National Planning Trends
MAKEOVER OF PLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
PATRICK W. LEARY
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
SALT LAKE COUNTY
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 My Background
 20 years of local government experience
 Background in organizational culture
 Responsible for Oversight of Human Resources,
Information Technology, Facilities Management,
etc.
 2008 Organizational Review of County Planning &
Development
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Purpose of the Day
 To share observations from an outsider’s view
about planning and development operations
 To explore challenges/trends in planning agencies
throughout the USA
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Salt Lake County
 Population - 1,000,000 people in valley
 740 Square Miles
 Population - 150,000 in Unincorporated Salt Lake
County
 16 Cities
 6 Townships
 17 Community Councils
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Salt Lake County Findings
 Lack of vision
 Little teamwork across sections of Office
 Lack of intra-agency cooperation
 Lack of communication
 Lack of effective customer service
 Professionalism
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 What did I find? Not Uncommon to see Makeovers
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Clark County, Washington 2000
Minneapolis, Minnesota 2003
Seattle, Washington 2003
Denver, Colorado July, 2004
City of Sacramento, California 2005
Liberty, Kansas February 4, 2005
Boulder, Colorado 2007
City of Modesto, California January 5, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah April 4, 2008
Sacramento County, California May 2, 2008
Salt Lake County, Utah January 27, 2009
San Antonio, Texas July, 2009
San Clemente, California February 4, 2010
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Challenges & Trends
 Adding Value to Customers
 Marriage of Organizational Cultures
 Use (or lack) of Technology
 Ordinances & Processes
 Planning, Development Services & Community &
Economic Development
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Adding Value to Customer
 Defining who customers are
 Changing mindset about “customer service”
 Salt Lake County
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Managing Organizational Cultures & Change
 Clash of the Titans – the uncomfortable marriage
of Planning & Development Services Cultures
 Opportunities for Collaboration
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Use of (or, “lack” of use of) Technology
 Access to Records
 Digital Media
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
 Historical Data
 Mobile Offices/Mobile Communication
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Ordinances & Processes
 “Updating our ordinances?! Are you crazy?!”
 Understanding our own Processes
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Planning & Development Services (And
Economic Development?)
 Philadelphia
 Salt Lake County
Profile
(political)
Personal
Possibility
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Not All Doom & Gloom
 American Institute of Architects 2003 Report on
Denver’s Development Review Process
 49 examples of progressive efforts around the
Nation
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Plan Review
Permit Processes
Inspections
Communication/Technology
Inside the Halls of Government
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 Summary & Conclusions
 Pressures facing Planning agencies similar across
the Country
 Agencies that can scan the larger environment,
can anticipate and plan for changes coming their
way & create continuous learning practices
 Use of technology will alter business practices, but
customer service will continue to be the single
greatest challenge & opportunity
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
 What is Possible for your Agency?
 The future of Planning & Development Services
Agencies is not a place to get to, but rather a place
you have the power to create
 What will you create?
Makeover of Planning &
Development Agencies
“In the beginner’s mind, there are many
possibilities; in the expert’s mind,
there are few.”
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Priest
National Planning Trends
MAKEOVER OF PLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
PATRICK W. LEARY
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
SALT LAKE COUNTY