Published January 2003

Model Permit System good for business, county

Looking at the business landscape of Snohomish County as we greet the new year, I see an economy in transition. I also see important work being accomplished to lay the foundation for a re-emergence of business expansion and job creation in Snohomish County.

People with different interests and occupations, some who previously were at loggerheads on how to face growth issues, have joined to create solutions necessary for us to achieve a strong and vibrant economic force.

An important and significant cornerstone in this effort occurred last month with the release of the Model Permit System. This new document recommends efficiencies and time lines intended to promote timeliness and predictability in the local land-use permit review process involving large, complex commercial and industrial projects.

The Snohomish County Economic Development Council has recognized that an efficient permit process is one of the best economic development tools available to local governments. That’s because most businesses, at some point, must apply for land-use permits to build, expand or change their physical structures.

New businesses or those relocating here will find a changing attitude within local government — one that promotes a more “business friendly” experience in the land-use permit system.

For communities, business expansion brings living-wage jobs, tax-base expansion and enhancements to their quality of life. For local government, the benefits lie in more effective and efficient ways of using tax dollars, particularly during these tough economic times. For neighborhoods, it means having the opportunity to convey their vision to the development community.

The EDC began work in late 2001 to determine where efficiencies and time savings could be achieved in current local permitting systems while maintaining legitimate and effective regulations and controls necessary to maintain the highest environmental and safety standards in the building process. Additionally, we envisioned a strong customer-service approach to permitting that works from both sides of the counter.

We formed the EDC Permit Streamlining Committee, a collaborative public-private endeavor, to create the Model Permit System. Co-chairs Paul Roberts, director of planning and community development for the city of Everett, and Doug Burns, associate director of facilities and environmental health and safety at ICOS Corp., led the committee’s 12-month endeavor.

A key question posed by the committee during the development of the Model Permit System was: “What can or should an applicant and a jurisdiction do to make each stage of the permit process as efficient and effective as possible?” The result was creation of a Model Permit System that is available to all permitting jurisdictions in and out of Snohomish County.

Taken as a whole, the Model Permit System has the potential for reducing the permit application process that in some instances has taken up to three years to complete. It urges both jurisdictions and applicants to encourage and reward problem-solving attitudes, approach permitting with a good attitude and designate single points of contact.

At this point, the cities of Mountlake Terrace and Sultan have agreed to “pilot” the Model Permit System, with others expressing an interest. The experiences of each pilot jurisdiction will form the basis of any revisions to the model and ease the implementation process for other interested jurisdictions. Though not a designated pilot jurisdiction, we look forward to working very closely with the Snohomish County Government that is currently working with a private consultant to enhance its permitting process.

Our hope is that by the end of 2003, Snohomish County will be recognized as having communities with a new efficient, fair and effective permitting process that benefits business, local government and citizens.

Deborah Knutson is president of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. She can be reached at 425-743-4567 or by e-mail to dknutson@snoedc.org.

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