Dallas’ Development Services Department (DSD) continued its Lunch and Learn training series recently with a second introduction to the engineering division’s review and approval process.
DSD Engineering Program Administrators Thuc Pham (paving/drainage) and Linda Valez (water/wastewater) led the two-hour training session, which covered the process of reviewing and approving development permits for various engineering projects.
This training session, which was a continuation of a previous Lunch and Learn event reported by The Dallas Express, covered the different engineering division requirements needed for efficient plan submittal, review, and approval for water/wastewater and paving/drainage projects.
According to Valez, one of the biggest holdups to plan submittal comes from clients failing to complete required drafting standards or design checklists properly.
Valez says, for example, “Easements and agreements by separate instrument must be recorded prior to any plat and permit release.“
It is the developer’s and engineer’s responsibility to plan and manage the project’s schedule accordingly. Failure to do so, according to Valez, can lead to repeated customer revisions, slow permit approval, and extended construction delays.
Valez also noted in her presentation that a construction permit cannot be issued until all field notes are recorded, and recording info is labeled on the development plans.
Construction delays and slow permit approvals are common issues in Dallas, which DSD has been struggling to address for several years now
While DSD has made some progress in removing construction barriers and reducing development timelines, the development community continues to report burdensome delays, leaving a black eye on the department and City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
When it comes to the paving/drainage portion of development, Pham says its importance is often overlooked.
“Nothing the City of Dallas does is designed to hurt the community or burden the customer,” Pham claimed.
“When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston several years back, the city was caught off guard and had to quickly find a solution to address the record flooding. We want to avoid such scenarios in Dallas,” Pham asserted. “That starts with completing all the steps and meeting all the requirements of the submittal process.”
According to the Lunch and Learn presentation, DSD’s engineering division takes an average of 48 business days to complete a first-round review for paving/drainage, more than triple DSD’s recommended 15-day timeline.
Subsequent reviews average about 30 business days, 20 days longer than DSD’s goal of 10 business days.
