OKC finds new ways to be developer-friendly

Oklahoma City has always been an easy place to do business. For developers and construction companies, Oklahoma City just got a little friendlier.

What used to take months to get review and approvals for drainage, paving, fire system, sewer and water plans now will take less time with the city of Oklahoma City’s new streamlined technical review process for permit applications required at the start of a renovation or construction process.

Before June 1 when the city adopted the new system, developers would hand-deliver their plans to public works. The developer didn’t know where the plans went from there, who reviewed them or how close they were to approval. Now, developers submit their application through the online portal. The system shows them the status, which department is reviewing and when they have all the approvals. Changes to the plans can be handled online as well. During a time of COVID-19, this new electronic process cuts down on trips to the city and in-person interactions.

Meanwhile, on the city side, the technology streamlines the process among six different departments and prompts city engineers and officials for review. Multiple departments can review simultaneously and see when other dependencies have been met, reducing paperwork shuffled between departments, delays and redundancies.

Read more at The Journal Record