Planning & Zoning Dept.

1. Planning & Zoning Dept. Performance Measures January 23, 2010

2. Planning & Zoning Dept. What does the recent recession/downturn mean for the Department? Review workload in 3 areas: • Zoning Permits • Zoning Board of Appeals • Environmental Protection Commission

3. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the official arbiter of recession dating, will not decide on the end-date for the recession until probably next year. The NBER already has set the start date for the current recession in December 2007. (Thus, much of the data shown today will focus on Calendar Year)

4. Planning & Zoning Dept. • Application and meeting workload increased steadily 1996-2005. • Peaks in FY2005 (2005-2006) • 2008 Zoning Permits were at 1997 levels. 2009 lowest in many years. • We project 2010-2011 Zoning Permit, ZBA and EPC application levels generally to be at/below 1997/2008 levels.

5. Zoning Permits • A Zoning Permit is a predecessor of a Building Permit. • It consists of ensuring that the submitted plans are consistent with the P&Z approval, ZBA approval AND all Local zoning regulations. • This can range from a shed; bathroom renovation; or larger projects such as a new commercial building; or a residential teardown. (new software allows us to compare by type) • The amount of review time obviously is related to the scope of work. • The Permits take more time to review, as properties get “maxed out”, and the Town gets “built out”. • Items such as drainage, coverage, and building height were not issues 10 years ago. • Recent increase in amount of non-residential development.

6. Zoning Permits The Number of Permits have as factors: • 1) local variation and national variation (the local and national economy) • 2) seasonal variation (few start foundation work in January or Feb.) • Busiest months: May/June • Slowest months: December/January

7. Zoning Permits ZONING PERMITS BY MONTH 1996-2009 Pre-recession Post-recession

8. Zoning Permits 14 years of data (1996-2009) • August 2008—2nd lowest (7 from lowest) • September 2008—4th lowest (4 from lowest) • October 2008—2nd lowest (3 from lowest) • November 2008--lowest • December 2008--lowest • January 2009—2nd lowest • Feb through July 2009 (6 months)--lowest 37 or less permits in each of these months.

9. Zoning Permits Jan 2010— 26 permits through 1/21 32 likely

10. Zoning Permits

11. Zoning Permits 2009

12. Zoning Permits • Recent focus on establishing and meeting performance measures (ie. Reviewing the permits and acting upon them quicker) • CityView has recently allowed us to analyze review times by permit type. • Quarterly Reports given to BOS for past 1 ½ years reflect this new data.

13. Zoning Permits

14. Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)

15. Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) • Number of Meetings • Number of Applications • Revenues have increased as a result of 2005 & 2008 fee increases. In 2005 & June 2008, RTM increased EPC application fees. Prior to 2005: $35 per application. Now: $105 for “basic maintenance” $160 for map amendment $660 for all other types of activity $980 for construction of a new or replacement residence $100 Site Inspection Fee $250 Public Hearing Fee

16. Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) EPC Meetings by Calendar Year

17. Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) EPC Applications by Calendar Year

18. EPC Revenues

19. SUMMARY Part 1: Reviewed workload in 3 areas: • Zoning Permits • Zoning Board of Appeals • Environmental Protection Commission

20. Planning & Zoning Department Part 2: Short range planning (day-to-day) • Application processing—ZBA, EPC, ARB, PZC-4 boards • Zoning Enforcement • Work at counter with general public + others • Zoning Permit reviews • Inspections/Site Visits“REACTIVE” Long range planning“PROACTIVE” • Reports, studies • CityView and GIS Implementation • Wetland Map Updates • Updating of application and instruction forms • Zoning and Inland Wetland Regulation updates • DEP forms/reports (inland and coastal reporting) • Grant applications • Litigation IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DO BOTH SHORT AND LONG-RANGE PLANNING

21. What is Short range? Examples: • Application processing • Review of applications, staff reports • Work with applicants • Publication of legal notices • Draft Resolutions/Letters to applicants • Computer data entry-CityView • Meeting minutes, agendas • Follow up on conditions of approval • Inspections/site visits • Daily responses to general public—copying, etc. • Web site updating (relatively new/integrating into day-to-day routine)

22. What is Long-range? Examples of Reports/Studies: Staff worked on bulk of the 2006 Town Plan of Conservation & Development in house. Recommendations in 7 content areas: Housing; Transportation; Environment; Land Use… Town Plan required to be updated every 10 years.

23. What is Long-range? Other Examples: • 2007 Darien Parking Study • 2007 Aquifer Protection Agency Regulations • 2007 Report to the Planning and Zoning Commission from the Affordable Housing Subcommittee • 2008 Inclusionary Zoning proposal • 2008 Flooding issues—EPC Stormwater Regulations • 2008-9 Drainage/Stormwater Management Report & Regulations • 2010-11 Route 1 Study w/SWRPA

24. What is Long-range? Other Examples: • Proposed Fee increase proposals brought forth and subsequently adopted—2005, 2008 • Inland Wetlands Map update—completed every 1-1/2 yrs. • Design Guidelines Document worked w/DRI, ARB • Zoning Regulation amendments—1/year or so. • (2009: Inclusionary, Blade Signs, Stormwater; 2010 Flood Regs per DEP) • Press Releases—1/year or so. • DEP Wetland reporting forms. • Downtown issues • HomeCT Grant • FEMA/Flooding Grants • Assisted on original CT Main Street application • Litigation resolution

25. CityView implementation • CityView went “live” in 2006. • We are now well into a multi-year, multi-department implementation. • P&Z Dept. is “Project Manager”

26. CityView implementation Desire to improve the following: • Assessor needs to better track COs and TCOs. • Improved, more efficient financial reporting. • Much better interdepartmental communication--automatic emails. • Easier to prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports. • Improved deadline tracking by the P&Z Dept. • Track action time on Zoning Permits to establish and meet performance measures.

27. GIS implementation New maps include: zone boundaries, wetlands, open space, municipally-owned lands, street addresses, acreage.

28. GIS implementation New drainage maps include: wetlands, street addresses, numbered information to tie existing data to.

29. GIS implementation Important to keep all layers updated. • Lot lines • Sanitary Sewer lines (now being reviewed & updated by DPW) • Storm Sewer/drainage (now being reviewed & updated by DPW) • Wetlands/Watercourses (based upon recently received information—done every year to year and a half) • Town Clerk #’s and new Street Addresses (done as they are changed)

30. SUMMARY P&Z Department staff will continue to focus efforts in both areas: Short range planning (day-to-day) • Application processing—ZBA, EPC, ARB, PZC-4 boards • Zoning Enforcement • Work at counter with general public + others • Zoning Permit reviews • Inspections/Site Visits “REACTIVE” Long range planning“PROACTIVE” • Reports, studies • CityView and GIS Implementation • Updating of application and instruction forms • Zoning, Subdivision, Inland Wetland Regulation updates • DEP forms/reports (inland and coastal reporting) • Grant applications • Litigation IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DO BOTH SHORT AND LONG-RANGE PLANNING

31. SUMMARY • Application and meetings for ZBA and EPC increased steadily 1996-2005, with peaks in FY2005 (2005-2006). • We project that FY09 and FY10 Zoning Permit, ZBA, and EPC application levels generally to be at or below 1996/1997 levels (lowest in past 14+ years). • CityView allows us to track Zoning Permit review times, and compare to Proposed Standards. • Staff continues to work on short and long-range planning work…both are essential.

32. Planning & Zoning Dept. Performance Measures January 23, 2010