Partnering for Progress: Improving Development Processes in the City of Newport News

At Berkley Group, we believe that strong communities are built through collaboration. Our team, with assistance from Caleb Sulzen at Building Code Guru, recently partnered with the City of Newport News to complete an Assessment of Development Review and Permitting Process for the City, working closely with city staff, developers, engineers, and community stakeholders to understand how the permitting and review system can better serve everyone involved.

Through interviews, assessment of existing conditions, review of data, benchmarking, and best practice analysis, we identified opportunities to capitalize on existing strong practices and improve development review and permitting processes in ways that support and balance the City’s objectives for economic development, customer service, and regulatory compliance.

Key principles used in this assessment included:

• Accountability: establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and follow-through.

• Transparency: improving communication of timelines, requirements, and expectations.

• Consistency: fostering predictability of the approval process and timeline.
  

By focusing on these principles, the project resulted in a clear roadmap with actionable steps, leveraging the City’s highly qualified staff to foster an environment where development can move forward with confidence and clarity, ultimately benefiting residents, businesses, and the community as a whole.

We’re grateful to the City, its staff and leadership, and all stakeholders who shared their perspectives, and we’re proud to support a process that reflects shared goals and a cooperative spirit.

👉 If your locality is looking to assess and enhance development processes, Berkley Group is ready to help!

#Planning #CommunityDevelopment #LocalGovernment #Permitting #Collaboration