Revamping city’s business image
With new permitting system and customer-friendly touch, land-use chief aims to turn around Santa Fe’s rep
Contractors and neighborhood groups all over Santa Fe often wonder why so much roofing work is done over the weekend. The scenario is not uncommon where a homeowner discovers a leak, and finds out the home needs a new roof or even some additional work to replace deteriorating supports. Water is coming into the house, but it can still take as long as three weeks to get a construction permit for a roofing project and added time after the work begins if there are required inspections.
The dilemma for many handy workers or professional contractors is to wait for the permit, or try and help the homeowner with replacement or repair on a quicker schedule to minimize further water damage — and that might mean working on a Saturday or a Sunday without a permit, when city crews aren’t on duty.
City of Santa Fe Land Use Director Lisa D. Martinez had a solution, one not often heard by business owners who do a lot of construction work inside the city.
“Call me,” Martinez said. “I’m happy to issue emergency permits, even in the Historic District.”
Martinez, who has been on the job since 2014, made the comments at a monthly lunch with the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. As the city enters its busiest construction season in years, Martinez is promising a more efficient land-use and inspection process, one that will be more customer-friendly and help change Santa Fe’s image as a tough place to do business.
As a former manager with the state Regulation and Licensing Department, Martinez also has professional experience as a general contractor and an architect. She received her master’s degree in architecture from UCLA.
“I am a licensed contractor, I am an architect, I know what it means to be on the other side,” she told a group of building professionals and remodelers last week.
One big issue for the city permitting offices has been an outdated system that relies on paper filings, with each office or inspector needing to get hard copies of building plans and other documents before they can take action.
A new system is expected to be in place by the end of 2018. Designed by Tyler Technologies, it is designed to integrate all the city offices and be more seamless for those seeking permits. As a manager, she would be able to monitor how quickly reviews and inspections are completed, and what still needs to be completed.
She said the system will allow electronic submission for permits and fees, and quicker monitoring of problems.
“We’ll be able to evaluate what’s coming and and what’s stuck,” she said. “Other cities and counties that have the system are pleased.”
The goal, she said, is to remake Santa Fe’s image as more business-friendly.
“We know that trying to get a permit out of the city of Santa is sometime difficult. I want to do away with the old image that it’s hard to get a permit in Santa Fe,” she said.
And if nothing else works, she said, just call her. She’s won’t bypass the process for those who are in a hurry because they filed late, but Martinez understands there are true emergency situations that need to be addressed quickly.
“I understand the frustration of having to stop work for inspections,” she said. “Just come see me.”