Monday, June 17, 2013 | 3:47 p.m.
Submitting land-use applications and plans for residential and commercial projects in Las Vegas has been made as easy as clicking a button, thanks to a new online system unveiled Monday.
Gone are the days when engineers and architects were forced to hand-deliver oversized reams of paper containing detailed site plans to the city’s Development Services Center, 333. N. Rancho Drive.
Now those plans can be scanned and submitted electronically, saving builders a trip and eliminating the need for paper records that can weigh more than 200 pounds for large commercial developments.
“You know how much I love our city being the first to do anything and being on the cutting edge. Putting our entire zoning process online is a huge step towards making it more convenient for our customers and those seeking to do business with us,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman said during an unveiling ceremony Monday morning.
“By making this service available, we are providing increased customer service and saving so much time, energy and moving projects so much quicker,” she said.
The new system will allow plan submittal for a variety of applications, including special use permits, rezoning requests, variances and site plan reviews.
Before, physical plans were passed around from the Planning Department to Public Works, Fire Prevention, and the Building and Safety Department — all of which must sign off on a project. The new online submittal system, the first of its kind in the state, is expected to cut the time needed to process plans from six business days to three or four.
The changes are part of an ongoing effort by the city to simplify and streamline its development process. The effort started when the city consolidated seven departments into a single location at the Development Services Center in 2011.
Future plans include allowing customers to pull building and fire permits online and pay any associated fees.
Councilman Steve Ross said that while the online submittal system will be a big benefit to developers working on large, complicated commercial project, it will also simplify the process for homeowners wanting to make simple modifications like building a patio cover, a room addition or a carport.
“We’ve come a long way...We are streamlining the way we do business in the city of Las Vegas. Time is money and we want to help save both,” Ross said. “We’re doing that today.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy