During the peak of development in the City of Phoenix, the development community
was frustrated by the slow process of approving permits and scheduling inspections,
some of which was due to the large volume of requests. During the Great Recession,
there were fewer applications for permits and requests for inspections, however the loss
of staff through three cycles of reductions in force meant turnaround times did not
improve. The slow turnaround time during the downturn continued to frustrate
developers eager to open projects with limited revenue or constrained financing.
Decreased demand also allowed staff the time to examine processes and make
improvements to prepare for increased activity in the future. In the wake of these
changes, the City began a thorough examination of the development process, from plan
submittals to inspections and from the customer experience to internal and
organizational operations