How do expedited permitting and review policies work?

Complicated and lengthy approval processes extend development time, tying up developers' capital and resulting in a mounting price tag for project-related soft costs, such as architect and legal fees, insurance payments and property taxes incurred during the development period. The fees associated with obtaining development approvals and building permits further increase costs, driving up the price of the finished product and making affordable homes more difficult to deliver.

There are two main ways in which expedited permitting and review policies help increase the supply of homes and apartments that are affordable to working families. The first is by expediting and simplifying the permitting and review processes applicable to all homes and apartments. By reducing development costs and allowing the market to work more efficiently, these steps help to make all homes and apartments more affordable -- including those targeted to working families. The second approach is to develop specific procedures for expediting the approvals process, and often reducing the fees, for homes and apartments targeted to working families.

Click on the links below to learn about various strategies for expediting the permitting and review processes: Streamline the approvals process for new development and rehab By identifying and resolving inefficiencies in local permitting and review processes, communities can significantly shorten the amount of time needed to process applications, enabling developers to deliver homes more quickly and at a lower cost. Improve the speed and consistency of local review processes Efforts to improve training and coordination among reviewers and to ease administrative workloads can help avoid unnecessary delays and keep new development on track and on budget. Revise zoning ordinances to minimize the need for individual variances By thinking ahead about the type of development desired in each location and providing for that development to be built "as of right," communities can substantially streamline the approvals process and stimulate production of more affordable homes. Facilitate the approvals process for developers of affordable homes Affordable homes are often built on a tight budget, and unexpected costs or lengthy delays can drain available resources and even affect project feasibility. Recognizing these constraints, some communities give priority consideration to applications submitted by developers of affordable homes. Click here to view other resources on expedited permitting.