Willow Glen Resident

News

Business survey could improve San Jose's permitting process

By Eli Segall

Asking permission from the San Jose Planning Department to remove a sick tree seems logical; the tree could splinter, crack the ground and become safety hazard.

Willow Glen resident Brenda Blay learned the hard way that it's not so simple. Last August, her next-door neighbor applied to remove a dying tree from his front yard; one month later, planning director Joe Horwedel denied his request. Blay appealed, as branches were falling onto her property and the roots were cracking her driveway.

The case went before the planning commission in November. City staff said the tree was neither sick nor a safety hazard and recommended upholding the decision. Much to Blay's relief, the commission overturned the ruling.

"We had to go through so much to get that thing removed," said Blay, who paid two arborists hundreds of dollars to assess the tree.

To prevent this aggravation in the future, the planning department recently streamlined its dead-tree removal process. Public hearings are no longer required, and applications can be approved by a planning staff member at a walk-in help desk.

"If it's dead, there shouldn't have to be a public hearing," Horwedel said. "We can do in an hour what used to be a process that took upwards of a month."

Dead tree removal is just one area the planning department hopes to improve. Critics have long described San Jose as a city unfriendly to businesses, and many lay the blame squarely on the planning department. Across the city, business owners tell stories of a lengthy, confusing permitting process and code inspectors who contradict one another.

"Historically San Jose has not been the greatest place [to do business]," said a longtime general contractor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The contractor cited "slow-paced planning department bureaucrats" as the reason for the difficulties. "It has largely to do with their whimsical approach and failure to dig into a situation before rendering a decision."

To learn what business owners want improved, the planning department hired a consultant to survey their experiences with the department. The findings will be presented to the city council at the end of April.

The department also offers help through its Small Business Ambassador program, which gives entrepreneurs a single contact person at the city for questions and guidance, and the Industrial Tool Installation program, which streamlines permit approval for large-scale industrial projects.

"Small business owners need to focus on their business," said planning department spokeswoman Jennifer Garnett, who recommended contacting the department before a lease is even signed to better navigate the permitting process.

The San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce recently presented Horwedel a draft list of 12 ideas on how the city can make it easier to set up a business in San Jose. Chamber president and CEO Pat Dando said Horwedel agreed with most of the proposals.

Ideas included having a faster response time to permit applications and consolidating building inspectors' responsibilities. The Chamber aims to present the list next month to the council's Economic Development Committee.

"This is what you call common sense planning," Dando said. "[Adopting the recommendations] would make a world of a difference in how San Jose does business, and sends a message that we know how to get projects through."

To learn more about the Planning Department and programs for business owners, call 408.535.3555 or visit www.sanjoseca.gov/planning.