Why Growing Cities Are Pivoting to Trusted Electronic Plan Review Solutions

Pressure on planning and building departments continues to increase as cities grow. As development surges, many cities struggle to keep up with the volume of plan submissions and permit applications. Forward-thinking cities are switching to electronic plan review solutions, like e-PlanREVIEW, that offer scalability, transparency, and a durable digital infrastructure.

The Scalability Challenge

Permitting office staff are having trouble keeping pace with the demand for permits. Delays from paper-based processes stretch staff and reviewers thin, and those delays only add costs for the applicants. The need for in-person handoffs, managing reviews one at a time, and maintaining physical storage are typically the source of these delays and added costs.

Electronic plan review allows for cities to scale and manage dozens of submissions simultaneously. Submissions can be accessed, annotated, and returned without ever needing a hard copy or going to a centralized office.

Cities like Battle Creek, MI began using electronic plan review as they faced backlogs with physical plan routing, as well as long-term storage issues. With the transition, staff and reviewers were able to conduct concurrent reviews, resulting in faster turnaround times and better coordination across departments.

 

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Transparency and Auditability

Modern cities are held to a high standard of accountability by residents. With built-in audit trails, cloud-based electronic plan review solutions not only streamline the collaboration process but also protect cities by documenting decisions and compliance.

In Syracuse, NY, electronic plan review was implemented to improve transparency and enhance the applicant experience. Prior to electronic plan review, applicants had little to no insight into the status of the review process. Post-implementation, the city and its staff can leverage an audit trail to clearly communicate with applicants.

Plan review also does not work in isolation; it’s part of a broader permitting ecosystem. When seamlessly integrated with a permitting solution, electronic plan review enables cities to modernize, while eliminating redundant data entry and reducing in-person traffic and complaints.

Vision for the Future: Smart, Remote, and AI-enabled

Cities continue to explore how modern plan review can make them more resilient, responsive, and prepared for future growth. This includes functionality like AI-enabled review tools that empower staff, reviewers, and applicants, as well as dashboards and analytics to monitor plan volume, reviewer effectiveness, and turnaround times.

Cities are realizing that scalable and transparent electronic plan review solutions are no longer optional; they are essential digital infrastructure for the cities of tomorrow.