Planning Commission learns of wireless processing revision plans

The county’s Planning Commission heard a report about the business process re-engineering plans for wireless communications facilities being prepared by the county’s Department of Planning and Land Use.

Department of Planning and Land Use deputy director Eric Gibson presented the report to the Planning Commission February 9. Gibson noted that approximately 300 applications for wireless facilities are being handled by DPLU. “This represents over 25 percent of all the pending permits we have within the department,” he said.

Gibson noted that he expected the process to be implemented by June 2007. “What that work plan includes is creating a dedicated review team who all report to a single manager,” he said.

That manager will initially be Alyssa Maxson.

The new process will include standards and an applicant guide. “Applicants are very committed to the sites they walk in with,” Gibson said. “This can integrate those concerns into their site selection process.”

The new process will also create boilerplate documents, since approximately 80 percent of a permit document is the same for all wireless sites. Maxson expects the documents to be ready by mid-March and the guidelines to be available shortly thereafter.

The goal of the re-engineering is to reduce the California Environmental Quality Act processing time for applicants and also to reduce staff time for processing by 50 percent while maintaining or increasing the quality of review. Gibson notes that reduction of staff processing time on wireless projects will free up DPLU staff for other applications. “All projects within DPLU will benefit,” he said.

Gibson told the Planning Commission that they would likely see an increased volume of permit requests due to the expedited process. Depending on the zoning of the location proposed for the facility, each wireless communications facility requires a site plan, a minor use permit, or a major use permit. The Planning Commission hears all requests for a major use permit, and while the county’s Zoning Administrator presides over a hearing for a minor use permit that decision can be appealed to the Planning Commission.

The changes to the processing of wireless communication facilities are procedural and do not alter any ordinance or Board of Supervisors policy, so Board of Supervisors approval is not required for the process changes.