Department spokesperson Tim Walsh said he imagines the fees charged by the third-party agencies may be more than what the city charges, but the benefit is a guaranteed deadline.
"They actually have specific deadlines built for their contracts," Walsh said. "Compared to the city, while we try to be as efficient as possible, we can't guarantee specific turnaround times."
The agency that the city completed the pilot with demonstrated a five-day turnaround for residential reviews and a 10-day turnaround for commercial reviews, which "is faster than the city," Walsh said.
The third-party review only covers the building code compliance portion of the process. The city will continue overseeing all other required approvals, including zoning, fire, transportation and hydrology, but the option could "speed up the process for projects that have complicated construction plans," the release said.
Adam Silverman, a local developer and president of the commercial real estate organization NAIOP New Mexico, said the new review option is a positive one.
"This is the right direction to move our city's planning process into the 21st century," Silverman said. "We're definitely seeing some improvements since they've made some changes, but we're not 100% there yet."
Silverman would like to see artificial intelligence and more predictability implemented into the city's permitting process in the coming years. He also said he understands change takes time and believes developers working with the city to improve the process will be key moving forward.
"We're making good strides," Silverman said.
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