A reorganization of the Planning and Development Department has been in the works for some time. On July 1, the department officially separated into two departments.
The Department of City Planning, led by Ken Bowers, includes Long-Range Planning, Zoning Administration, Communications, the Urban Design Center, Real Estate, and Transportation Planning. The Development Services Department will be led by Thomas Hosey, who currently holds the position of Building Official for the City of Houston, TX. Thomas will assume his duties in Raleigh on August 3rd. The Development Services Department provides services related to customer service, plan intake, and development plan review at the DSCSC and Litchford satellite office, as well as Building Inspections and Information Management.
The reorganization is being done to better meet an increased demand for planning and development services, and to provide improved customer service. Both departments will continue to work closely together on planning and development issues.
Perhaps the most noticeable change thus far is the reorganizing of information on the web. We have been working diligently to develop two distinct departmental webpages, each with updated sections and links. This has proven to be an excellent opportunity to update and organize our information so that our users can easily locate what they are searching for.
The new City Planning webpage provides a listing of relevant news and scheduled events, a comprehensive list of current planning projects, and links to various planning topics including urban design, historic preservation, zoning, long-range planning, real estate, transportation planning, and records.
The new Development Services webpage also provides the latest news and scheduled events, as well as links to topics including permits, inspections, records, stakeholder groups, and a listing of all services provided by DS. Here you’ll also find a detailed list of current development activity, including copies of maps and documents related to the case.
We are still in the process of updating employee contact information and a vast number of webpages to reflect departmental changes. Please be patient as we continue this process. If you need assistance locating information on the web, please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of the communications team. If you have feedback regarding the organization of content on the web, please leave a comment!
If you subscribe to emails regarding the development process, be on the lookout for more details about web upgrades. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!
