8.8.24 – Dallas Express – Sydney Asher – Staff Writer
The City of Dallas will update its expedited zoning permitting process by offering an alternate plan review service.
The service, known as Q-Team, allows applicants to pay a fee for a personalized and expedited plan review with relevant stakeholders, including experts in zoning, building codes, landscaping, fire safety, and more.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Development Services Department has been criticized for its permitting backlogs, lengthy turnaround times, and various inefficiencies under former City Manager T.C. Broadnax. It was recently merged with the Planning and Urban Design Department to form the Planning and Development Department.
The Q-Team is currently divided into two teams with different submittal requirements based on square footage.
In a memorandum presented to the Economic Development Committee, Robin Bentley, assistant city manager, said that the two Q-Teams would be merged.
“The new process will consolidate Q-Team 2 with the main Q-Team to ensure all projects are submitted through a single team,” per the memorandum. “This will eliminate redundancy and promote a more unified approach to commercial project management.”
The current Q-Team process requires projects to have a minimum of 10,000 square feet to be eligible. However, the new process will remove the requirement for minimum square footage.
In an effort to expedite the submission process to the Q-Team, applicants will only be required to have one round of engineering review completed by the time of submission. Previously, applicants would have been required to have full engineering approval to submit their permits to the Q-Team.
The current process does not allow the Q-Team to review and approve submitted permits on the same day. The new plan will scrap this rule to mitigate the waiting process.
“The Q-Team process has generally been well-regarded and efficient; however, changes over the past few years have resulted in decreased customer satisfaction,” wrote Bentley.
Developers have frequently complained about the lengthy response time from the Q-Team.
Currently, inactive permit applications stay active in the Q-Team system indefinitely. Under the new plan, inactive permits will be voided if no building permit is issued within 180 days of application.
Additionally, incomplete applications will expire 45 days after they are filed. These new measures aim to clear the backlog and allow the Q-Team to work more efficiently.
Currently, applicants are not required to submit fees until after the Q-Team review. As such, the Q-Team has had issues collecting the fees after the reviews are finished.
“The new process will update the fee collection process to require the base plan review fee, intake fee, and the first hour of the Q-Team review time to be paid prior to the meeting,” per the memorandum.
“These changes are intended to streamline our processes, improve efficiency, and ensure we continue to provide exceptional service to our stakeholders,” wrote Bentley. “The changes are designed to allow more commercial developments to experience this premier service.”