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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC 07-14-2026 PresentationsPC 07-14-2026 #2 Study session on Permit Streamlining and Simplification for Small Home Upgrades City Work Program item Presentations PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION CITY OF CUPERTINO FY 25 –FY 27 City Work Program Goal: Permit Streamlining and Simplification for Small Home Upgrades July 14, 2026 FY 25 – FY 27 City Work Program Quality of Life Goal: Permit Streamlining and Simplification for Small Home Upgrades Develop a suite of improvements to (1) improve access to, and (2) speed the processing of permits for small home upgrades to; •Enhance compliance and improve overall efficiency. •Improve turnaround times. •Set Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for staff and outsourced reviewers. •Set customer service Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). •Create templates to reduce back and forth. •Improve internal staff expertise to reduce consulting expenses. What Are Small Home Upgrades? Types of permits/projects that are considered small home upgrades in Cupertino are: •Small additions (<250 sq ft) •Kitchen and bathroom in-place replacements or new or relocated appliances and fixtures •Equipment upgrades including; •EV charging •Heat pump installation •Furnace or water heater replacement •HVAC •Whole house or partial re-pipe Timeline of Activity •March 2025: The City Council approved FY 2025- 2027 City Work Program priority items. •FY 2025: CDD Staff began work on this CWP item. •February 2026: An outreach survey was distributed to 12 local CBO’s, in which we received a 50% response rate. •Today staff is ready to report on findings, progress, receive feedback, and discuss next steps. Benchmarking Methodology Survey responses received from six of twelve outreached Chief Building Officials in cities throughout Santa Clara County focused on the following categories; •Permitting Programs Used and Metric Reporting •Turnaround Times - Expected vs. Actual •Permit and Staffing Volumes •Review Process and Business Support Features •Response Times - Applicant and Staff •Service Level Agreements (SLA) & Key Performance Indicators (KPI) •Efficiency Factors •All peer jurisdictions provide detailed checklists and handouts for small home remodel permits. •Only one peer city publicly reports key performance indicators (KPIs). •Permitting system platforms vary across cities, though three jurisdictions use Accela (Cupertino’s permit programming platform). •The most common causes of repeat submittals are incomplete applications and the applicant’s unfamiliarity with code requirements. •All cities experienced a decline in small home remodel permits between FY23 and FY24. •Cupertino experienced an increase in permit submissions during the same period. Survey Findings Overview Benchmarking Data with Peer Cities: Volume, Staffing, & Review Times City Total Small Home Remodel Permits (FY24-25) Total Full Time Employee Reviewers Consultant Support for the Building Division Actual Avg First Round Review (Days) Cupertino 2144 2 Yes 19 City 2 60 2 No 21 City 3 3115 7 Yes 40 City 4 419 9 Yes 21 City 5 152 5 Yes 30 City 6 179 5 No 20 City 7 737 11 No 20 1908 1941 2302 2324 2828 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Cupertino’s Total Residential Building Permits from 2021 - 2025 Total Building Permits 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Building 7.78 11.72 11.66 10.96 16.9 Planning 11.07 16.85 23.03 24 27.2 Fire 8.27 13.64 14.76 15.56 22.07 Cupertino Sanitary 10.74 16.95 15.015 18.18 19.56 Public Works 9.72 16.25 12.95 15.64 24.23 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Cupertino’s Average Building Permit Turnaround Time (Days) by Division Building Planning Fire Cupertino Sanitary Public Works •Over-the-counter same-day plan review •Options to schedule a pre-submittal meeting to help reduce review cycles for building permit applications •Detailed checklists and handouts •Permitting system guides for navigating permitting programs •Email notification and permit status features •Walk-in counter services •Electronic plan review and submittal •A responsive and reachable staff •Use of Zendesk, a customer service accountability platform Current Available Service Features Exploring AI-supported prescreening and plan review (in coordination with IT) to identify issues earlier Expand staff training and use of Microsoft Copilot to improve efficiency and consistency Develop clear, standardized checklists for all small residential remodel permits Continue to offer instant online permits for common residential projects (e.g., solar, reroof, EV chargers, water heaters) Current Streamlining Efforts Underway Expanding instant permits to additional minor projects (e.g., kitchen/bath remodels, HVAC, heat pumps) Upgrading the online permit portal to improve usability and support all permit types in collaboration with IT Implementing the e-check payment options for permit fees Discussion, Questions, & Next Steps PC 07-14-2026 #3 Review of the Draft Active Transportation Plan and Provide a Recommendation to the City Council. Presentations Active Transportation Plan City Of Cupertino Planning Commission Meeting July 14, 2026 Latest Commission Comments The Draft Project List was presented to the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission and Planning Commission following Phase 2. •Planning Commission –February 10, 2026 •Bicycle Pedestrian Commission –February 18, 2026 Areas of Consensus •Safety should be prioritized for the Vision Zero HIN. •School scoring is overweighted and should be reduced. Recommended Adjustment •Subtract 10 points from Schools and apply 10 to Vizion Zero HIN. Council Direction The Planning Commission and Bicycle Pedestrian Commission recommendations were presented to City Council on April 7, 2026. •After reviewing all Phase 2 materials, Council conducted a straw poll, instructing staff only to rescore projects using the proposed scoring adjustment. •Chapter 7 of the Draft ATP reflects the Council’s direction. •The rankings in Chapter 7 serve only as guidance for future project selection. Project selection will be determined through future Council CIP approval, in consideration of available funding, staffing, resource availability, priorities, among other factors. What’s in the Plan? The work completed in Phases 1 and 2 makes up the Draft Active Transportation Plan. •The Draft Active Transportation Plan incorporates all materials previously reviewed by the City Council, the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, and the Planning Commission. •Its content reflects the direction provided by the City Council to staff throughout the project. Phase 1 Mar – Jun 2025 Policy review Technical analysis Initial outreach Phase 2 Aug – Nov 2025 Phase 3 2026 Draft Plan development Public review Draft network recsAdditional outreachCommission/Council review Draft Plan Comments What we Heard from the Community •Minor clarifications or document presentation edits •Suggestions already considered as part of Phases 1 and 2 •Items outside the ATP scope Draft Plan Revision •Staff added minor language in Chapter 1 to further emphasize youth e-bike safety, supplementing what’s included in Chapter 6 What Comes Next Upcoming Meetings •Bicycle Pedestrian Commission •July 15, 2026 •City Council •September 14, 2026