In the September 2 issue of the    Greater Baton Rouge Business  Report's Planning Director Frank Duke provided update on the rollout of the FutureBR plan.

"Of the plan's 577 action items, only 85 were considered "not initiated" as of May 2015. On the other hand, only 25 were listed as "implemented" or "complete," while 84 are classified as  "institutional," meaning they are ongoing by nature as part of the lead agency's mission. ...

"I don't think anyone cares about how many action statements we accomplish," he says. "What people care about is, are we making progress toward achieving the kind of community that FuturEBR envisions?" "

Read the full article here.

Photo and story courtesy of Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.

As the Growth Coalition reported in past newsletters, the City-Parish sought to supplement its permitting workforce by soliciting proposals from private third-party reviewers. The City-Parish received only three proposals which have recently been rejected. Two of the contractors requested a retainer to provide the services to the permit office.

Having abandoned contracting directly with third parties, the City-Parish has agreed to create an expedited review process. Upon submission by a qualified third-party, there will be an expedited plan review. The City Parish has agreed to complete the plan review within seven business days for a single family residential projects and 21 business days for a commercial project. Responses to review comments will be addressed in three business days for both commercial and residential projects. The City-Parish is considering an up charge for access to this process. The initial suggestion has been a plan review fee of two times the current rate to access to expedited review. This is currently under review.

Applicants electing to utilize this service may select any third party provider from the state approved list found at https:lasfm.louisiana.gov/searchlsuccc.aspx. Upon completion of the technical code review by the third party provider, the applicant shall provide the Permit & Inspection Division with a digital copy of the approved plans along with a signed statement from the third party provider stating that the plans for the proposed work are compliant with all applicable state-mandated building codes. 

The Baton Rouge Growth Coalition has continued to work with the City-Parish on this issue. If you have any questions or comments please contact Larry Bankston.