The City of Santa Monica is moving forward with an initiative that will benefit businesses, home renovators and property owners by providing an updated, streamlined and comprehensive online system to secure building permits.
Following a unanimous 7-0 vote, councilmembers approved a $3.8 million, five-year contract with Speridian Technologies, LLC to adopt and implement the Clariti permitting and land use management system. The new system is expected to be fully implemented in the next 18 months.
It’s no secret that many new businesses opening in Santa Monica have faced permitting problems.
"Santa Monica is pretty difficult to deal with. It got down to the departments that I didn’t think would be an issue and they were more of an issue as it turned out. Minimal things like the trash and stuff like that," Alexander Kallberg, owner of JP’s bar on Wilshire Blvd told the Daily Press, adding, "And anything with Santa Monica takes at least a month. So it was trash and fire alarms and small stuff, but each one of those is like another month at a time, so yeah, it was pretty infuriating.
"So there’s a lot of things that I think could have gone better from the very get-go. But a lot of that has to do with trying to navigate the city of Santa Monica. And it’s tricky because they’re their own jurisdiction," Health Nut CEO Steve Choi said just a few weeks ago.
"We’ve been told multiple times that, ‘I know you’ve been delayed, so has everyone else, but we have 26 other projects ahead of you. And so you just have to wait.’ And because they’re short staffed, we’re at the whim of their schedule of the inspectors that would get assigned to us."
According to the City, the move is a direct result of staff input and an extensive evaluation of the existing permitting system and processes. "Tuesday’s council vote clears the way for the city to invest in an up-to-date, modern and more intuitive permitting system that will guide customers through the permit application process and make the overall review and approval process more efficient for both the public and city staff," the City said in a statement.
"Opening a business can be complicated, so any way we can help to make the process smoother on the city side is a huge win for everyone," Mayor Phil Brock said. "This new system will help us attract businesses to open here and thrive for years to come," he added.
The City currently uses an Accela system to enter, store, and manage permits and other
record types for multiple City departments, including but not limited to, Community Development, Public Works and Rent Control. According to the staff report, the City’s workflows in Accela result in inefficiencies and duplicative data entry, highlighting the need for an integrated, modern solution.
The new system covers permitting processes end-to-end: from application to review to issuance to fee assessment to inspections. The modern platform will enable efficiencies, enhance the applicant experience, and provide a "one-stop shop" for land management, along with the corresponding planning, licensing, permitting and enforcement functions.
"The updates build upon ongoing efforts from the city to make it easier to do business in Santa Monica, including streamlining existing permitting processes and easing zoning requirements downtown," the statement said.
In addition to improving customer experience, the new permitting system will streamline application submittal and permit approval processes and provide intuitive systems that are simpler to navigate via an online portal with a single sign-on user experience.
Moreover, it will reduce manual processes and improve efficiencies through use of increased automation and improve reporting and availability of permitting metrics, such as number and type of permits, for city staff and the public.
Finally, the software offered by Albuquerque-based Speridian — an authorized reseller and implementor of the Clariti system — will also provide reports and dashboards for city staff to better monitor the status of permit processes and improve integration with other city technology systems.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
