Beginning Monday, June 3, the Planning & Community Development (PCD) Department is changing its walk-in counter hours and extending appointment service hours to better serve the community and our customers.
PCD has developed an appointment-based approach to reduce waiting in line and to ensure an efficient process. People can now schedule an appointment online to meet with staff at City Hall 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday to submit a land use or building permit application. Previously, this service was limited and PCD was closed for public business on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
In addition, the walk-in counter will be open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday-Friday to discuss a project with a permit specialist, planner or building representative or get answers to general questions about planning and development services. People can still submit permits during this time but are encouraged to make an appointment.
The expanded hours will include:
- Walk-in customers
- 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Appointments
- Building Permits
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.; 1-3 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Land Use
- 1-3 p.m. Tuesday
- 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday
- Consultation
- 8:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday
These expanded appointment hours will increase weekly land use application appointments from six to nine. Weekly building permit application appointments will increase from 21 to 35. These changes allow PCD to be timelier and more responsive during the peak construction season.
The new hours also will improve staff capacity to respond to email and phone inquiries. We understand that PCD's response to all types of inquiries needs to be timely. In our current counter schedule, staff is challenged to find downtime to return questions that arrive via phone or email. Now, we expect to be able to provide a better level of service across the board.
Future Improvements
PCD will continue to be closed for process improvements on the second Thursday of each month to allow new customer service initiatives to be developed and implemented. Future improvements include:
- Transition to a fully electronic permitting process.
- Collaboration among planning, building and public works staff to improve the combined review of project applications.
We hope these changes will improve your experience at the planning and building counters. We remain committed to providing professional and thorough service that is responsive to the needs of our community.
If you have any questions about the new hours, please contact Interim PCD Director Heather Wright: hwright@bainbridgewa.gov
