Input sought on landscape, tree ordinances | Performance measures

Round Rock launches new development/permit tracker

This summer, the City of Round Rock did a soft launch of its new online Land Management System that will centralize and track the steps for land development projects, including permitting.

The system will allow developers and land owners to login and see the status of their projects.

“This system is available to anyone who is involved in the development process,” said Chris Collier, the City’s GIS coordinator who has overseen the implementation of the system. “It allows everyone to see the project status, comments, markups and other relevant information.”

A major component of the system is that it will allow developers to check on the progress of their projects online.

“We want to make Round Rock more development friendly,” said Peter Wysocki, Planning and Development Services Director. “It was very important to give them access to information. They can check the status of reviews and see comments. Most developers are excited about the system and happy to do more things electronically.”

When the developer submits a revised design, the system will highlight any changes that have been made from the previous version. Reviewers can make sure their changes were made and see any other changes as well.

“We hope to eliminate a lot of paper from the process,” Collier said.

The general public will have access to general information and be able to look up addresses to find out about projects.

Using the new system, all documents associated with a project can now be reviewed electronically. When a new project is created, it automatically sets up the required steps and reviewers. Documents can be uploaded electronically and the system’s electronic plan review tool allows reviewers to mark up plans and make comments.

The system can also be accessed remotely for employees out in the field.

“We‘ve bought some rugged laptops that will use the mobile version of the software that gives live access to the system,” Collier said. “Employees out in the field can make comments and changes right there.”

Here’s a brief “How To” (PDF) for the new system.

Input sought on revisions to landscape, tree ordinances

The City's Development Services Division is rewriting the rules that require landscaping and trees on development sites. Specifically, all new commercial and multi-family projects are required to install a certain amount of trees and shrubs with irrigation.

These rules also protect or require the replacement of existing quality trees. These rules have been in place for several years and need to be updated. The City is seeking to improve these rules to address changing development patterns, address water conservation and make the ordinances easier to follow.

The City sought input from the public last May at an open house to help guide the ordinance rewrite. A technical advisory committee comprised of local development and landscape design professionals also provided input. The Planning and Zoning Commission held two workshops on the revisions. Much of the input received has been included in the draft landscape ordinance (PDF) and draft tree protection ordinance (PDF). Staff anticipates the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission will hold public hearings in early 2012 to review the draft ordinance.

We are actively soliciting public input on the final round of changes to the draft amendments. Whether you are a design professional or simply a Round Rock resident interested in our development standards, we want to hear from you. Please submit your comments no later than Dec. 30 to Brad Wiseman, Development Services Manager.

Development Services performance measures

The City Council has conveyed the importance of establishing targeted performance measures for development staff. The intent is to set high goals and identify areas where improvements can be made. Below are the target measurements and performance of Development Services for the past four months. This info has been assembled from surveys, standard site plans, small project site plans, and subdivision improvement plan submittals.