Development Overwhelming Public Planners
A new study finds city and county planning directors unable to handle the economic expansion, population growth and widening cultural diversity in California. In a study of 30 public planning directors by the Planning Center, a Newport Beach firm that serves public and private clients, the majority of those surveyed found that dwindling financial resources and inadequate staffing are making it hard for them to do their jobs.
Cash-strapped counties and cities are curtailing planning agency efforts, cutting staff and other costs. Although 93% of the agencies surveyed said the demand for permits was increasing, they are facing staff and funding shortfalls. This makes it hard for planning agencies to apply state and local regulations on new projects, said Susan A. DeSantis, principal with the Planning Center.
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Debora Vrana covers real estate for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-5979 and at debora.vrana@latimes.com
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