Santa Barbara County Planning and Development

Process Improvement

For the past several years, Planning & Development staff has been collaborating with the community to make the development review process more efficient and the department more customer service oriented. In May 2005, the Board of Supervisors directed that P&D work with an Oversight Committee to “make the process easier to navigate and more time-efficient and cost-effective, while maintaining the quality of development in the County.” Staff has been working with a 25-person Oversight Committee that is comprised of community volunteers, P&D staff, and Board of Supervisors’ assistants familiar with the County’s permit process. Staff and the Oversight Committee identified five priorities that were endorsed by the Board in May 2005:

Agricultural Permits - Streamline the process for typical agricultural activities and projects.

Appeals - Clarify the County's appeal process.

Customer Service - Improve customer service provided by P&D staff.

Ministerial Permits - Streamline this process, especially for single family homes.

Zoning Ordinance Reformat Project (ZORP) - Clarify and standardize the County's Zoning Ordinances.