HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-25 Council Workshop Agenda and Reports.pdfCity of Maple Ridge
COUNCIL WORKSHOP AGENDA
April 25, 2023
11:00 AM
Virtual Online Meeting including Council Chambers
The purpose of the Council Workshop is to review and discuss policies and other items of interest to
Council. Although resolutions may be passed at this meeting, the intent is to make a consensus decision
to send an item to Council for debate and vote or refer the item back to staff for more information or
clarification.
The meeting is live streamed and recorded by the City of Maple Ridge
1.CALL TO ORDER
1.1 Territory Acknowledgment
The City of Maple Ridge carries out its business on the traditional and
unceded territory of the Katzie (q̓ic̓әy̓) First Nation and the Kwantlen
(qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼәn̓) First Nation.
1.2 Day of Mourning Acknowledgment
2.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
3.MINUTES
3.1 Adoption of Minutes:
Special Council Workshop (Business Planning) – March 27, 2023
Special Council Workshop (Business Planning) – March 29, 2023
Council Workshop – April 11, 2023
4.PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL
4.1 Maple Ridge Historical Society
Presentation by Shea Henry, Executive Director, on 2022 activities.
5.UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS
5.1 Development Services Function Review Report – Neilson Strategies
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that the Development Services
Function Review report, prepared by Neilson Strategies, be received for
information.
Presentation by Allan Neilson, Principal, Neilson Strategies
5.2 Development Services Function Review Implementation Strategy
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that the Development Services
Function Review Implementation Strategy be received for information.
5.3 UBCM Resolutions Process Briefing
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that members of Council submit
resolution ideas individually to the Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs so that
staff can prepare a list of resolutions for consideration at the May 23, 2023,
Council Workshop meeting.
6.CORRESPONDENCE
7.BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST / QUESTIONS FROM
COUNCIL
8.MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT
9.ADJOURNMENT
City of Maple RidgeCOUNCIL WORKSHOP AGENDAApril 25, 202311:00 AMVirtual Online Meeting including Council ChambersThe purpose of the Council Workshop is to review and discuss policies and other items of interest toCouncil. Although resolutions may be passed at this meeting, the intent is to make a consensus decisionto send an item to Council for debate and vote or refer the item back to staff for more information orclarification. The meeting is live streamed and recorded by the City of Maple Ridge1.CALL TO ORDER1.1 Territory AcknowledgmentThe City of Maple Ridge carries out its business on the traditional andunceded territory of the Katzie (q̓ic̓әy̓) First Nation and the Kwantlen(qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼәn̓) First Nation.1.2 Day of Mourning Acknowledgment2.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA3.MINUTES3.1 Adoption of Minutes: Special Council Workshop (Business Planning) – March 27, 2023 Special Council Workshop (Business Planning) – March 29, 2023 Council Workshop – April 11, 20234.PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL
4.1 Maple Ridge Historical Society
Presentation by Shea Henry, Executive Director, on 2022 activities.
5.UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS
5.1 Development Services Function Review Report – Neilson Strategies
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that the Development Services
Function Review report, prepared by Neilson Strategies, be received for
information.
Presentation by Allan Neilson, Principal, Neilson Strategies
5.2 Development Services Function Review Implementation Strategy
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that the Development Services
Function Review Implementation Strategy be received for information.
5.3 UBCM Resolutions Process Briefing
Staff report dated April 25, 2023, recommending that members of Council submit
resolution ideas individually to the Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs so that
staff can prepare a list of resolutions for consideration at the May 23, 2023,
Council Workshop meeting.
6.CORRESPONDENCE
7.BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST / QUESTIONS FROM
COUNCIL
8.MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT
9.ADJOURNMENT
City of Maple Ridge
SPECIAL COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
March 27, 2023
The Minutes of the City Council Meeting held on March 27, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. held virtually
and hosted in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, British
Columbia for the purpose of transacting regular City business.
PRESENT
Elected Officials
Mayor D. Ruimy
Councillor K. Carreras
Councillor O. Dozie
Councillor J. Dueck
Councillor S. Schiller
Councillor J. Tan
Councillor A. Yousef
ABSENT
Appointed Staff
S. Hartman, Chief Administrative Officer
C. Carter, General Manager, Planning and Development Services
C. Crabtree, General Manager, Corporate Services
P. Hlavac-Winsor, General Counsel and Executive Director, Legislative
Services/Acting Corporate Officer
S. Labonne, General Manager, Parks, Recreation, and Culture
D. Pollock, General Manager, Engineering Services
Other Staff as Required
M. Adams, Director of Bylaw, Licensing & Community Safety
K. Anastasiadis, Manager, Intergovernmental Affairs
D. Bentley, Protective Services Clerk
T. Camire, Executive Assistant
T. Controneo, Manager of Community Engagement, Recreation &
Community Engagement
A. Dhillon, Committee Clerk
C. Goddard, Director of Planning
C. Lee, Manager of Financial Planning
M. Lewis, Executive Director, Human Resources
Z. Lifshiz, Director of Strategic Development, Communications, and
Community Engagement
M. Millward, Facilities Operations Manager, Parks & Facilities
E. Murphy, Clerk 3
C. Neufeld, Manager of Parks Planning & Development, Parks &
Facilities
W. Oleschak, Director of Engineering Operations
D. Olivieri, Manager of Corporate Planning and Consultation
P. Purewal, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications and Public
Engagement
A. Peters, Manager, Police Services
D. Pope, Director of Recreation & Community Engagement
C. Priddle, Manager of Parks Services
V. Richmond, Director of Parks & Facilities
F. Smith, Director of Engineering
K. Stewart, Chief Information Officer
T. Thompson, Director of Finance
M. Van Dop, Fire Chief
T. Westover, Director of Economic Development
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 27, 2023
Page 2 of 4
Note: These Minutes and a video of the meeting are posted on the City’s Web Site at
https://mapleridge.primegov.com/public/portal
1. CALL TO ORDER – 9:00 am
1.1 Territorial Acknowledgement
The Mayor provided the territory acknowledgement.
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
R/2023-WS-014
It was moved and seconded
That the agenda of the March 27, 2023, Special Council Workshop Meeting be
approved as circulated.
CARRIED
3. 2023 – 2027 BUSINESS PLAN
3.1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
The Chief Administrative Officer spoke to the process of business planning and the
agenda for the next two days.
3.2 OREVIEW OF BUSINESS PLANNING & BUDGETING
The General Manager, Corporate Services, provided a presentation on the Corporate
Plan for 2023.
3.3 APPROACH TO PROPOSED 2023 – 2027 FINACIAL PLAN
The order of the agenda was amended by having the Fire Chief present first.
3.4 DIVISIONAL BUSINESS PLANS OVERVIEW
3.4.1 Administration
The Chief Administrative Officer provided a detailed presentation on the
Administration department business plan. Staff responded to questions from
Council.
Note: Councillor Tan left the meeting at 10:07 a.m. and returned at 10:22 a.m.
3.4.2 Corporate Services
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 27, 2023
Page 3 of 4
The General Manager of Corporate Services provided a detailed presentation on the
Corporate Services department business plan. Staff responded to questions from
Council.
Note: Councillor Yousef left the meeting at 10:44 a.m. and returned at 10:53 a.m.;
left the meeting again at 11:06 a.m. and returned at 11:10 a.m.
R/2023-WS-015
It was moved and seconded
That the meeting be recessed.
CARRIED
Note: The meeting reconvened at 11:32 a.m.
3.4.3 Engineering Services
The General Manager of Engineering Services provided a detailed presentation on
the Engineering Services department business plan. Staff responded to questions
from Council.
Note: Councillor Yousef left the meeting at 11:55 a.m. and was present when the
meeting reconvened at 12:37 p.m.
R/2023-WS-016
It was moved and seconded
That the meeting be recessed.
CARRIED
Note: The meeting reconvened at 12:37 p.m.
3.4.4 Parks, Recreation & Culture
The General Manager of Parks, Recreation & Culture provided a detailed
presentation on the Parks, Recreation & Culture department business plan. Staff
responded to questions from Council.
Note: Councillor Yousef left the meeting at 1:16 p.m. and returned at 1:27 p.m.
3.4.5 Planning & Development Services
The General Manager of Planning & Development Services provided a detailed
presentation on the Planning & Development Services department business plan.
Staff responded to questions from Council.
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 27, 2023
Page 4 of 4
4. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 2:05 p.m.
_______________________________
D. Ruimy, Mayor
Certified Correct
___________________________________
P. Hlavac-Winsor, Acting Corporate Officer
City of Maple Ridge
SPECIAL COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
March 29, 2023
The Minutes of the City Council Meeting held on March 29, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. held virtually
and hosted in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, British
Columbia for the purpose of transacting regular City business.
PRESENT
Elected Officials
Mayor D. Ruimy
Councillor K. Carreras
Councillor O. Dozie
Councillor J. Dueck
Councillor S. Schiller
Councillor J. Tan
Councillor A. Yousef
ABSENT
Appointed Staff
S. Hartman, Chief Administrative Officer
C. Carter, General Manager, Planning and Development Services
C. Crabtree, General Manager, Corporate Services
P. Hlavac-Winsor, General Counsel and Executive Director, Legislative
Services/Acting Corporate Officer
S. Labonne, General Manager, Parks, Recreation, and Culture
D. Pollock, General Manager, Engineering Services
Other Staff as Required
A. Dhillon, Committee Clerk
C.K. Lee, Manager of Financial Planning
M. Lewis, Executive Director, Human Resources
Z. Lifshiz, Director of Strategic Development, Communications, and
Community Engagement
E. Murphy, Clerk 3
C. Neufeld, Manager of Parks Planning & Development, Parks &
Facilities
W. Oleschak, Director of Engineering Operations
D. Olivieri, Manager of Corporate Planning and Consultation
P. Purewal, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications and Public
Engagement
V. Richmond, Director of Parks & Facilities
O. Schurer, Business Systems Analyst
F. Smith, Director of Engineering
K. Stewart, Chief Information Officer
M. Van Dop, Fire Chief
T. Westover, Director of Economic Development
Note: These Minutes and a video of the meeting are posted on the City’s Web Site at
https://mapleridge.primegov.com/public/portal
1. CALL TO ORDER – 9:00 am
1.1 Territorial Acknowledgement
The Mayor provided the territory acknowledgement.
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 29, 2023
Page 2 of 4
R/2023-WS-019
It was moved and seconded
That the agenda of the March 29, 2023 Special Council Workshop Meeting be
approved as circulated.
CARRIED
3. 2023 – 2027 BUSINESS PLAN
3.1 WELCOME AND RECAP
The Chief Financial Officer recapitulated business planning items covered in March
27, 2023 meeting.
3.2 CAPITAL PROGRAM
3.2.1 Engineering
The Director of Engineering provided a detailed presentation on the capital program
of the Engineering department in the business plan. Staff responded to questions
from Council.
3.2.2 Engineering Operations
The Director of Engineering Operations provided a detailed presentation on the
capital program of the Engineering Operations department in the business plan.
Staff responded to questions from Council.
Note: Councillor Yousef left the meeting at 10:00 a.m. and returned at 10:02 a.m.
R/2023-WS-020
It was moved and seconded
That the meeting be recessed.
CARRIED
Note: The meeting reconvened at 10:33 a.m.
Note: Councillor Tan rejoined the meeting at 10:34 a.m.
Note: Councillor Dueck rejoined the meeting at 10:35 a.m.
3.2.4 Parks, Recreation & Culture
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 29, 2023
Page 3 of 4
The Director of Parks & Facilities provided a detailed presentation on the capital
program of the department in the business plan. Staff responded to questions from
Council.
3.2.5 Information Technology
The Chief Information Officer provided a detailed presentation on the capital
program of the IT department in the business plan. Staff responded to questions
from Council.
R/2023-WS-021
It was moved and seconded
That the meeting be recessed.
CARRIED
Note: The meeting reconvened at 12:04 p.m.
3.3 FINACIAL OVERVIEW REPORT
The Manager of Financial Planning provided a detailed financial overview and
responded to questions from Council.
Note: Councillor Carreras assumed the role of Chair upon the Mayor’s departure
from the meeting at 12:05 p.m. and the Mayor assumed the role of Chair
when he returned at 12:17 p.m.
3.4 CLOSING COMMENTS
The Chief Administrative Officer provided closing comments and responded to
questions from Council.
3.5 COUNCIL DELIBERATIONS ON FINANCIAL OVERVIEW REPORT – RECOMMENDATIONS
AND INCREMENTAL REQUESTS
The Chief Financial Officer provided recommendations on incrementals grouped in
separate tiers and responded to questions from Council.
R/2023-WS-022
It was moved and seconded
That staff bring forward a Financial Plan Bylaw that incorporates the financial
implications of the business plans as recommended in the Financial Overview Report.
And further,
Special Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
March 29, 2023
Page 4 of 4
That the Financial Plan also reflect the financial implications of Tier 3 Incremental
Request as listed in the Financial Overview Report. The resulting 2023 increase to
property taxes is 5.65%.
Moved, seconded, and CARRIED
THAT the motion be amended to state “That staff bring forward a Financial Plan
Bylaw that incorporates the financial implications of the business plans as
recommended in the Financial Overview Report including Base, Tier 1, 2 and 3 with
a resulting 2023 increase to property taxes of 5.65%.
The question was called on the Main Motion as amended and declared CARRIED.
4. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 2:22 p.m.
_______________________________
D. Ruimy, Mayor
Certified Correct
___________________________________
P. Hlavac-Winsor, Acting Corporate Officer
Document:3370320
City of Maple Ridge
COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
April 11, 2023
The Minutes of the Council Workshop Meeting held virtually and hosted in the Council
Chambers on April 11, 2023, at 11:00 am at City Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge,
British Columbia for the purpose of transacting regular City business.
PRESENT
Elected Officials
Mayor D. Ruimy
Councillor K. Carreras
Councillor O. Dozie
Councillor J. Dueck
Councillor S. Schiller
Councillor J. Tan
Councillor A. Yousef
ABSENT
Appointed Staff
S. Hartman, Chief Administrative Officer
C. Carter, General Manager, Planning and Development Services
C. Crabtree, General Manager, Corporate Services
P. Hlavac-Winsor, General Counsel and Executive Director,
Legislative Services/Acting Corporate Officer
S. Labonne, General Manager, Parks, Recreation, and Culture
D. Pollock, General Manager, Engineering Services
Other Staff as Required
C. Goddard, Director of Planning
E. Murphy, Clerk 3
C. Howes, Clerk 3
T. Westover, Director of Economic Development
Note: These Minutes and a video of the meeting are posted on the City’s Web Site at
https://mapleridge.primegov.com/public/portal
1. CALL TO ORDER – 11:00 am
1.1 Territorial Acknowledgement
The Mayor provided the territory acknowledgement.
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
2.1 Approval of Agenda
R/2023-WS-023
Moved, seconded, and CARRIED
THAT the agenda of the April 11, 2023, Council Workshop Meeting be approved as
circulated.
3. MINUTES
3.1 Adoption of Minutes
R/2023-WS-024
Moved, seconded, and CARRIED
THAT the minutes of the Council Workshop meeting of March 28, 2023, be
adopted as circulated.
Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2023
Page 2 of 2
Document:3370320
4. PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL
4.1 Coast Mental Health
Presentation by Keir Macdonald, Chief Executive Officer, Renay Bajkay, Executive
Director, Program Services, and Susan Hancock, Senior Manager, Communications
& Community Development, providing an overview of services available in Maple
Ridge. The presenters responded to questions from Council.
5. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS
5.1 CurbSide Patio Program
Staff report dated April 11, 2023, recommending that staff develop a modernized
and streamlined curbside seasonal patio program with design guidelines for future
discussion with Council prior to October 31, 2023.
T. Westover, Director of Economic Development, provided a presentation and staff
responded to questions from Council.
R/2023-WS-025
Moved, seconded, and CARRIED
THAT staff develop a modernized and streamlined curb-side seasonal patio
program with design guidelines for future discussion with Council prior to October
31, 2023.
6. CORRESPONDENCE – Nil
7. BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST/QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL – Nil
8. MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT – Nil
9. ADJOURNMENT – 12:06 pm
_______________________________
D. Ruimy, Mayor
Certified Correct
___________________________________
P. Hlavac-Winsor, Corporate Officer
Doc # 3376985 Page 1 of 1
TO: His Worship Mayor Dan Ruimy MEETING DATE: April 25, 2023
and Members of Council FILE NO: 01-0685-30
FROM: Chief Administrative Officer MEETING:Workshop
SUBJECT: Development Services Function Review Report – Neilson Strategies
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In the spring 2022, Allan Neilson of Neilson Strategies was retained to undertake a review of the City’s
development services function. The goal of the review is to position the City as a leader in the review
and approval of development applications. On April 25, 2023 Allan Neilson will present his report at
the Council Workshop meeting. (Refer to Appendix A)
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Development Services Function Review report, prepared by Neilson Strategies, be received
for information.
“Original signed by Christine Carter”
Prepared by: Christine Carter, M.PL, MCIP, RPP
General Manager Planning & Development Service
Original signed by Paul Gill”
“Original signed by Scott Hartman”
Approved by: Scott Hartman
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment:
(A) Development Services Function Review, Neilson Strategies Report dated January 2023
City of Maple Ridge
CITY OF MAPLE RIDGE
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FUNCTION REVIEW
REPORT
This Report has been prepared by Neilson Strategies Inc. for the City of Maple Ridge. The document is presented for
discussion with, and for the sole use of, the City. No representations of any kind are made by the consultants to any party
with whom the consultant does not have a contract.
Neilson Strategies Inc.
106-460 Doyle Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 0C2
neilsonstrategies.ca
January 2023
Appendix A
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
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REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1
Report .................................................................................................................... 1
Context .................................................................................................................. 2
2. CURRENT FUNCTION................................................................................................ 3
Purpose of the Function ....................................................................................... 3
Buildings .......................................................................................................... 4
Legislative Framework .......................................................................................... 4
Provincial Legislation ...................................................................................... 4
Municipal Bylaws ............................................................................................ 5
Departments and Staffing .................................................................................... 6
Planning and Development Services ............................................................. 6
Engineering Services ...................................................................................... 8
Building Department ...................................................................................... 9
Other Departments ...................................................................................... 10
Approval Processes ............................................................................................. 10
Simplified Rezoning Process ........................................................................ 11
Other Approval Processes ............................................................................ 15
Technology .......................................................................................................... 15
Information to Applicants ................................................................................... 16
Applications and Information Requests............................................................. 16
Application Numbers .................................................................................... 16
Information Requests ................................................................................... 18
Application Processing Times ...................................................................... 19
3. ISSUES TO CONSIDER ............................................................................................. 21
Nature of Reviews ............................................................................................... 21
Information Requests ......................................................................................... 22
Managing Inquiries ....................................................................................... 22
Observations ................................................................................................. 23
Development Services Technicians ................................................ 24
Information Resources .................................................................... 24
Planner of the Day ........................................................................... 24
Inquiries Database ........................................................................... 25
Council Involvement ........................................................................................... 25
Rezoning Process .......................................................................................... 25
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REPORT
Observations ................................................................................................. 27
First Reading .................................................................................... 27
Public Hearings ................................................................................ 28
Delegation of Approvals ..................................................................................... 28
Delegation to Staff........................................................................................ 28
Observations ................................................................................................. 29
Referral of Applications ...................................................................................... 29
Internal Referrals .......................................................................................... 29
Observations ................................................................................................. 31
File Manager Model ............................................................................................ 32
The Role ........................................................................................................ 32
Observations ................................................................................................. 33
Application Streams ............................................................................................ 35
Single Stream ................................................................................................ 35
Observations ................................................................................................. 35
Development Concierge ................................................................. 36
Technology .......................................................................................................... 37
Existing File Management Platform ............................................................ 37
Observations ................................................................................................. 37
Communications ................................................................................................. 39
Dual Role ....................................................................................................... 39
Observations ................................................................................................. 41
Infrastructure Development Section ................................................................. 41
Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 41
Observations ................................................................................................. 43
Staffing ............................................................................................. 43
Turn-Around Times ......................................................................... 43
Intra-Divisional Consultation .......................................................... 44
Placement in Engineering Services ................................................. 46
Inspection of Works ........................................................................ 48
Environmental Services ...................................................................................... 49
Range of Services .......................................................................................... 49
Observations ................................................................................................. 50
Organizational Culture ........................................................................................ 51
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Staffing Levels ..................................................................................................... 53
Current Levels ............................................................................................... 53
Observations ................................................................................................. 53
Comparative Research .................................................................... 54
Adjustments for Maple Ridge ......................................................... 55
4. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 58
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REPORT
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Land development in Maple Ridge is governed by a set of policies and regulations set
out in the City's Official Community Plan (OCP), Zoning Bylaw, Subdivision and
Development Servicing Bylaw, and other municipal documents. In many if not most
cases, the development or re-development of individual properties require property
owners to apply for and obtain various approvals from the City, as identified in the
City's Development Procedures Bylaw. Staff in the City's Planning Department, along
with those in Engineering, Parks and Recreation, and other departments, review
applications for development through different regulatory processes. These
processes, the departments and sections that administer them, and the approaches
taken by staff to perform their work constitute the City's development services
function.
The City of Maple Ridge seeks to position itself as a leader in the review and approval
of development applications. The City understands that success in the function
requires an organizational culture that values solutions and customer service, as well
as approval processes that have clear expectations and efficient timelines, are well
understood by applicants, and are administered in a fair, consistent and efficient
manner. To help the City achieve its aim, Council and Senior Leadership
commissioned an independent review of Maple Ridge's current development services
function. Neilson Strategies Inc., a local government consultancy based in British
Columbia, was selected as the consultant to conduct the review.
REPORT
This Report presents the review of the development services function. The report
begins by profiling the function as it exists in the City today. The function's legislative
basis, organization and staffing model, and application review processes are
described; available statistics on the numbers and types of applications as well as
timelines are provided. The report then presents the consultant's assessment of the
current function. Key issues in need of attention are identified, including issues
related to organizational structure, approval processes, the use of information
technology, staffing levels and other matters. Recommended changes for the City to
consider in addressing the issues are presented in the report's final chapter.
Over the course of the study, the consultant interviewed all City staff involved in the
development services function, as well as several developers and development
professionals with experience in Maple Ridge and in other Lower Mainland
municipalities. The consultant also conducted a considerable amount of comparative
research. Development services managers in other municipalities were interviewed;
relevant materials were obtained and reviewed. The consultant's identification of
issues and development of recommendations were informed by all of the interviews
and comparative research.
DEVELOPMENT
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REPORT
CONTEXT
The context within which the review of the development services function was
commissioned is important to highlight before turning to the body of the report. The
City of Maple Ridge is a high-growth community in British Columbia's Metro
Vancouver Regional District. Over the next thirty years, Metro Vancouver projects
that the region as a whole will experience 37% growth in population to a total of 3.8
million people. Growth in the Ridge Meadows sub-region, which is dominated by
Maple Ridge, is projected to hit 40% — a figure that translates into an additional
44,200 people.1 Close to 20,000 new dwelling units will be needed in Ridge
Meadows to accommodate this growth in population. Increased density and a focus
on multi-family housing will features of the future landscape.
Housing affordability is a significant challenge in the Metro Vancouver region, the
Ridge Meadows sub-region and the province as a whole. Municipalities are not able
on their own to solve the affordability crisis; municipalities can, however, contribute
to solutions in different ways, including through efforts to streamline and accelerate
development review and approve new housing supply. The Province of British
Columbia has identified municipal development approval processes as a topic for
review and action.2 Provincial Grants have been provided to several municipalities,
including Maple Ridge, through the Local Government Development Approvals
Program to facilitate improvements. Legislated changes designed to encourage—
and ultimately force —municipalities to approve more housing units, and to approve
them faster, have been put forward.3
Maple Ridge Council and Senior Leadership understand the growth and affordability
challenges facing the community and region. The review of the development
services function is a direct response to these challenges.
1 Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy.
2 See the province's 2019 Development Approvals Process Review: Final Report from a Province-Wide
Stakeholder Consultation.
3 See the province's Bill 43 – 2022: Housing Supply Act, announced in November 2022.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
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JANUARY 2023
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REPORT
CHAPTER 2
CURRENT FUNCTION
This chapter profiles the City of Maple Ridge's development services function as it
exists today. The function's purpose and legislative framework are outlined first. The
City's departments involved in reviewing development applications are then
reviewed, including information on staffing, roles and responsibilities, application
volumes and timelines, application processes, information documents for applicants,
and other points.
This chapter, it should be emphasized, outlines the function in its current form.
Issues with the function to address, findings from the comparative research, and
recommended changes for the City to consider, are presented in subsequent
chapters.
PURPOSE OF THE FUNCTION
Property owners in Maple Ridge who wish to develop or re-develop their properties
must proceed in compliance with the requirements set out the City's development-
related policy documents and bylaws. In many cases, property owners must apply for
and obtain different types of development approvals. Depending on the
characteristics of and development intentions for a parcel, an owner may require one
or more of the following approvals:
• an amendment to the Official Community Plan, required when a proposed
development does not conform to the future land use designation for the
property in the OCP
• an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw (i.e., a rezoning), which must be obtained
when the proposed development is not permitted in the property's zone, or
when the proposed density exceeds that which is identified for the site
• one or more development permit, required for developments that are
proposed for properties situated within a designated development permit
area with guidelines to address form and character concerns, or to protect
the natural environment
• a development variance permit, which is required when an owner seeks to
have building setback, building height, lot width, or off-street parking
requirements in the Zoning Bylaw relaxed, timing of service requirements
from the Subdivision and Development Serving Bylaw changed, or
requirements in the Sign Bylaw altered
• subdivision approval, which must be obtained to change or create new lot
boundaries, including through the creation of new lots from existing lots, or
DEVELOPMENT
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JANUARY 2023
PAGE 4
REPORT
through the consolidation of separate lots
The applications for these approvals are received, proposed development projects
are reviewed, conditions are set, approvals are granted, and development works
(where required) are set out and inspected through the City's development services
function. The function exists to ensure that property development in Maple Ridge
proceeds in a way that supports the City's land use and development goals, adds
value to and meets the needs of the community, and protects the natural
environment and the City's infrastructure systems.
Buildings
The building permit function, through which the construction and alteration of
buildings is regulated, will be considered by some to form part of the broader
development services function. The City of Maple Ridge, however, reviewed the
building permit function in 2021 as a separate, stand-alone exercise.4 For the
purposes of this report, therefore, the development services function does not
include activities involved in the review of building permit applications, the issuance
of building permits, or the inspection of buildings during construction.
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
Provincial Legislation
Similar to all municipalities in British Columbia, the City of Maple Ridge obtains its
authority to create development policies and regulations, and to require property
owners to apply for and receive approvals pursuant to the policies and regulations,
from the Local Government Act. Part 14 of the Act, titled Planning and Land Use
Management, outlines specific municipal powers the City may — or, in some cases,
must — exercise. Part 14 also identifies constraints and requirements the City must
respect in the exercise of its powers.
The range of items addressed in Part 14 is considerable. Key items that are
particularly relevant to this report include:
• the authority of the City to adopt an OCP — defined in section 471(1) as "a
statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land
use management" — along with requirements related to the components of
the plan, and the procedures to create and adopt it
• the authority to create, and the procedures to adopt, a zoning bylaw that
divides the municipality into zones, and regulates for each zone:
– the permitted land uses, buildings and structures
– the allowable density for land uses and buildings
– the siting, size and dimensions of uses and permitted buildings
– the location of uses on the land and within buildings
4 Neilson Strategies completed a Building Permit Function Review for the City in November 2021.
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• the authority to enter into housing agreements for affordable and special
needs housing
• the authority to require applicants to provide traffic impact studies,
environmental reports, infrastructure impact reports and other development
approval information requirements in support of applications to amend the
Zoning Bylaw, or for a development permit or temporary use permit
• the authority to create development permit areas in its OCP, and to require
property owners within each designated area to obtain one or more
development permit prior to subdivision, construction or alteration of a
building, or any alteration of land within specific types of development permit
areas (e.g., natural environment, greenhouse gas reduction, and others)
• the authority to create and impose specific protections, conditions and
requirements in different types of permit areas
• the authority to issue temporary use permits, within designated temporary
use areas, to allow for a specified period of time a use not permitted in a
zoning bylaw, and to specify conditions under which the use may occur
• the authority to issue development variance permits to vary specific
provisions (other than density, use or residential tenure) of the Zoning Bylaw,
the timing of service requirements from the Subdivision and Development
Serving Bylaw changed, or requirements in the Sign Bylaw
• the authority to adopt a subdivision and development servicing bylaw to
impose requirements and regulate the provision of works, services and park
land in order to subdivide land
• application fees that the City may, by bylaw, impose on all applications to
amend the OCP, change zoning, obtain a development permit or
development variance permit, subdivide properties, and obtain certain other
types of approvals
Other provincial statutes and regulations dealing with highways, the natural
environment, registration of lands, strata corporations, agriculture and farming set
out additional authorities for and constraints on municipal action. The Local
Government Act, however, is the primary source of authority and direction for
municipalities in the development services function.
Municipal Bylaws
The Local Government Act provides the City the authority required to create and
enforce its development policies and regulations. The actual policies and regulations,
however, are contained in City of Maple Ridge bylaws that property owners must
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follow to obtain the necessary development approvals. The most important bylaws
include:
• Maple Ridge Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879 — This bylaw sets out
the requirements and the process for property owners (or their authorized
representatives) to submit applications to amend the OCP and Zoning Bylaw,
and to obtain a development permit and development variance permit.5
Items that must be included in every type of application are outlined in the
bylaw's schedules.
• Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 7060 — The City's OCP outlines the long-
term vision for growth and development in Maple Ridge. It puts forward
objectives and policies on a variety of community issues, identifies future land
uses, designates development permit areas and provides matching
development guidelines, and includes specific area plans to guide the
development of the Albion, Silver Valley, Town Centre and Hammond areas.
• City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600 — The Zoning Bylaw divides
Maple Ridge into a variety of agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial,
institutional and comprehensive development zones. Regulations are listed
for each zone to address permitted uses, density, lot coverage, setbacks,
building height, landscaping needs, parking requirements and other matters.
• Maple Ridge Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800 — This
bylaw sets out the application procedure and the application requirements
for subdivisions. The bylaw and its schedules set out requirements, standards
and design criteria for services and utilities that must be provided in respect
of subdivisions.
• Maple Ridge Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 7575 — This bylaw identifies the
fees that must be paid to the City, as part of development applications, for
the processing of OCP amendment, zoning amendment, development permit,
development variance permit and subdivision approval applications.
DEPARTMENTS & STAFFING
Staff in several City departments have roles and responsibilities in the review of
development applications through the development services function as it exists
today. Overall administration of the function, however, falls to staff in the Planning &
Development Services Division. Staff in the Engineering Department (within the
Engineering Services Division) play a significant role in the function, as well.
Planning & Development Services
This division is comprised of the Planning, Building and Bylaw and Licensing
5 Applications are also required under the bylaw for temporary commercial and industrial permits,
and for heritage alteration permits.
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Departments, each of which is headed by a Director who reports to the General
Manager of Planning & Development Services. The development services function —
which, as noted earlier, is distinct from the building permit function for the purposes
of this report — is the focus of the Planning Department.
Figure 2.1 on the following page presents the Department's organization chart. As
illustrated in the chart, the Department is divided into two sections:
• Development & Environmental Services — This section is comprised of
development planning staff and environmental planning staff. Reporting to
the Manger of Development & Environmental Services are ten (10) full-time
development planning positions, including Planners, Planning Technicians, a
Planning Assistant, and a Mapping & Graphics Technician. Three (3) full-time
Planner positions, including one (1) Planner III and two (2) Planners I, are
vacant at the time of writing.
The staffing complement also includes one (1) permanent part-time Clerk II,
and three (3) part-time auxiliary Planner II positions. The staff in the Planner
II positions are recently-retired City staff who have been brought back to help
process specific applications — in most cases, applications that the staff
members had managed in prior to retirement.6
All of the development planning positions, it is important to note, undertake
the various tasks involved in processing development applications. The
specific tasks vary by position; however, all positions are focused on assessing
and moving the development applications through to approval.
The environmental planning group consists of five (5) full-time positions, all of
which report to the Manager of Development & Environmental Services.
Included in the group are one (1) Environmental Planner II, one (1)
Environmental Planner I, two (2) Environmental Technicians and one (1)
Environmental Coordinator. The team as a whole works on environmental
strategies, plans and policies, green infrastructure initiatives, the issuance
and enforcement of tree permits, and the review development applications
for compliance with environmental development permit area guidelines.
• Community Planning — This section has four (4) Planners — two (2) Planners
II and two (2) Planners I — reporting to the Manager of Community Planning.
All of these positions are focused primarily of planning policy matters,
including review of the City's OCP, the creation of Area Plans for placement in
the OCP, neighbourhood plans and other related matters. The planners
provide input on development applications that may not conform to the
City's planning policy direction.
6 The three part-time auxiliary Planner II positions combine to equal approximately 1.0 full -time
equivalent (FTE).
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Engineering Services
The Engineering Services Division is comprised of the Engineering Department and
the Engineering Operations Department, both of which are headed by a Director who
reports to the General Manager of Engineering Services. Engineering Services is
focused on the planning, construction, maintenance, operation and replacement of
City infrastructure services, including roads and transportation, water, sanitary
sewers and drainage. The Division is responsible for ensuring that development in
the municipality is properly serviced, and for understanding and addressing the
impacts of development on existing infrastructure systems.
Figure 2.1
Planning Department
Current Organization Chart
Planner III
(vacant)
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Environmental
Planner I
Environmental
Technician Planner I
Planner I
Planner II
Environmental
Technician
Environmental
Coordinator
Planner II
(vacant)
Director of Planning Admin Asst
Planner II
Planner I
(vacant)
Planner I
Planner I
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Environmental
Planner II
Planning
Technician
Planning
Technician
Planning
Technician
Planning
Assistant
Clerk II
(Part-Time)
Mapping &
Graphics Tech
Manager
Development &
Environmental Services
Manager
Community Planning
Vacant Position
Auxiliary Position
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The Engineering Department in the Division consists of four sections, each of which is
headed by a Manager. One section — Infrastructure Development — deals with land
development matters that arise through the development services function. Staff in
the section review development applications to:
• understand the impacts of proposed developments on municipal services
• identify, based on the requirements in the Subdivision & Development
Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, service deficiencies as well as studies that the
applicant must provide related to transportation, water, sanitary sewer and
storm water management
• receive and assess off-site infrastructure design drawings and cost estimates,
submitted by applicants to address the service deficiencies
• inspect the off-site works constructed by applicants, at their cost and based
on the approved design drawings, to address the deficiencies
• issue Certificates of Completion and Certificates of Acceptance for the
constructed off-site works
All off-site works constructed by applicants through the development services
function as a condition of development approval are ultimately inherited by the City
and maintained by staff in Engineering Operations.
Figure 2.2 presents an organization chart for the Engineering Department. The focus
of the chart is the Infrastructure Development section; however, the full Department
is shown since staff in other sections provide input and advice to Infrastructure
Development on specific infrastructure impacts.
Building Department
The City's Building Department is included alongside the Planning Department in the
Planning and Development Services Division. The Building Department is comprised
primarily of Plan Reviewers and Building Inspectors who are involved in review of
building permit applications, the issuance of building permits, and the inspection of
permitted construction. These activities are undertaken through the building permit
function which, as noted earlier, is separate from the development services function
for the purposes of this report.
In addition to Plan Reviewers and Building Inspectors, however, the Building
Department is also home to Development Service Technicians (DSTs). The DSTs are
attached to the Building Department, but work at the City's one-stop application
centre on the main floor in City Hall. Applications for all types of land development
applications, engineering applications, building applications and others are submitted
by property owners (or their agents) to the one-stop centre.
There are seven (7) DST positions at the City. The City is in the process of training all
DSTs to be able to receive, vet and provide information on all types of applications.
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Other Departments
Development applications received by the Planning Department are regularly
referred to staff in other City departments or work groups for comment and, in some
cases, approval. Staff in other departments or groups are also invited to pre-
application meetings to identify impacts, issues and opportunities aimed at helping
potential applicants frame their applications. Key departments and groups involved
in reviews and pre-application meetings include Community Planning, Engineering
Operations, Parks, and Maple Ridge Fire & Rescue.
APPROVAL PROCESSES
Every City develops and follows processes to receive, review and approve
development applications — the City of Maple Ridge is no exception. The processes
required for a proposed development project will be shaped by the type and location
of the project being proposed, and the number of approvals required. Proposed
Figure 2.2
Engineering Department
Current Organization Chart
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist
Director of
Engineering Admin Asst
Engineering
Technologist
Manager
Design & Construction
Manager
Utility Engineering
Vacant Position
Temporary
Position
Engineering
Project Clerk
Engineering
Technologist
(vacant)
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist
Instrument
Person II
Senior Project
Engineer
Manager
Infrastructure
Development
Engineering
Technologist I
Subdivision & Dev.
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist I
Sr. Engineering
Technologist I*
Development
Technician
Manager
Transportation
Traffic
Technician
Engineering
Technician I
Engineering
Technologist I
Supervisor
Mapping & Draft
Draftsperson II
(vacant)
Draftsperson II Draftsperson II
Development
Technician
(Temporary)
Engineering
Inspector III
Engineering
Inspector II
Engineering
Inspector II
Engineering
Inspector I
(Temporary)
* Position currently
filled by an
Engineering
Technologist
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developments that require a change in zoning, for example, will follow the rezoning
process which involves Council and the community. In most cases, such projects will
also require a development permit and subdivision approval, both of which are
granted through their own separate processes which overlap with the rezoning
process.
The complete lists of steps for staff to follow in the City's different approval processes
are set out in the municipality's file management software system (currently the
AMANDA platform). The full lists contain significant detail and are not reproduced
for this report.7 Figure 2.3 presents, instead a simplified version of Maple Ridge's
rezoning process to give a sense of how applications are considered by the City, as
well an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff, Council, the
community and applicants.
Simplified Rezoning Process
Figure 2.3 divides the rezoning process into four phases:
• Pre-Application Phase — The process begins prior to any formal application
being submitted with a pre-application meeting. Development proponents
request these meetings with the Planning Department to present and discuss
their proposed developments at a conceptual level. The meetings are chaired
by a Planning staff member, but typically involve staff from other
departments and sections.
Prior to the meeting, staff attendees review the proponent's pre-application
meeting request form with its description of the proposed development.
Staff also review the attached site plan and elevation drawings submitted by
the proponent. At the meeting, staff discuss the proposal with the proponent
and identify known or potential requirements, issues and concerns. All
feedback provided to the proponent is intended to help strengthen the
proposal and prevent problems from arising during formal application review
process. A faster and smoother approval process is the goal of the pre-
application meeting.
Pre-application meetings have been a feature at the City of Maple Ridge for
several years, as they have in many other places. The City has always
recommended the meetings for proponents of projects that require rezoning,
subdivision and/or development permits. In early 2022, however, the City
made the meetings a requirement for proponents of most development
proposals, including all commercial, industrial and multi-family proposals,
single-family residential subdivisions with more than two lots, and
developments on steep slopes, on a floodplain or near a watercourse. These
7 The rezoning process, for example, includes over 75 separate steps.
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Figure 2.3
Simplified Current Rezoning Process
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developments require a pre-application meeting as part of the rezoning
process, but also as part of the subdivision and development permit
processes.
• Application Phase — All development applications are submitted by
proponents in person to the Development Services Technicians at the City's
one-stop application centre. Checklists are provided online to guide
applicants in assembling all materials that must be included in order for an
application to be accepted as complete.
DSTs that receive the applications conduct an initial check to ensure the
packages include all necessary documents. The Technicians then enter the
information into the City's file management software platform (AMANDA) to
create a folder that can be shared with staff across departments. The
information, it should be noted, must be entered manually — the City's
version of AMANDA does not allow applicants to digitally submit applications
through an online portal that would automatically create the necessary file.
Once created, the application file is forwarded as a hard copy package to the
Manager of Development & Environmental Planning. The Manager assigns
responsibility for the application file to a Planner or Planning Technician
based on existing workloads and the proposed development's level of
complexity. At the City there is only stream through which applications are
processed. All applications are assigned to and processed by staff in the
order in which they are received.8 The Planner or Planning Technician who
receives the file becomes the File Manager, responsible for steering the
application through the approval process, and for being the primary point of
contact between the applicant and the City.
One of the first tasks for the File Manager is prepare a First Reading report on
the proposed rezoning. At Maple Ridge, applications for rezoning are taken
to Council (through Council's Committee of the Whole) early in the
application approval process prior to the submission by the applicant and the
review by staff of technical reports, a complete site layout, elevation
drawings and other documents.
Maple Ridge's approach to First Reading is unique among municipalities,
including cities in Metro Vancouver. The approach was introduced in the
early 2000's as an opportunity for Council to provide early input on all
rezoning proposals prior to formal staff review, and as a way to allow
applicants to gauge Council's support for the proposal prior to investing
significant funds on development consultants and technical reports. In all
8 Certain applications that are considered by Council or Senior Leadership to be particularly
important to the community may be given priority in processing. Decisions on such priorities,
however, are ad hoc in nature, not guided by formal policy.
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other municipalities, rezoning applicants are required to submit technical
reports and other supporting materials with the applications, prior to
appearing before Council. Initial reports to Council in other municipalities
provide the results of staffs' technical analyses of the files.
• Review Phase — The review phase is the most time- and effort-intensive part
of the process. Following Council's approval at First Reading, the File
Manager notifies the applicant of the need to submit the full application
package (if not already provided) with all documents and reports identified in
the application checklist. The File Manager then distributes — that is, refers
— the application package to the managers of other City departments and
sections that have responsibility for applying Maple Ridge's policies,
regulations and servicing standards to proposed land developments. The
specific list of internal referrals will be determined by the nature and location
of the proposed development, but will typically include Infrastructure
Development, Community Planning, Environmental Planning and Parks.9
Public agencies outside of the City may, depending on the proposed
development, also receive a copy of the application package. The Ministry of
Transportation and Infrastructure is one example.
All internal and external referral groups will make comments on and identify
requirements related to the application. All comments and requirements will
be sent to the File Manager for review, consolidation and communication to
the applicant. Ideally, a single letter of issues for the applicant to address is
developed and provided by the File Manager.
The community and Council have important roles to play in the review phase
of the rezoning process. The community has an opportunity, first, to learn
about the proposed development and its implications for the City in a
Development Information Meeting (DIM). DIMs are required for rezonings
that propose a change in land use or the development five or more dwelling
units.10 The community has an additional opportunity to provide input at the
Public Hearing, which takes place at the end of the review phase.
Council's involvement in this phase occurs, first, at Second Reading, which
comes on the heels of the DIM. A report by the File Manager captures all of
the comments from the referral groups, summarizes the input from the DIM
and provides a recommendation for Council. The report goes first to
Council's COW, then to Council itself. Following Second Reading, Council
9 In many cases, a rezoning application will be accompanied by applications for development permits,
subdivision and/or other approvals. Reviewers in referral departments will receive the materials
necessary to consider the City's requirements for all applicable approvals.
10 Through the development permit process, DIMs are also required for commercial and industrial
projects that do not require rezoning, but that are adjacent to residential land.
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convenes and presides at the Public Hearing, then considers the application
at Third Reading (no separate report is provided for Third Reading).
• Approval Phase — After Council approval at Third Reading, the File Manager
sets out in a letter to the applicant the Final Reading requirements. At the
same time, the Infrastructure Development Manager sends to the File
Manager the servicing agreement and cost estimate that outlines the
development servicing infrastructure that must be provided to meet the
conditions set out in the Preliminary Layout Approval provided to the
applicant (for subdivision approval) after Third Reading.11
The File Manager submits a report to Council for Final Reading. Where
applicable, the report includes development permit and/or variance permit
materials required for Council to provide those approvals, as well.
Other Approval Processes
The City has a detailed process in place for the receipt, review and approval of
applications for development permits; formal, written processes for development
variance permit applications and applications for subdivision approval have not been
created. Wherever possible, Maple Ridge (similar to all cities) receives and processes
applications together. Final approvals must follow a specific order to ensure that
applicants do not obtain approval to subdivide land or develop property that has not
been formally rezoned to accommodate the proposed development. For the most
part, however, processes proceed concurrently.
TECHNOLOGY
The departments and sections in Maple Ridge that are involved in the City's
development services function currently use the AMANADA software platform to
manage application files. The platform is intended to allow staff to share and provide
input on application files, prompt action on the part of reviewers, generate
communications to send to applicants, and track the progress of applications through
the approval processes.
The current platform — and, more significantly, staffs' approach to using it — has a
number of shortcomings that make it less than ideal as an application management
system for the City. The current version, for example, either does not have or has not
been configured to allow for the online submission of applications and materials
through an applications portal. Applications submitted to the City must be entered
manually into the system by DSTs. The current version is also not able to store or
transmit attachments to applications — a shortcoming that makes it difficult for the
City to maintain a single set of digital files. Finally, the system does not allow
applicants to track their own applications. Applicants are expected, instead, to seek
11 Applications for subdivision (where required) are processed concurrently with the rezoning
application. Final adoption of the rezoning is a condition, however, for final subdivision approval.
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updates from File Managers who, in turn, are expected to put aside their work,
identify where an application sits and report back their findings.
The City was successful in 2021 in its application for funding through the provincial
Local Government Development Approvals Program to assist in the purchase of a new
development applications management software platform. A multi-disciplinary team
of City staff has worked to review platform options, and is in the process of procuring
the preferred system. The new system will have the potential to significantly improve
information flow, sharing, retention and management, and to expedite approvals.
INFORMATION TO APPLICANTS
The processes for reviewing and approving applications for development can be quite
complex, with multiple submission requirements, conditions for approval, and steps
to take. Over time the degree of complexity has increased considerably in response
to new regulations and expectations at the local, regional and provincial levels. To
assist applicants and their consultants in understanding the processes and
requirements, the City of Maple Ridge, similar to most municipalities, produces and
makes available a broad range of information materials. Materials that applicants
can find and download on the City's website include:
• copies of all development bylaws, including the Official Community Plan
Bylaw No. 7060, City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, Maple Ridge
Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, and Maple Ridge
Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879
• the City's application form for all development approvals, along with
supplemental forms
• twelve checklists that identify the requirements for different applications
• development permit guidelines and checklists for all permit areas
• reference documents on key information items, including application fees,
community amenity contributions, DIMs, street trees, and basic regulations
that apply in each zone in the City
• thirteen guides and brochures to outline (at a high level) the approval
processes, and the information required in key supporting reports
• twenty checklists, guidelines and regulations specifically related to
environmental planning requirements
• design and construction documents to follow in the construction of
development works
APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION REQUESTS
Application Numbers
In an effort to better understand the level of development activity in Maple Ridge,
the numbers of different types of development applications received by the City were
collected from the City for the past five years. Figure 2.4 presents the data.12
12 Comparative data from other municipalities are presented in Chapter 3.
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In reviewing the figure, certain limitations inherent in the data are important to
highlight. it is important to note, for example, that the numbers in the figure show
how many individual development applications were received by City staff each year,
but provide no sense of the varying level of complexity associated with different files.
It can be assumed that some of the files processed by staff over the time period were
relatively simple in nature with few complicating factors. It can also be assumed,
however, that other files were complex in nature, requiring the involvement of staff
from several departments, and significant interaction with applicants and their
professionals. The time and effort required to process applications with different
levels of complexity can vary considerably.
It is also important to note that the processing of files received in one year can — and
often will — extend into subsequent years. Files approved in any one year may
include the files received in a previous year, but also files received and processed in
the current year. The impact on City resources may be greater than that which is
implied by focusing on totals received in single years.
Finally, Figure 2.4 does not show the number of building permits received by the
Building Department that are referred for comment to Planners, Engineering
Figure 2.4
Development Applications Received by Type
2018 to 2022 (October)
* January to end of September, 2022
** OCP Amendments, where required, are handled as part of rezoning applications
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Technicians, Engineers and others. Building permit applications that are not
connected to rezonings or other applications are typically referred by the Building
Department to these other staff. The need to review and provide comments on
these permit applications add to the workloads of staff.
Information Requests
The City regularly receives information requests from property owners, developers,
realtors and others on land use regulations that apply to, and on the development
potential of, specific parcels of land in Maple Ridge. In general, requests are made by
telephone or email, or in person at the application centre in City Hall. Requests are
taken and, for the most part, addressed by the DSTs. When DSTs are unable to
provide answers, requests are passed to the Planning Assistant in the Planning
Department. Requests that cannot be answered by the Planning Assistant are
elevated to the Planner of the Day (POD). The POD is a designation assigned a
rotating basis to the Planning Technicians and Planners in the Department.13 Each
day, one Technician or Planner designated as the POD will be available to take calls
and answer questions at the front counter that the DSTs and Planning Assistant are
not able to answer.
The POD service is intended for information requests that require the professional
knowledge of a Planner (or Planning Technician), but that do not require consultation
with other departments or research by the POD. Ideally, requests handled by the
POD should take no more than 30 minutes.14 Persons with requests that require
consultation with other departments, and/or greater time and effort on the part of
Planning staff, are re-framed as land use inquiries (LUIs).
LUIs are formal requests for land use information on a particular property. They are
used to provide information such as preliminary comments on engineering servicing
and possible road dedication, interpretations of the Zoning Bylaw related to a
property, watercourse setback requirements and other items. They are submitted by
the property owner (or its authorized agent) using the Planning Department's Land
Use Inquiry Application Form. A fee of $255.00 applies.
The City records numbers of telephone and in-person information requests, as well
as numbers of LUIs. Figure 2.5 presents numbers tracked by staff for recent years.
The volume of requests handled by the PODs is not recorded. Anecdotally, staff
report that POD requests range from five to fifty per day; a typical day sees ten.
Application Processing Times
The time it takes a city to process different types of development applications is an
important metric. It is also a metric that can be defined and calculated differently
across municipalities, and that must be unpacked to fully appreciate. A municipality
that "starts the clock" at the time of application acceptance and keeps it running until
13 Several (but not all) municipalities offer the POD service.
14 The reality in Maple Ridge is somewhat different, as is explored in Chapter 3.
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final approval, for example,
will report considerably
different times than an
organization that "stops the
clock" for the periods of
time during which the
applicant is responding to
staff requests for
information.
In response to the
consultant's request, City
staff compiled processing
times using data from the
AMANDA file management
system. The findings are
presented in Figure 2.6.
The times in the figure
account for the period
beginning with the
acceptance of an
application, and ending with
final approval. No
deductions have been made
for periods during which
applicants were responding
to staff requests of
information requirements.
Applications that were
processed outside of the
AMANDA system through
some other approach are
not reflected in the data,15
nor are applications that
began prior to January 1,
2019, or that at the time of
writing (November 2022) remain open.
15 There is considerable variability among staff in the level of reliance on and use of AMANDA in
processing application files.
Figure 2.5
Land Use Planning Information Requests
* COVID-19 forced closure of City Hall in the spring of 2020
** Telephone and In-Person from January to September;
LUIs from January to end of June
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Figure 2.6
Application Processing Times*
* Data include all Rezoning and Subdivision applications accepted after January 1, 2019, and approved
before October 1, 2022; and all Development Permits opened after January 1, 2020, and approved before
October 1, 2022. Includes only files managed through AMANDA.
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CHAPTER 3
ISSUES TO CONSIDER
Over the course of several months, all City managers and staff involved in the
development services function were interviewed by the consultant — some more
than once — as were a number of developers and development professionals with
experience in Maple Ridge and in other Lower Mainland municipalities. A range of
materials and statistics were obtained from the City and reviewed. The consultant
also undertook a considerable amount of comparative research on similar-size, high-
growth municipalities in British Columbia, primarily in the Lower Mainland. Based on
findings from the interviews, review of materials and comparative research, the
consultant identified a set of issues that the City may wish to consider in its efforts to
strengthen the function. The issues are explored in this chapter of the report under
the following headings:
• Information Requests
• Council Involvement
• Delegation of Approvals
• Referral of Applications
• File Manager Model
• Application Streams
• Communications and Engagement
• Technology
• Infrastructure Development
• Environmental Services
• Organizational Culture
• Staffing Levels
All issues are outlined in detail; observations specific to Maple Ridge are presented.
Recommendations on each of the issues are offered in the report's final chapter.
The issues examined, it should be emphasized, do not represent the definitive list of
points raised by stakeholders and staff or identified by the consultant. In the
consultant's judgement, however, the set of selected issues highlights the concerns
and opportunities that are the most important for the City to address.
NATURE OF REVIEWS
Reviews are undertaken by municipalities to critically examine a part of the
organization, a service or — in the case of the current exercise —a function.
Questions are asked, materials are examined, and comparisons are considered in an
effort to identify issues to address and changes to make. Staff who work in the
function may agree that such reviews have value and as well as the potential to
improve outcomes for the organization and those it serves. Staff may also, however,
feel unsettled by the scrutiny that is inherent to reviews, and concerned about the
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changes that may ensue. These feelings are understandable and need to be taken
into account when presenting reviews and implementing recommendations.
It is also important in reviews to highlight not only the issues to address and
improvements to make, but the strengths that are in place and the accomplishments
that have been achieved. Consider the following strengths and accomplishments in
the Maple Ridge development services function:
• Commitment — In interviews with the consultant, staff involved in the
function exhibited a strong commitment to the community and its future
development. Staff also showed significant commitment to and support for
their colleagues in the function, as well as the organization as a whole.
• Initiative — There are several examples of individual staff finding solutions to
concerns, and creating small improvements to the application review process.
Individuals have created checklists and templates, collected data, undertaken
comparative research on best practices, and eliminated unnecessary
referrals, all in an effort to streamline the review process.
• Pre-Application Assistance — The decision by Maple Ridge to mandate pre-
application meetings is a best practice. These meetings provide valuable
feedback and guidance to prospective applicants. They can provide greater
certainty to applicants and result in more complete and better quality
applications.
• Approachability — Development community representatives interviewed for
the study raised concerns related to turn-around times, requirements and file
updates. Representatives did not, however, point to concerns related to the
approachability of staff. On the contrary, several developers highlighted
staffs' professionalism and desire to help despite challenges that complicate
the review process.
• Openness — Staff interviewed by the consultant expressed an openness to
change — change, that is, in processes, structure, organizational culture and
other key elements of the workplace. Staff are excited about the prospect of
certain changes already underway, namely the selection of a new file
management software platform. There is a widespread openness and desire
to change what is necessary to provide a consistently high level of service.
INFORMATION REQUESTS
Managing Inquiries
As illustrated in Figure 2.5, the City receives a significant number of telephone and in-
person land use planning information requests each year (email requests are also
received). Individuals making requests may be seeking information and/or
clarification on a variety of development services topics, including:
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• the status of and expected turn-around times for applications that have been
submitted to the City and are under review
• application requirements, and steps to take to submit an application
• reasons for the City deciding that applications are incomplete
• fees required and how to pay them
• the development potential of, and/or development restrictions related to, a
specific property, in particular one that may be available for purchase
• infrastructure needs for a property, and a sense of costs involved
• interpretations of a development bylaw or regulation
Most inquires that come to the City are received initially by the Development
Services Technicians or Planning Assistant.16 The DSTs are physically situated at the
Application Centre counter in City Hall, and are the first point of contact for all in-
person inquiries and most telephone inquiries. The Planning Assistant is seated
behind the front counter, and is able to attend in-person inquiries, take telephone
questions when requested by DSTs, and respond to emails.
Inquiries that cannot be answered by the DSTs are referred to the Planning
Assistant.17 Inquiries that cannot be answered by the Planning Assistant are directed
to the Planner of the Day (POD). As noted in the previous chapter, the POD
designation rotates among Planning Technicians and Planners on a daily basis. The
POD is physically situated on the second floor of City Hall in the Planning
Department's regular workspace. Staff report that while some of the information
requests referred to the POD can be addressed relatively quickly, it is not uncommon
for staff in the position to continue working on more complex requests in the day(s)
following their shifts.18 Some complex inquiries will be presented by the POD to
colleagues for input and assistance at a weekly Friday planning meeting.
An inquiry that cannot be addressed in a reasonable amount of time by the POD,
even with input from colleagues, will be treated as a Land Use Inquiry (LUI). The
party that made the request for information will be asked to submit an LUI
application form and pay the associated $255.00 fee. As indicated in Figure 2.5, the
number of LUIs handled by the City each year is small — exceedingly small relative to
the numbers of telephone and in-person inquiries received.
Observations
The City's efforts to receive and address land use planning information requests
reflect a genuine desire on the part of staff to help residents, property owners,
developers, realtors, existing and prospective applicants, and other customers get
16 Inquiries that are specific to an existing application — particularly an application for a large
development — may be submitted directly to the application File Manager or referral department.
17 There is one Planning Assistant position in the department. One Planning Technician position
works spends up to half of its time as a Planning Assistant to assist with inquiries.
18 The department does not collect data on the PODs to track the numbers of inquiries handled, types
of inquiries, time required to close inquiries, or other points. The findings cited in this section
emerged from interviews with staff.
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the information they need to make development-related decisions. The current
method of receiving and processing such inquiries, however, could be improved to
help staff manage their own time, and manage — or in some cases reset — the
expectations of parties seeking information from the City. Consider the following
points:
Development Services Technicians
The DSTs were not interviewed as part of this review; they were, however,
interviewed as part of the 2021 review of the Building Permit Function. In that
review the observation was made that City needed to provide greater training
and guidance to the DSTs to enable them to confidently manage inquiries in all
areas of development, including planning and land use, infrastructure,
environment and building. Changes made from the Building Permit Function
Review placed the DSTs under a new manager in the Building Department. The
DSTs now have strong guidance and leadership; technical training is an ongoing
need to enable them to manage an ever-higher proportion of inquiries.
Information Resources
The entire system of handling inquiries at the City would benefit from efforts to
make additional online resources publicly available and easily accessible to
persons who seek information. To be sure, the City's Zoning Bylaw, OCP Bylaw
and most other information sources can be accessed online already, as can
various bulletins and guidance documents. It is not easy for users, however, to
find and apply the information in the various materials to an individual property.
The Cities of Surrey and Coquitlam make available sophisticated digital mapping
systems that can be used by individuals to get a considerable amount of
information. These systems, along with others, serve to pre-empt inquires. Their
availability also makes it possible for staff to re-direct some inquiries to the online
tools.
Planner of the Day
The POD position is not unique to Maple Ridge — several (but not all)
municipalities in high-growth regions make use of the POD initiative. Maple
Ridge appears to be more unique, however, in its practice of having POD staff
continue to work on enquiries in the day(s) following their shifts. Inquiries that
follow the POD to his or her regular position, post-POD shift, occupy the staff
member's time and energy that are supposed to be focused on existing
application files for which he or she is responsible. The practice, which appears
to be based on a desire to provide good customer service, results in poor
customer service for existing applicants whose files have been assigned to the
staff member. These customers face delays and frustrations.
The POD initiative is designed to enable the City to respond in a relatively quick
manner to inquiries that require input from a professional planner, and that
cannot be handled by front-line counter staff. The initiative is not designed as an
intake point for complicated or time-consuming inquiries that, if addressed,
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would impact a staff member's time available to review applications already
received. Maple Ridge should consider the following types of changes to align
the POD initiative with its intended purpose:
– Set a guideline to regulate the amount of time a POD will make available
to address any single information request. At the City of Delta, the time
limit is 30 minutes.
– Require any inquiry that in the POD's judgement will require more than
30 minutes of the POD's time to be submitted to the City as an LUI.
– Place the POD behind the front counter at the Application Centre so that
he or she can interact more efficiently than at present with the DSTs and
Planning Assistants, and easily attend to in-person inquiries that require
the POD's input.
The City may also wish to consider restructuring the POD from a rotating, shift-
based position to a permanent position for a Planning Technician or Planning I.
The current approach impacts all Planners and Planning Technicians' time, and is
disruptive to the department as a whole.19 The City of Kelowna has a permanent
POD position held by a junior Planner who sits in the Kelowna's Application
Centre. The position is back-stopped by a back-up POD that rotates among
senior staff. This back-up POD is called upon only sparingly, but is useful to have
in place.
Inquiries Database
Maple Ridge does not at present have in place a database to record by property
land use development inquiries that are submitted to the City, and corresponding
responses that are provided. The lack of such a database makes the system both
inefficient and prone to risk. In the current system, staff who are unaware of
previous inquiries taken on a particular property end up answering repeat
questions about the same parcel (in some cases from the same individuals who
are seeking different answers). And, since staff are unaware of the answers that
were given in the past by their colleagues, they risk providing contradictory or
inconsistent information.
Upcoming advances in the City's application review technology platform (see
later) provides an opportunity to put in place a proper inquiry tracking system.
COUNCIL INVOLVEMENT
Rezoning Process
As the elected governing body for the City of Maple Ridge, Council has an important
19 It should be emphasized that the Planners and Planning Technicians do take inquiries from existing
applicants on whose files the staff are working. These inquiries would continue to be taken by
these staff.
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role to play in establishing the policies to guide and regulations to manage
development in the community. Council also has a responsibility to receive and
consider certain types of development applications, to approve the applications that
Council deems to be in the community's interest, and reject applications that in
Council's view are not.
Council's involvement in the development review process is a fundamental feature of
our system of democratic local governance — Council's ongoing involvement is not a
matter for debate. What can be considered, however, are changes to the level of
Council's involvement. Consider the process for reviewing rezoning applications. As
identified in Chapter 2, all applications for rezoning are presented to Council in the
form of a bylaw amendment at the following points:
• First Reading — A staff report is prepared on the proposed development's
land-use implications. The report speaks only to land use matters — it does
not present information on development characteristics, servicing
implications or other matters. The report is prepared prior to the applicant
having provided, and prior to staff having reviewed, the necessary technical
reports and drawings that are required to support any rezoning application.
The report is prepared to give Council an opportunity to signal its willingness
to consider the development proposal subject to the applicant providing
additional information. The report is presented first to Council's Committee
of the Whole, then to Council itself.
• Second Reading — Council receives a second staff report at Second Reading.
This report captures the feedback provided by internal and external referral
bodies that have reviewed the various technical reports and drawings.
Anticipated servicing, transportation, community and other impacts are
outlined for Council's consideration. A summary of the Development
Information Meeting held by the application (where required) is also
provided, as is a staff recommendation. The report is submitted for
consideration first to Committee of the Whole, then to Council itself.
• Public Hearing — The application is referred by Council during Second
Reading to Public Hearing. At the Public Hearing Council sits as a tribunal
body, in place to hear the community's views on the proposed development.
Staff prepare information documents and mapping.
• Third Reading — Council considers the application at Third Reading, which
typically occurs at the first Council meeting following the Public Hearing.
Conditions that must be met by the applicant within one year in order to
receive final approval are set out by Council at Third Reading.
• Final Reading — Fourth or Final Reading of the bylaw occurs once the
conditions for approval have been met. A staff report is prepared for
Council's consideration.
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Observations
Maple Ridge Council exercises a higher level of involvement in the rezoning process
than most if not all other municipal councils, certainly in the Lower Mainland and
other high-growth parts of the province. The City is unique, in particular, in its use of
First Reading as an opportunity for Council to consider the merits of an application
based solely on land use implications, without any information on other important
impacts. In most if not all other municipalities, applications do not go to council for
review until the professional staff have a clear understanding of, and are able to
advise council on, the environmental, servicing, transportation, community and other
anticipated impacts of a proposed project.20
First Reading
Maple Ridge's approach to First Reading was introduced by Council in the early
2000's as a way to give applicants a sense, prior to spending money on technical
reports and drawings, of Council's willingness to support the proposed
development. The initiative was also intended to bring to Council's attention all
rezoning applications that come to the City, including those that in other
municipalities may not be presented to Council following staff's technical review
and identification of deficiencies.
These reasons may have been important in the early 2000's when development
activity at the City and in the surrounding region was less significant and in many
ways simpler than at present. Today, however, the approach to First Reading is
problematic for at least three reasons:
– The approach is open to misuse by applicants who may seek First Reading
approval not as the first step towards formal rezoning, but rather as a
signal of Council support that can be used to enhance the marketability
— and possibly the value — of the property.21
– Council has expressed frustration with the lack of information on
development implications that is provided for consideration at First
Reading. Council appears to be less comfortable than it may have been in
earlier times to provide support without a clear understanding of what
exactly is being proposed, and what it would mean for the City and the
community.
– The approach to First Reading requires City staff to prepare a separate
report and to present the report to Committee of the Whole, then to
20 Some municipalities (e.g., Coquitlam) have a separate First Reading at which all implications will be
considered, then combine Second and Third Readings. Other municipalities (e.g., Surrey) have a
combined First and Second Reading at which implications are considered followed by a Third
Reading. No municipalities other than Maple Ridge appear to have a separate First Reading for
land use implications, followed by a separate Second Reading for the more significant implications,
followed by a separate Third Reading to set out conditions for approval.
21 The City does not collect statistics to understand the prevalence of potential misuse.
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Council. The time required for these extra steps adds to the overall
processing time, and is not inconsequential.
The City should consider changing its current approach by combining First and
Second Readings, as is done in many other municipalities.
Public Hearings
For many years, municipalities have had the authority to waive public hearings for
proposed amendments to a zoning bylaw in cases where the amendment is
consistent with the official community plan. In 2021, Bill 26 changed the Local
Government Act slightly to clarify and promote this authority. Bill 26 replaced the
current wording which states that "a local government may waive" a public
hearing, with the statement that "a local government is not required to hold" a
public hearing.
Some municipalities responded to this change by amending their own Council
procedure bylaws. The City of Surrey, for example, added new language:
"No public hearing is required for a proposed zoning bylaw which meets
the following criteria:
(a) it is in relation to a subdivision creating five or fewer new
single family residential lots
(b) the Official Community Plan is in effect for the area that is the
subject of the zoning bylaw
(c) it is consistent with the Official Community Plan…"
Decisions to not hold a public hearing in these types of cases help to reduce staff
workload and make resources available for more complex development
proposals. Maple Ridge should consider a similar approach.
DELEGATION OF APPROVALS
Delegation to Staff
Under the Local Government Act, the approval in Maple Ridge of certain types of
development applications must come from the City's elected governing body — i.e.,
Council. Applications to change the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, for
example, must always be made by Council.22 For certain types of applications,
however, Council may choose to delegate the approval authority to a staff member,
such as the Director of Planning. The provision to delegate is provided in an effort to
streamline approvals and reduce the overall number of applications that compete for
Council's time.
For many years, Council has had the ability under the Act to delegate approval
authority for development permit applications. In 2021, changes to the Local
22 This requirement applies to all municipalities in the province.
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Government Act under Bill 26 expanded Council's scope of delegation to include
development variance permits for specific types of variances that are deemed to be
minor in nature. Approval of development variance permits that propose to vary the
following types of bylaw provisions may be delegated to staff:
• provisions related to siting, size and dimensions of buildings and permitted
used in the Zoning Bylaw23
• off-street parking and loading space requirements
• sign regulations
• specific screening and landscaping provisions
All delegation must be by bylaw, must set out criteria for determining what is minor,
and must be accompanied by guidelines that staff must consider in making an
approval decision.
Maple Ridge Council has delegated to the Director of Planning the authority to
approve all development permits related to the protection of the natural
environment. All other development permits and all development variance permits,
however, must be approved by Council itself.
Observations
The scope of delegation for development approvals in Maple Ridge is on par with that
in many other municipalities. A growing number of places, however, are expanding
the range of development permits delegated to staff, and beginning to delegate
approval for minor development variance permits. Examples of places include the
City of Abbotsford, City of Surrey, City of North Vancouver, City of Chilliwack and the
City of Burnaby. In all of these municipalities, the decision to delegate has been
driven by a desire to reduce staff workload associated with the provision and delivery
of reports to Council, allow Council to focus its (limited) time on significant
applications, and shorten the processing time for development permits and minor
development variance permits.
Maple Ridge should consider developing a more comprehensive delegation bylaw to
include approval for most if not all development permits, and development variance
permits wherever possible.
REFERRAL OF APPLICATIONS
Internal Referrals
Most if not all development applications received by the municipality will be referred
by the File Manager in the Planning Department to staff in other departments in the
City, a list of which may include:
• Environmental Services (Planning)
• Community Planning (Planning)
23 Variances may not result in changes to density or permitted uses.
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• Infrastructure Development (Engineering)
• Parks (Parks & Recreation)
• Transportation (Engineering)
• Utility Engineering (Engineering)
Staff in referral sections will review each application to determine the proposed
development's degree of compliance to the development-related policies,
regulations and/or technical standards set out by the City. Comments provided by
staff will identify compliance gaps along with changes necessary to address the gaps.
All comments are sent to the File Manager. The full list of internal referrals in any
single case will vary to some degree by the nature of the development being
proposed. In general, the larger and more complex a development proposal, the
greater the number and range of internal referral groups.24
Internal referrals are a feature of every development review process in every
municipality. Planners in the Planning Department that receive and shepherd
applications through the process do not have — and are not expected to have — the
specialized technical knowledge required to understand and address the anticipated
impacts of a proposed development on the utilities, drainage patterns, watercourses
and other natural features, parks and trails, approved future land use patterns,
transportation routes and other elements of a municipality. To ensure that all stated
requirements are met, specialist staff members in the different referral groups need
to review the applications received.
In some cities the internal referral phase of application review can be a "bottleneck"
in the overall process. Delays can occur for a number of reasons, including:
• heavy workload in one or more referral group, related to the number of
applications, complexity of applications and/or shortage of active staff
• outdated or incomplete standards, service plans or land use plans against
which applications must be reviewed
• the need to obtain additional technical information or clarification from an
applicant
• a lack of internal policies or processes to guide staff on turn-around times,
and to set out expectations
• inter-departmental differences in priorities
• weak application tracking systems to prevent applications from being
misplaced or forgotten
• a reliance on less experienced staff who, despite strong skills and
commitment, may not be as proficient as others in reviewing applications
24 Referrals to external agencies — Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Fraser Health,
Metro Vancouver, others — will also be made in many cases. The focus in this report, however is
on internal referrals.
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Observations
It is clear from the interviews with staff conducted for this assignment, and from the
discussions with representatives from the development community, that delays are a
feature of the referral phase in Maple Ridge. The magnitude of the issue is difficult to
gauge accurately because the City does not accurately track through its existing
AMANDA technology platform the amount of time an application sits with a referral
group. Based on staff input, certain sections appear consistently able to complete
their reviews and provide comments to the File Manager in relatively short order.
Other sections, however, face persistent challenges to respond in a timely manner.
The challenges are related to many of the reasons noted earlier, including:
• difficulty in filling vacant positions and a resulting higher work load for
remaining staff
• a lack of experienced more senior staff who, by virtue of time spent on the
job, tend to be able to process referrals efficiently
• the need to update service master plans and the service standards that flow
from them25
• poor application tracking systems that can (and do) result in applications
sitting unattended for too long, and that can (and do) result in comments
from referral groups being lost
• the absence of any stated expectations or internal requirements on turn-
around times
Efforts to retain staff in Infrastructure Development would help considerably to
reduce internal referral delays. If retention and subsequent recruitment are not
successful, the City should consider filling staffing gaps, at least for the short term,
with one or more contract technicians.26 The City should also consider developing
and implementing policies on acceptable turn-around times. Changes related to
tracking systems are addressed under other issues later in the chapter.
One additional observation to note concerns the lack of uniformity among referral
staff in the delivery of comments to the File Manager. In an ideal situation, all staff
would be required to provide comments directly into the application folder in the
City's AMANDA file management system. In Maple Ridge, staff are allowed to
present their comments in any format they wish, through whichever medium they
choose. Some staff input comments directly into the review folder in AMANDA.
Other staff, however, put comments into a memo that is emailed as a Word or PDF
document to the File Manager. Some staff put comments directly into the email that
is sent.
25 The City has an updated master plan for water infrastructure but not for sewer.
26 This potential change would be subject to the City's Collective Agreement with CUPE Local 622. The
consultant's review of the Agreement did not reveal any prohibitions on using contractors for
limited periods of time, providing all qualified staff that wish to provide the service have been given
the opportunity. It is worth emphasizing, as well, that the City has made use of contract
Engineering Technicians in the past, and makes regular use of contract Engineering Inspectors.
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This lack of uniformity in the delivery of comments by reviewers reflects the varying
levels of proficiency and comfort in using the current AMANDA application review
platform. Varying levels of comfort with technology exist in every organization and
need to be addressed. The way to address them, however, is not to accommodate
individuals' preferences for email or memos, but rather to give staff the training and
practice needed to use the system properly.27 Accommodation of individuals'
preferences makes the review process less efficient than it could be, and serves to
undermine the City's file management system and desire for a single repository of
information on each application file.
FILE MANAGER MODEL
The Role
When a development application is submitted to the City, the Development Services
Technicians that receives the file creates an application folder in AMANDA, along with
a manual application folder. The manual folder (with a reference to the AMANDA
folder) is sent to the Manager of Development and Environmental Services. The
Manager assigns the file to a Planner or Planning Technician based on the proposed
development's level of complexity, existing staff workloads, staff experience with
similar files, and other factors.
The Planner or Planning Technician who is assigned the file takes on the role of File
Manager. As the title suggests, the File Manager is the City staff member responsible
for shepherding the application file through the City's review process from start to
finish. In the role, the staff member is responsible for:
• introducing him- or herself (by letter) as the File Manager to the applicant,
and advising of any additional submissions required to proceed through the
review process
• determining which departments and sections in the City, and which agencies
external to the City, need to review and provide comments on the
application
• ensuring that all referrals are sent out, and that all necessary reviews are
undertaken
• receiving all comments from reviewers
• bringing together the different comments from City referral departments,
identifying priority needs and trade-offs, and putting forward a single
response letter from the City with issues for the applicant to address28
27 Several staff noted in interviews with the consultant that they have never received training on the
use of AMANDA.
28 Trade-offs and priorities may be determined by the File Manager in consultation Development
Services managers. Trade-offs involving infrastructure needs are typically determined within
Engineering prior to being presented to the File Manager. Additional potential trade-offs involving
services need to made in consultation with the Infrastructure Development Manager who is
responsible for addressing implications of developments for City infrastructure.
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• reviewing the file against the City's development planning policies and
regulations (e.g., Zoning Bylaw, development permit guidelines)
• providing a letter to the applicant to identify requirements and issues that
must be satisfied for the application to proceed
• working with the applicant and, where necessary, the referral groups to
resolve issues identified
• preparing and presenting all reports, complete with recommendations, to
Council and its Committee of the Whole29
Throughout the process, the File Manager is the principal — if not the sole — point of
contact between the City and the applicant. At the very least, all communication
between the applicant and the City involves the File Manager.30
The File Manager position is critical to the smooth flow of development applications
through the City's review process. A good File Manager is able to ensure that the
requirements and concerns from the City are brought together, balanced,
communicated clearly to the applicant and understood by the applicant. A good File
Manager ensures that all materials submitted by the applicant are received properly
and distributed to the right referral groups. A good File Manager provides
recommendations to Council that take into account the concerns and needs of the
City as a whole.
Observations
The File Manager position can only work when applicants and other City staff
recognize and respect the File Manager's authority. Staff across the organization,
and applicants dealing with the City, need to support the File Manager as the
principal point of contact.
The File Manager system works well in many cases in Maple Ridge as it does in other
municipalities. At the City, however, it does not appear to be uncommon for staff in
referral departments to deal directly with applicants on issues and requirements that
may be important to an individual department, and/or that may be unpopular with
an applicant. It is understood that, in most instances, it is the applicant who initiates
contact directly to staff in the referral departments, either to better understand an
issue that has been identified, or in an effort to move an application through the
process faster.
Applicants — in particular, applicants seeking permission for large development
projects — are under significant pressure to obtain development approval as quickly
as possible. Every month that passes without approval adds to an applicant's carrying
costs, and can put strain on an applicant's relationships with its contactors and
29 Planning Technicians write but do not present Council reports. Presentations are made by Planners.
30 In several places, including Maple Ridge, Infrastructure Development will communicate directly
with a proponent's engineering consultants. All correspondence, however, includes the File
Manager.
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financers. In this context it is understandable that applicants may initiate contact
with managers staff in referral departments. The desire for direct contact may be
even more understandable in cases where the applicant has not received any
updates on the status of an application, and has no ability to independently
determine where in the process an application sits.31
Empathy for applicants aside, the City's practice of allowing applicants to bypass the
File Manager and directly contact staff in referral departments undermines the File
Manager model and reduces the efficiency of the overall process. The practice also
relieves the File Manager of accountability related to:
• keeping applicants informed of the status of applications, and any issues that
staff have identified32
• managing trade-offs in the priorities and concerns put forward by different
departments
• ensuring consistency in communications between the City and an individual
applicant
The expectation that staff in referral departments will respect the role and authority
of the File Manager needs to be made clear and enforced. A formal written
document on the role of File Manager and expectations for other staff may be
required.33
One additional observation concerns the communication of referral department
comments by the File Manager. Most Planners and Planning Technicians in the City
understand that when they are serving as File Manager, they are expected not only
to communicate issues and requirements from referral departments to applications,
but also to bring together comments in a way that:
• recognizes trade-offs among concerns and interests raised
• resolves conflicts in the different comments
• presents a single letter and set of stipulations to meet
To fulfill this role, File Managers must exercise judgement. Some staff in the position
either do not understand this aspect of the role, or do not feel able to scrutinize
comments and — where necessary — reject concerns or interests that fall outside of
established requirements, and/or impose expectations on applicants that the File
Manager feels are inappropriate. These File Managers choose, instead, to pass on all
comments presented by referral departments, without edits, to the applicants.
31 The City does not have an online portal that applicants can access to monitor the progress of their
files.
32 Applicants interviewed by the consultant reported significantly different experiences in
communications from File Managers. Some File Manager are proactive and work to keep
applicants informed. Others appear to make no effort to connect.
33 The City of Kelowna has such a document for staff; other municipalities may as well.
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It is important to clarify that File Managers should always seek clarification from
referral departments where necessary, and should never hesitate to seek guidance
from colleagues and managers in the Planning Department in assessing comments
that are provided. It is also important that File Managers explain to referral
departments why certain comments may be omitted from communications with an
applicant. In all cases, however, the File Manager needs to exercise judgement and
present referral department comments to applicants in a way that is clear and fair.
APPLICATION STREAMS
Single Stream
All applications that are submitted to the City are received into a single stream for
the purpose of review. Applications are forwarded from the DSTs to the Manager of
Development and Environmental Services, the assigned to File Managers in the order
in which they are received. File Managers, similarly, initiate work on their files when
the files are received, and in the order in which they arrive. Since every File Manager
in Maple Ridge (and in every municipality) has a workload consisting of many files at
any one time, new files that are assigned to the File Manager will often be placed in a
queue and not opened immediately. Individual files move out of File Managers'
queues in the order which they are received.
The receipt and management of applications using a single stream is not unique to
Maple Ridge, but is also not ubiquitous across municipalities. Increasingly, cities
recognize that while every application is important, and while every applicant has a
legitimate expectation — indeed, a right — to receive prompt and fair treatment, not
every proposed development is equal in terms of value to the community. Put
differently, some applications are simply more important than others, and need to be
recognized as such. Separate priority application streams for the review of these files
can be useful.
Staff should not be expected (or allowed) to judge on their own which files are most
important and deserving of access to the priority stream. To protect the City from
charges of arbitrariness or favouritism, Council and senior management need to
provide guidance. As well, to make a priority stream operate as intended, Council
and Senior Leadership need to ensure that resources exist and are dedicated to the
stream.
Observations
The following observations emerged from the consultant's interviews with City staff:
• As a way to manage workload, provide prompt service and reduce the
number of files in the review process, some staff will expedite the review of
applications that are straightforward and can be processed relatively quickly.
• Managers in the Planning Department understand that some proposed
developments will be viewed by elected decision-makers as high-value
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projects relative to others. Managers note that while there are no formal
guidelines in place to identify such projects, managers have a good sense of
which ones are priority. Where possible, efforts to advance these projects in
the queue are made.
• A number of staff who act as File Managers expressed the view that all
applications, regardless of investment value or type of development, should
receive the same treatment.
As a municipality in a rapidly-growing and expensive metropolitan area, Maple Ridge
has received and will increasingly receive interest from businesses and developers
who seek areas in which to invest and expand. Maple Ridge also has, similar to every
municipality, housing challenges that can best be addressed through the expedited
approval and construction of new housing units. The City should consider changing
its approach development applications to give priority to proposed developments
that bring substantial investment to the area, deal with housing needs, or promote
some other priority established by Council.
Development Concierge
One idea that has been raised and discussed in a range of municipalities, but
pursued by relatively few, concerns the creation of a Development Concierge
(alternatively referred to as a Business Concierge). A Development Concierge is
an individual or department that works directly with applicants who are seeking
approval to develop high-value projects that meet specific conditions, and that
are deemed priority by the municipal council.
The Development Concierge becomes involved early in the process at the pre-
application stage to identify and help the applicant understand the requirements
to meet and approvals to obtain. The Concierge stays involved through the entire
process, working with the File Manager as well as internal and external referral
groups to ensure time-sensitive responses, to coordinate comments, and to
communicate with the applicant. The Concierge also works with applicants to
ensure that they provide all required studies and reports in a timely fashion, and
that they respond to the city's legitimate and legal needs.
The Concierge has the authority to bring together staff from referral departments
to resolve conflicts and clarify requirements. The Concierge will also, as required,
bring together applicants and City staff to find solutions and overcome impasses.
On a regular (e.g., monthly) basis, the Concierge briefs the Chief Administrative
Officer and key General Managers of progress and issues, and seeks intervention
as required.
The Development Concierge initiative does not appear to exist in a formal sense
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in British Columbia.34 Municipalities in Ontario and the United States, however,
have experimented and — in some instances — embraced the idea. One such
municipality is the Town of Halton Hills (population 63,000) within the Greater
Toronto Area. Halton Hills' Business Concierge program, profiled in Figure 3.1,
provides an example for Maple Ridge to consider.
TECHNOLOGY
Existing File Management Platform
The City has known for some time that the current version of its AMANDA file
management platform does not meet the needs of applicants, staff or decision-
makers. The current version's shortcomings, which appear to be numerous, include:
• a user interface that is not user-friendly
• the lack of an application portal to enable applicants to submit applications
and associated materials online, directly into the software — a feature that
would eliminate the need for DSTs to manually enter all information into the
system, and save staff from having to distribute hard copies of materials to
referral departments
• an inability for applicants to independently monitor through an online
dashboard the progress of application files through the review process
• an inability for staff to track applications and know where they are in the
review process
• an inability to accurately measure turn-around times35
• an inability to store all studies, reports and other materials in the digital
application folder created in AMANDA for each application by the DSTs
These shortcomings are exacerbated by differing levels of proficiency among staff in
their use of the platform, a lack of training to assist staff who need guidance, and a
tolerance of staff who simply choose to not use the system.
Observations
There is no doubt that the City's reliance on its current file management software
platform creates additional work for staff, inhibits process transparency for
applicants, requires applicants to produce and submit multiple hard copies of all
materials, heightens the potential for applications or parts thereof to be lost in the
system, and introduces other inefficiencies that serve only to increase turn-around
34 The City of Delta has a Citizen Advocate; however, this function does not help to shepherd priority
developments through the review process. In general, the idea of Development Concierge is
dismissed by BC municipalities as unnecessary. Managers and decision-makers take the view that
reform efforts should be focused on improving the review process for all applicants, not just ones
perceived as high value. A focus on high-value, for-profit projects is considered inappropriate by
some. Priority treatment for non-profit housing projects is more palatable — a sentiment that
explains why cities in BC that do have some form of priority stream tend to reserve the stream for
BC Housing-sponsored and other non-profit housing developments.
35 The system lacks an effective "stop-start" function to adjust overall timelines to account for time an
application sits with an applicant, outside of the City's control, during the review process.
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times. There is also no doubt that a decision to replace the current platform with a
newer, more user-friendly system would increase efficiency and improve the
application process experience both for applicants and staff.
The City has decided to replace its current system — a decision made easier by
financial assistance provided by the province under the Local Government
Development Approvals Program. Since late-2021, an inter-departmental team of
Figure 3.1
Town of Halton Hills Business Concierge Program
The Business Concierge initiative at the Town of Halton Hills is run by the Manager of
Investment Attraction (a former Development Planner) in the municipality's Economic
Development Office. Projects that are eligible for the Halton Hills Concierge service
must meet one of the following criteria:*
> large development located in one of three specified employment areas
> minimum of 100,000 ft2 in gross floor area (by comparison, the Albion
Community Hub is 20,000 ft2)
> high profile and complex proposal
> major employment (minimum of 100 new jobs) and assessment generator
> major office, commercial or mixed-use development (including residential)
> large financial investment (over $100 million)
> facing urgent timelines
At any one time, there are up to six (6) active projects with the Concierge (with up to 30
being tracked). The Concierge manages applications from pre-application through to
construction, working along the way with the File Manager, staff in planning and referral
departments, as well as with applicants to resolve issues and maintain review
momentum. The Concierge helps to bridge internal silos, hold departments and
applicants to account, and facilitate solutions.
The initiative, which is now two years old, was driven by the Chief Administrative Officer
who continues to provide active support. The Planning and Development Engineering
Departments also support the initiative, with senior managers from each group
attending monthly briefings along with the CAO and others on projects under review. In
all, success factors identified by Halton Hills include:
> support from, and ongoing involvement by, the CAO
> support from all senior managers and their staff
> a "solutions mindset" at the municipality (bolstered by the program)
> the Concierge's background as a Development Planner at the municipality
> flexibility in refining and shaping the program based on lessons learned
> adequate resources dedicated to the program
* These criteria are specific to Halton Hills. Maple Ridge would set its own criteria to match
Council and community priorities.
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system users, IT staff and decision-makers has been identifying needs and assessing
candidate platforms. It is anticipated that the City will be in a position to proceed
with the purchase and implementation in early 2023. Implementation of the new
system will, in and of itself, create efficiencies and other improvements for staff and
applicants. To optimize the opportunities for improvement, however, the City will
need to:
• make use of any built-in or third-party vendor application portal to expedite
the transition from paper-based submissions to digital submissions36
• provide the necessary hardware to facilitate the review of digital files
• put in place an application monitoring dashboard — which can be expanded
over time — to allow for greater transparency
• reduce as much as possible the number of discrete steps in the review
process that is incorporated into the system
• formalize and publish for all staff the actual review process to follow for each
type of application37
• provide sufficient IT support to attend to trouble-shooting and the ongoing
development of new applications38
• train staff to become proficient in using the system39
• require staff to use the system exclusively
COMMUNICATIONS
Dual Role
Development services functions run most smoothly when staff embrace the two roles
they play in the system — namely, the roles of regulator and facilitator. As regulator,
staff have a responsibility to ensure that proposed developments support the
community's objectives set out in policies and regulations. In this role staff also are
responsible for ensuring that proposed developments do not negatively impact the
City's infrastructure systems, Maple Ridge's sensitive ecosystems and environmental
features, the City's parks and trails, and other community assets. Technical standards
and regulations that are in place to protect these assets are applied by staff to
impose servicing and other requirements on proposed developments as conditions
for approval.
As facilitator, staff recognize that the development community — broadly defined to
include property owners, development professionals and developers — is critical to
36 All new applications at the City of Coquitlam are now submitted digitally through Coquitlam QFile.
Applications are submitted digitally at the Township of Langley using its Development Application
Submission Portal. Many types of applications can also be submitted digitally to the City of Surrey.
37 Many staff interviewed for the review were unaware if the City had in place any process maps, flow
charts or lists of steps for all staff to follow. (The City has process charts in place for rezoning
applications and development permit applications, bu t not others.)
38 The City of Surrey has four Business Analysts (platform specialists) dedicated to its development
services function.
39 As noted earlier, several staff interviewed for the study reported that they have never received
training on AMANDA.
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the City's efforts to provide affordable housing, attract investment, build
neighbourhoods, protect the environment and strengthen the economy. In the role
of facilitator, staff encourage quality development, and work with applicants to
address concerns and eliminate (or reduce) barriers. Staff acknowledge the risks and
costs inherent in development, and embrace a solution mindset to help bring
projects to fruition.
It is incumbent on staff in performing both of these roles to communicate and with
the development community. Some communication will be one-way in nature,
focused on the provision of user-friendly guides, bulletins and other information
resources aimed at helping applicants understand the City's processes and
requirements for approval. Other communication will be two-way, involving
discussions and other forms of engagement.
As noted earlier in Chapter 2, the City has a considerable number and range of
written materials available online for applicants and potential applicants to learn
about Maple Ridge's processes and requirements. The list of materials includes:
• copies of all development bylaws, including the Official Community Plan
Bylaw No. 7060, City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, Maple Ridge
Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, and Maple Ridge
Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879
• the City's application form for all development approvals, along with
supplemental forms
• twelve checklists that identify the requirements for different applications
• development permit guidelines and checklists for all permit areas
• reference documents on key information items, including application fees,
community amenity contributions, DIMs, street trees, and basic regulations
that apply in each zone in the City
• thirteen guides and brochures to outline (at a high level) the approval
processes, and the information required in key supporting reports
• twenty checklists, guidelines and regulations specifically related to
environmental planning requirements
• bulletins and information pieces on a variety of topics (e.g., trees) to assist
applicants in understanding requirements and submitting applications
• design and construction documents to follow in the construction of
development works
Opportunities for two-way engagement with applicants or potential applicants are
also provided by the City. The list of these opportunities includes:
• interactions between individuals making inquiries and the DSTs at the
Application Centre (or, in some cases, the Planning Assistant or POD)
• pre-application meetings that bring together applicants and staff from a
range of departments
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• site visits of proposed development sites, conducted by the File Manager
whenever possible
• outreach to the development community to gather input on proposed policy
or regulatory changes
• discussions through formal industry liaison committees
• formal and informal discussions with applicants to resolve issues
Observations
It is clear that the City understands the importance of making information resources
available online to applicants and potential applicants. The current number and
range of resources is impressive. The organization and presentation of the materials,
however, could be improved to match the levels in place in some other municipalities
such as the Cities of Kelowna and Coquitlam, and the Township of Langley.
On the Township's website, all materials to guide applicants — and only those
materials — are presented on one main page titled "Development". In Maple Ridge,
by contrast, applicants must go first to the Planning Department section of the site to
find development application forms, guides and brochures and other relevant
materials listed in a side column along with a number of reference documents and
City initiatives. For information on servicing, applicants must go to the Engineering
Department home page find choose "Land Development" — as opposed to the more
common "Infrastructure Development" or "Development Engineering" headings — to
view expectations and requirements.
The City of Kelowna is similar to Langley with all relevant information in one place —
"Homes & Building". Processes are outlined and important materials are provided.
Navigation is intuitive.
In terms of two-way engagement, Maple Ridge's decision in early 2022 to make pre-
application meetings a requirement for all but the simplest development applications
was a positive step forward. The City may wish to create additional connection
points with the development community, including development workshops — or,
"development cafes" — to explain processes, policies and regulations to, and obtain
input on changes to consider from, the development community.40 Such workshops
take time and effort to deliver. The can, however, serve as valuable opportunities to
reduce potential confusion regarding City processes and requirements, and to build
relationships with professionals and developers.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT SECTION
Responsibilities
The City's Infrastructure Development group is situated within the Engineering
Department. The group is focused entirely on engineering and infrastructure
considerations, and works exclusively in the development services function. The
40 Some sections at the City have (and do) host workshops with the development community. An
example is Environmental Planning.
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group is responsible, first, for identifying off-site works and services that applicants
must construct in order to address development impacts on City infrastructure; and,
second, for ensuring that the works and services constructed by developers meet the
City's stated construction standards prior to being inherited the City. In more specific
terms, the group is responsible for:
• participating in pre-application meetings to identify potential works and
service needs that proponents of proposed developments should understand
prior to completing and submitting an application package
• reviewing development applications (and building permit applications)
against the standards in Maple Ridge's Subdivision and Development Servicing
Bylaw to identify existing servicing deficiencies, and to list studies the
applicant must submit to show how the proposed development would
address the deficiencies related to transportation infrastructure, water
distribution systems, sanitary sewer systems and stormwater management
• reviewing the engineering drawings and construction cost estimates prepared
by applicants' consultants, pursuant to requirements in the City's Design
Criteria Manual and its Supplementary Standard Detail Drawings, to install
necessary works
• creating servicing agreements upon acceptance of, and based on, the
submitted drawings
• convening pre-construction meetings involving the City's Engineering
Inspectors, the applicants (developers), contractors, and other City staff to
provide guidance and address questions
• conducting inspections during construction of the works and services to
ensure compliance with the approved design drawings, as well as relevant
regulations and bylaws
• issuing Certificates of Acceptance one year after works and services have
been deemed complete (with any identified issues addressed), and securities
have been eliminated
• updating existing guidance documents, creating new documents, and
participating in the technical review of City standards
The City's Infrastructure Development group, as shown earlier in Figure 2.2, includes
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and Engineering Inspectors. The group is
a critical internal referral agency that reviews and provides comments on the
majority of development applications, and that interacts with staff in the Planning
and Building Departments regularly. Staff in the group also deal with their colleagues
from Utilities Engineering and Transportation in the Engineering Department, as well
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as with staff in the Operations Department. These groups are available to provide
input and comments on applications that are particularly large, are complex in
nature, feature unique infrastructure maintenance issues, or deviate materially from
the standards in the Subdivision and Development Serving Bylaw and related
documents.
Observations
The Infrastructure Development group is comprised of hard-working, committed staff
who recognize the importance of development to the community, have a desire to
provide good customer service to applicants, and want to support their colleagues in
the development services function. The Engineering Technologists, Technicians and
Inspectors in the group are respected by their peers in Planning and Building, and by
their colleagues across the Engineering Services Division. These points aside, it is
clear that Infrastructure Development is facing a number of challenges.
Staffing
Infrastructure Development faces challenges in maintaining a full staffing
complement. This challenge is not unique to the group — Planning, Building and
other departments at the City are facing similar issues, as are departments in
other municipalities involved in development service functions. The challenge
has been acute, however, in the Infrastructure Development group. At the time
this report was submitted the group had only one Engineering Technician
position vacant. During the writing of the report, however, the number of
vacancies fluctuated and included at one point two of the group's most important
positions — Senior Engineering Technologist and Engineering Technologist.41
There does not appear to be any single reason for the difficulty in retaining a full
staff team. It is almost certainly the case that workload challenges, applicant
expectations are contributing factors, as is the lack of supportive file
management technology.
Turn-Around Times
Infrastructure Development is responsible for ensuring that proposed
developments pay for and provide properly-designed and -constructed additions
to City works and services that are needed to accommodate the developments
and maintain the integrity of the City's existing systems. It is important that such
work not be rushed. It is also important, however, that reviews undertaken by
Infrastructure Development not unreasonably delay the overall review process or
development of subject lands. Unfortunately, significant delays attributable to
the Infrastructure Development seem to have become common.42 Periodic
41 The Senior Technologist position, at the time of submission, is filled by a Technologist.
42 This statement is based on interviews with staff in Infrastructure Development, staff in the broader
development services function, Engineering staff, and representatives of the development
community. The absence of a proper application file tracking system makes it necessary to rely on
anecdotal evidence.
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vacancies in the group contribute to delays, as do the other factors noted earlier
under staffing. The involvement of other Engineering Services teams in reviewing
application files and the work of Infrastructure Development, however, is also a
factor (see next point).
Intra-Divisional Consultation
In all municipalities there is the need for staff in Infrastructure Development to
consult on development applications with their colleagues in Engineering Services
in charge of infrastructure planning and design, and the maintenance and
operation of civil works. Consultation can be important in managing
infrastructure risks and protecting a municipality's servicing needs and interests.
Consultation can also, however, be a source of potential disagreement for staff
who work in different engineering groups, with different mandates. Consider the
following points:
• Infrastructure Development exists to help process development
applications and enable applicants to develop their lands and grow the
community. The group recognizes the importance of ensuring that
proposed developments pay for and provide the off-site works and
services necessary to develop. Similarly, the group understands clearly
the need to ensure that municipal works and services constructed by
applicants meet the City's standards prior to being transferred to the City.
In reviewing applications and in working with applicants, however, the
group is expected — and, indeed, is driven — to facilitate solutions to
overcome infrastructure issues that arise. Finding ways to move
applications through the review process to the point of development is
central to the Infrastructure Development team's mandate.
• Other groups in the City's Engineering Department are focused on
ensuring that the City's infrastructure planning and development
adequately anticipate and keep ahead of new growth, and that the
standards in place to identify the need for and guide the provision of off-
site works and services by applicants are both fair and complete. These
other Engineering groups are aware and supportive of the City's need to
facilitate development, but are not primarily concerned with (or
rewarded for) streamlining development processes.
• The sewer, water, roads and other teams in the Operations Department
are the sections that inherit responsibility for all works and services
constructed by applicants, pursuant to the City's stated requirements.
These teams accept the importance of development to the City's future
prosperity; however, similar to the other Engineering groups, they are not
primarily concerned with or rewarded for streamlining processes.
Operations is driven by the need to ensure that works and services
provided by applicants do not fail or create maintenance issues for the
City once inherited.
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Each of these mandates is legitimate and important to the municipality. The
differences in the mandates, however, have the potential to create conflict
between Infrastructure Development and the other groups. To be clear,
relationships in Maple Ridge are strong among section managers in most cases;
where challenges arise, leaders at the Director and General Manager levels
intervene to facilitate compromises that attempt to meet the broader City
interest in ways that accommodate the needs and concerns that are central to
each group's mandate. Nonetheless, the potential for conflict between
Infrastructure Development and the other sections persists. Measures that are
put in place to accommodate concerns and pre-empt conflict contribute to delays
in the processing of development applications.
From the perspective of the development services function, it is critical that
Infrastructure Development be able to perform its mandated role efficiently,
without having to seek actual or de facto approval on all applications from other
sections in Engineering and Operations. Infrastructure Development needs to
consult professionals in these other sections, and seeks to incorporate the input
obtained through such consultation into its review of development applications.
It is up to Infrastructure Development, however, to exercise judgement and
determine when consultation is needed, and when to invite professionals from
other sections into the review process, pursuant to stated protocols. It is not up
to staff in other sections to insert themselves into reviews.
Engineering Department sections such as Transportation understand that their
role in the review process is that of advisor, in place to act on requests of
Infrastructure Development to help review traffic impact analyses and other
technical reports. Operations Department's sections, conversely, appear less
ready to accept the authority of Infrastructure Development Manager to identify
infrastructure requirements, and to approve infrastructure designs and
constructed works. Development application review measures introduced in the
past 18 months bring Operations managers together with the Infrastructure
Development Manager on a bi-weekly basis to scrutinize and — where deemed
necessary by Operations — add to Infrastructure Development's comments on
every development application reviewed by the Infrastructure Development
team. These bi-weekly meetings are promoted as an effort to ensure that
Operations — the department that is responsible for the maintenance of all
inherited works — is satisfied with the works being proposed, to build confidence
on the part of Operations' managers in the abilities of Infrastructure
Development staff, and to foster trust among colleagues. The compromise is
intended to have zero impact on application review timelines; however, the
accommodation of Operations can only add to overall delays, not to mention the
potential for tension among colleagues.43
43 It is important to note that leadership in Engineering Services feels strongly that the involvement of
Operations in reviewing Infrastructure Development's comments on every application is importan t,
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From a development perspective, interactions between Infrastructure
Development and other sections in Engineering and Operations need to be
structured in accordance with a protocol that acknowledges the authority of the
Infrastructure Development Manager in the review of development applications,
and that assigns clear roles and limits to other sections in Engineering and
Operations.
Figure 3.2 presents a summary of a protocol agreement based on systems in
place in other municipalities.44 Central to the agreement is the notion that
referrals to Engineering and/or Operations are only made in cases in which the
scope of a proposed development exceeds specified thresholds, or in which the
Infrastructure Development Manager feels that others' expertise is required.45
The vast majority of applications (e.g., 80%) that are considered more
straightforward in nature are handled by Infrastructure Development without
involving other teams.
Placement in Engineering Services
The discussion on intra-divisional consultation leads to the question of whether
Infrastructure Development should exist as part of Engineering Services or placed
under Development Services. This question has been tackled by many other
high-growth municipalities in British Columbia; different places have reached
different conclusions. Municipalities such as the City of Delta, City of Coquitlam,
Township of Langley, City of Port Coquitlam, District of North Vancouver, City of
Kelowna, City of Nanaimo and many others have elected to place Infrastructure
Development within Development Services, under the authority of the Director
or General Manager (as the case may be). The City of Surrey, City of Vancouver,
City of North Vancouver and others have chosen to keep the section under the
authority of the head of Engineering, who is ultimately responsible for all
infrastructure. The City of Abbotsford had Infrastructure Development in
Development Services, but recently transferred it to Engineering.
There are strong arguments in support of each option. There are also certain
success factors that are common to both options — the need for good inter-
departmental communication and respect for assigned authorities being key. In
the end, the "right" choice for any particular place may be determined by the
at least in the short term. The decision to involve Operations in reviews is considered to be helpful
in building support for development proposals, in catching and address infrastructure needs, and in
creating a strong inter-team dynamic. Operations' involvement is also considered a useful form of
professional development for Infrastructure Development staff.
44 The protocol in Figure 3.2 is a summary that would need to be expanded on and customized for
Maple Ridge.
45 A development application that proposes a unique or significant piece of infrastructure is an
example of an application that would exceed thresholds and that would be referred to Engineering
and/or Operations.
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desired approach to development, and by the message leaders wish to send to
staff and the development community. Consider the following points:
Figure 3.2
Development Application Review Process Protocol Agreement
Infrastructure Development and Engineering Services
EXAMPLE ONLY
This Protocol Agreement outlines the responsibilities of the Infrastructure
Development Manager in the development application review process, as well as the
responsibilities of Managers in the Engineering and Operations Departments.
1. The Infrastructure Development Manager is responsible (and accountable) for
all decisions on service matters related to development applications.
2. The Infrastructure Development Manager will refer applications, as necessary,
to managers from Engineering and Operations with authority over the
planning and maintenance of the City's works and services.
3. Referrals will be made in cases where the scope of a proposed development
exceeds established thresholds, or in any case in which the Infrastructure
Development Manager feels that others' expertise is required. A full set of
thresholds will be established to guide the Infrastructure Development
Manager. Examples of thresholds are as follows:
Category Examples of Thresholds
Utilities
Planning;
Operations
> rezonings that would result in 100+ housing units
> projects with drawings that differ materially from
standards of Subdivision Bylaw
> projects that would result in City inheriting major
infrastructure (e.g., trunk line, lift station)
Transportation > rezonings expected to add 100+ peak hour trips
> projects where drawings differ materially from
standards of Subdivision Bylaw
> projects that would result in City inheriting a
major collector road
4. All technical recommendations provided by Engineering and Operations will be
considered by the Infrastructure Development Manager and incorporated,
where possible, into a single Servicing Memorandum. Explanations will be
provided when recommendations are not used.
5. Engineering and Operations managers who disagree with decisions of the
Infrastructure Development Manager may appeal through an internal process.
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• In Development Services — Leaders who place Infrastructure
Development in Development Services seek to emphasize a desire to
facilitate development. The Infrastructure Development Manager in this
structure reports and is accountable to a Director (Director of Planning in
the case of Maple Ridge) who is focused on, and rewarded for, finding
solutions to development issues. To be clear, infrastructure
considerations remain important as they do under any structure. But
infrastructure requirements, designs and approvals are determined
within Development Services by the Infrastructure Development
Manager, in accordance with published technical standards and criteria,
and the inter-departmental protocol agreement (see Figure 3.2). Any
conflicts with Engineering and Operations are handled by the Director of
Planning, or by the General Manager of Planning and Development
Services.
• In Engineering Services — In municipalities with Infrastructure
Development in Engineering Services, the concerns of engineering
planners and operations managers are paramount. The Infrastructure
Development Manager in this structure reports through and is
accountable to the Director of Engineering, and is expected to involve
Engineering and Operations planners in decisions on reviews and
development works more than would be the case under Development
Services. The Director of Planning has no authority to direct the
Infrastructure Development Manager in this structure.
If the City of Maple Ridge wishes to streamline its development application
review process and communicate to the community and staff that efforts to
facilitate good development are priority, the City should consider placing
Infrastructure Development within the Planning Department under the authority
of the Director of Planning. A strong protocol agreement, similar to the example
set out in Figure 3.2, would be important to enable the change. Conversely, if the
City is more concerned with minimizing risk associated with the infrastructure
implications of development, the City may wish to leave Infrastructure
Development in Engineering Services. A strong protocol agreement would also
be important under this scenario.
As noted earlier, the needs to facilitate development and manage development-
related infrastructure risk exist and must be recognized under both structural
scenarios. The relative emphasis given to the each need, however, varies based
on the structure in place, as does the message sent to stakeholders.
Inspection of Works
One of the roles of Infrastructure Development is to inspect and ultimately issue
Certificates of Acceptance for off-site works and services constructed by
developers and transferred to the City. All municipalities are responsible for
inspecting works and providing these certificates. The approaches taken by
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municipalities, however, are not uniform.
In many cities, Engineering Inspectors will rely on the developers' professional
engineering consultants to oversee and inspect construction at specified points of
the construction process, and to provide field reports to the Engineering
Inspectors for review. Inspectors may attend construction sites at key times,
irrespective of the field reports and work of the consultants, to exercise direct
oversight. In a small number of cities — Kelowna is an example — the
Engineering Inspector position has been eliminated. That city relies on the
developers' engineering consultant to inspect and ensure that the works meet
prescribed the approved designs. Certificates of Acceptance are provided by the
City, but are based largely on assurances provided by consulting engineers.
In the City of Maple Ridge, Engineering Inspectors are more directly involved that
their counterparts in some other cities in reviewing the construction of off-site
development works. The City's approach minimizes risk associated with the
inheritance of development works — presumably, the reason for taking the
approach. The approach also, however, relieves developers' consulting engineers
of accountability and risk, and makes for a larger-than-necessary workload for
Inspectors.46 The approach also adds to the overall time required for
development approvals, simply because the number of Engineering Inspectors is
limited.
The City of Maple Ridge should consider a new approach that emphasizes a more
limited role of compliance verification. The elimination of the Inspector position
— the Kelowna approach — is not recommended. A greater reliance on the
consulting engineers' field reports and assurances is suggested.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Range of Services
Environmental Services is active in the following subject areas:
• Environmental Policy — Staff involved in policy are responsible for creating
and revising, as necessary, development permit guidelines to regulate
development in environmental development permit areas. Staff also create
and amend, as necessary, environmental bylaws on the protection of
watercourses, regulation of soil deposition, protection of trees, and other
matters. The City's 2014 Environmental Management Strategy — Caring For
Our Nature — and subsequent implementation reports were created by staff
in environmental policy; so, too, was the City's 2021 Green Infrastructure
Strategy.
46 The City does not require, as a standard practice, developers' consulting engineers to provide field
reports.
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• Engagement — Staff undertake community engagement on natural
environment matters. Efforts are designed to inform and educate various
audiences, including neighbourhood groups and the development
community, of opportunities and requirements related to protection of
sensitive ecosystems and natural habitats, control of stormwater and soil
erosion, and other matters. The section publishes a considerable number of
information materials on a range of environmental matters and
requirements. The City's Environmental Advisory Committee (citizen based)
is managed by staff involved in engagement.
• Development Review — Staff in the section play an important role through
the development services function in reviewing development permit
applications (as well as building permits applications). More specifically, the
section is an internal referral group that reviews applications against
environmental development permit guidelines. In this capacity, staff also
participate in pre-application meetings and respond to environment-related
development inquiries.
• Permits and Enforcement — Staff issue tree permits and enforce the
requirements of Tree Protection & Management Bylaw. Soil deposit permits
are also issued and enforced by staff in the section.
The section has a staffing complement of five (5), including Planners, Technicians and
a Coordinator.
Observations
Staff in the section are passionate about the environment and efforts that the City
takes, and could take, to support ecosystems, natural habitats and biodiversity, and
to innovate in topic areas such as green infrastructure. Staff are ambitious, as well, in
their efforts to engage, educate, advocate and regulate.
Workload is high for staff in the section, as it is for staff in all parts of the
development services function. To help manage workload, staff have taken steps to
create referral templates, development guideline checklists and other similar tools,
all of which help to increase the efficiency of development reviews. Innovations in
tree permit processing allow the section to issue most permits on the day of
application, on site.
A challenge facing the section is its placement in the organization. As shown earlier
in Figure 2.1 (Chapter 2), Environmental Services exists alongside Development
Planning in the Planning Department. All five (5) Environmental staff report to the
Manager of Development and Environmental Services. This placement results in an
exceedingly broad span of control — 19 staff — for the Manager, and limits the
ability of the Manager to effectively lead, direct, mentor and prioritize the work of
staff in the Environmental Services section. A complicating factor is the broad range
of duties undertaken by the section. Development permit reviews, which are central
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to the development services function and the focus of the Development Services
group in which Environmental Services is situated, constitute only one part of the
section's work. Other areas of activity are, arguably, better aligned with the work of
different groups in the organization. Environmental strategy and policy work, for
example, may fit better with the Community Planning group in the Planning
Department.47 Alternatively, Maple Ridge could consider bringing Environmental
Policy together with Climate Action in a completely separate department — a move
that has been taken by the District of North Vancouver, among others. The issuance
and enforcement of tree permits may be better placed in Bylaw & Licensing, or in a
similar group that is focused on permits and licenses.48
If the City does not wish to assign elements of the current section to different parts
of the organization, the City may need to consider creating a Manager of
Environmental Services to help direct and prioritize the work of the full section. In
the consultant's view, placing elements of the current section in different parts of the
organization may be preferable and should be explored. Specifically, the City may
wish to consider:
• leaving development application review with Development Planning
• placing environmental policy and strategy with Community Planning
• placing tree permit issuance and enforcement with Bylaws & Licensing
Staff would be moved from the section to these other parts based on existing
responsibilities and qualifications. Some changes to responsibilities would likely be
required to implement such changes fully. Staffing levels may need to be considered
depending on Council's strategic priorities and the extent to which environmental
initiatives and protections (i.e., regulations and guidelines) are featured.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
In the consultant's view, informed by the interviews with all staff and a number of
development community representatives, the vast majority of staff active in the
development services function recognize the importance of development to the
community, and understand the need to balance their dual regulator-facilitator roles.
Staff in the function are capable professionals who strive both to promote the
community's interests, and to provide a high level of customer service to applicants.
This report has identified various issues with the development services function that
highlight process, technological and structural challenges, as well as approaches
taken by the organization. Efforts taken to address these issues will help to
47 The City of Kelowna, among others, takes places environmental policy and strategy in Community
Planning.
48 To be clear, the development of policies and regulations on which tree permits are based would
rest with Environmental Policy, as they do today. Only the issuance of permits (in excess of 600 per
year), and the enforcement of bylaws, would be transferred under this scenario.
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streamline the approvals process. Underlying all of the issues, however, is the
deeper matter of organizational culture.
Organization culture, in simple terms, can be defined as the beliefs, values, attitudes,
practices and behaviours that are accepted and rewarded in the organization.
Culture strongly influences the actions and the approaches taken by managers and
staff, and affects how people experience the organization. In the consultant's view,
the organizational culture underlying the development services function can be
characterized as cautious and risk averse, as well as inwardly-focused on the needs
and concerns of individual sections (a focus that results in groups working in silos).
File Managers and department managers seem overly deferential to their colleagues
in other sections, and hesitant to challenge practices, push for attention or challenge
comments. Staff in all parts of the function are reluctant to take any action that
carries some risk of impact to City services, the environment, the urban landscape or
the community. On the whole, staff and Council seem unsure of each other's
motives.
The organization's culture of caution is reflected in the following practices and
observations, some of which have been highlighted already:
• the approach taken to First Reading, which is designed to give Council a view
of all proposals that are being presenting to staff, and staff a sense of
Council's high-level support for proposals
• a reluctance to require all staff to input all review comments directly into the
digital folder (software limitations notwithstanding)
• the accommodation shown to Operations managers to review all files that are
sent to Infrastructure Development, and all of Infrastructure Development's
referral comments
• a tendency on the part of File Managers to err on the side of caution in
seeking reviews from internal referral groups — a tendency that was
reported by several staff interviewed
• a tendency to impose "late hits" — that is, requirements imposed and
requests for additional information made after comprehensive application
review letters have been sent to applicants
• the reluctance of Engineering Inspectors to rely on consultants' field reports
and assurance when reviewing the construction of development works
• the absence of enforceable time limits on internal referrals — an absence
that, when combined with a reluctance on the part of Planning Department
managers to apply pressure, can result in significant delays
• Planning reports that require four reviews and sign-offs in the Development
Services Division alone prior to publication in Council and Committee agendas
• a reluctance to view some development applications as more important and
worthy of expedited treatment than others, despite clear differences in
economic and other impacts
• a City website that organizes and presents development application
information in ways that are less-than-user-friendly
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An organization's culture is set by its leaders — Senior Leadership in the case of
Maple Ridge. To make significant changes to the culture underlying Maple Ridge's
development services function, Senior Leaders will need to promote and embrace
change, tolerate mistakes, reward innovation and improvement, and hold each other
accountable for making change.
STAFFING LEVELS
Current Levels
Figures 1.1 and 1.2 in Chapter 1 presented the number of positions in the Planning
Department and Infrastructure Development section respectively. Key information
from those figures included:
• Managers — 249
• Planners III (Senior Planner) — 1
• Planners I and II (full-time permanent) — 4
• Planners II (part-time auxiliary) — 3
• Planning Technicians — 3
• Planning Assistants — 1
• Planning Clerks — 1
• Mapping / Data — 1
• Engineering Technologists — 4
• Engineering Technicians — 2
• Engineering Inspectors I, II and III — 4
• Environmental Planners I and II — 2
• Environmental Technicians — 2
• Environmental Coordinator — 1
• Development Services Technicians — 7
These positions add up to a total of 38; however, it needs to be remembered that not
all Environmental Services positions or DST positions are fully engaged in the
development services function as defined in this report. It should also be
remembered that these numbers include three (3) part-time positions that, together,
are equivalent to one (1) FTE. The numbers include, as well, four (4) vacant positions
— three (3) in Planning and one (1) in Infrastructure Development.
Observations
All staff and all representatives of the development community interviewed for the
review put forward the view that the City's development services function needs
more people, and a larger number of senior experienced people. Staff feel
overburdened by workloads that seem impossible to manage; applicants feel
underserved both in terms of turn-around times and staff responsiveness.
Infrastructure Development was highlighted as the section perceived to be most
under-staffed and most challenged in its attempts to retain staff.
49 Manager of Development & Environmental Services; Manager of Infrastructure Development.
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The natural questions that arise in response to calls for added positions are:
• How many positions and what types of positions are required?
• On what factors should recommendations for additional positions be
determined?
Comparative Research
Efforts to answer these questions typically involve some level of comparative
research — that is, an examination of staffing levels in other municipalities
deemed comparable to Maple Ridge. Figure 3.3 presents current staffing levels
in four Lower Mainland municipalities with characteristics similar to those of
Maple Ridge. The figure focuses on the positions that exist in some form in all
places. Missing from the figure are Engineering Inspectors, Environmental
Planners, Technicians and Coordinators, and Development Services Technicians.
Figure 3.4 provides some additional context in the form of development
application numbers. The figure shows total applications received each year over
a four-year period, by municipality. Included in the totals are applications for:
• OCP amendments
• rezonings
• development permits (all types)
• development variance permits
• subdivisions
Figure 3.3
Current Development Services Function Staffing Levels (FTEs)
Comparable Positions
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Figure 3.3 shows that
while Maple Ridge
has considerably
fewer Senior
Planners, Planners,
Planning Technicians
and Planning
Assistants than the
City of Coquitlam,
Maple Ridge has as
many of these
positions (combined)
as the City of
Chilliwack, City of
Delta and Township
of Langley. The figure shows, as well, that the number of Engineering
Technologists is Maple Ridge is comparable to that in all places other than
Coquitlam (Maple Ridge is also the only jurisdiction in the table with Engineering
Technicians). Figure 3.4 shows that the number of development applications
(specific types) received each year by Maple Ridge is not wildly different from the
numbers in Coquitlam and Langley Township, and is lower than that received by
Chilliwack.
Comparisons across municipalities are requested and conducted to provide
decision-makers guidance and/or comfort in decision-making on staffing levels.
Such comparisons, however, are inherently problematic and — in many cases —
of questionable value. Differences in review processes, technology platforms,
organizational structure, underlying land use policies and regulations, technical
standards, the level of reliance on applicants, and organizational culture can limit
the usefulness of comparisons. Limitations in the data also undermine their
usefulness to decision-makers.50 The data in Figure 3.4, for example, show the
total numbers of applications received, but say nothing about the total numbers
that remain active.
Adjustments for Maple Ridge
In the consultant's judgement, there is no doubt that staff in Maple Ridge's
development services function are unable, collectively, to manage existing
workloads. If none of the issues examined in this report was addressed,
additional staff positions would be needed to enable the City to accelerate its
review of development applications and provide an overall higher and more
consistent level of customer service. Additional staff in Infrastructure
Development would be a priority under these circumstances, followed by
increased numbers in development planning.
50 It is worth noting that, as well, that while municipalities are able and willing to provide staffing and
application numbers, municipalities are reluctant to provide data on turn-around times.
Figure 3.4
Development Applications RECEIVED
Select Types — 2018 to 2021
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What would the need for additional staffing be, however, if the City made
changes to address all or even most of the issues identified in the report?
Consider the impacts on staffing needs from changes designed to:
• simplify, manage and expedite responses to development inquiries
• assign a dedicated Planner of the Day to allow Planners and Planning
Technicians to focus on their files
• eliminate the current approach to First Reading, along with the associated
work for Planners and Planning Technicians
• limit through delegation the need for Council to approve a range of
development permits, and to hold certain types of public hearings — all
of which add to staff workloads
• standardize and streamline referrals to and comments from internal
referral groups
• standardize and simplify the role of File Manager
• introduce a Development Concierge service to remove high-value, high-
profile and complex applications from the applications stream
• implement a new file management technology platform, complete with
an application portal, accurate tracking system for staff and applicants,
the ability to store all materials and drawings in a digital folder, clear
processes for staff to follow, regular training for users
• enhanced, user-friendly information resources and guides to assist
applicants (and limit their need to call on staff for assistance)
• place Infrastructure Development in the Planning Department, reporting
to the Director of Planning
• increase reliance on engineering consultants, both in the preparation of
drawings and inspection of works
• re-organize Environmental Services
• shift the organization's culture to one that is less risk-intolerant and more
solution-focused
These types of changes that could be made to address the issues highlighted in
the report would have a positive impact on staff's ability to manage application
file volumes, reduce turn-around times and provide a higher level of service. The
exact magnitude of positive impact would vary based on the number of changes
embraced, but also on the speed of implementation. Indeed, even with the
strongest will, the City would be hard-pressed to achieve major results in the
short term. One major change — the introduction of a new technology platform
— is still well over a year away from taking effect.
The City may need to take some action on staffing levels in the near term to help
address existing workload challenges. Specific steps to consider are as follows:
• Fill Vacancies — The City should redouble its efforts to fill existing
vacancies. It is exceedingly difficult for the City to manage workload and
provide an acceptable level of service when existing positions sit empty.
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It is similarly difficult for decision-makers to make the case for additional
positions when existing positions have not been filled. The City's internal
and external Human Resources advisors need to be encouraged to try
new recruitment methods aimed at filling the vacant spots.
• Create New Positions — The City may wish to make the proposed
dedicated Planner of the Day resource a new position. Staffing the
resource with an existing Planner of Planning Technician would be better
than the current situation, but would still result in taking away a much-
needed resource from the current development planning complement.
The City may also wish to create a new position for the Development
Concierge. Based on the lessons learned in Halton Hills, it is anticipated
that the position would be exempt, but filled by a professional planner or
individual with experience in development application review. One new
dedicated Planner II position in the Planning Department, and one new
dedicated Engineering Technologist position to support the Development
Concierge initiative may be warranted as well, depending on the number
of high-value projects brought to the City through the program.
• Make Use of Contractors — The City has brought back recently-retired
Planners II to assist with application files. These individuals are employed
as part-time auxiliary staff, but essentially function as contractors. The
City has also made use in past situations of contract Engineering
Technologists and Engineering Inspectors to help manage workloads. The
City should consider making use of all of these contractors, as required,
while changes to address the issues in the report are pursued.
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CHAPTER 4
RECOMMENDATIONS
The previous chapter — Chapter 3 — identified and assessed a broad range of
structures for the City to consider under the following headings:
• Information Requests
• Council Involvement
• Delegation of Approvals
• Referral of Applications
• File Manager Model
• Application Streams
• Communications and Engagement
• Technology
• Infrastructure Development
• Environmental Services
• Organizational Culture
• Staffing Levels
Observations provided under the headings pointed to the specific changes for the
City to consider. These changes are presented in Figure 4.1 as recommendations.
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Figure 4.1
Recommendations
Recommendations Comments
Information Requests
> THAT the City continue to train Development Services Technicians (DSTs) to
respond to a broad range of development inquiries, and to receive all
development applications.
The Manager of Process Optimization, Training
and Client Services in the Building Department
is in the process of implementing training
programs.
> THAT the City continue to expand the number and range of information
documents and tools available, in an effort to enable potential applicants and
others to find answers to questions without needing to submit inquiries to
staff.
None.
> THAT the City develop and make publicly available a guideline to limit the
amount of time the Planner of the Day (POD) is able to spend on any single
information request to 30 minutes.
> AND THAT the City require any inquiry that, in the judgement of the
POD, will require more than 30 minutes to be submitted to the City as
a Land Use Inquiry.
None.
> THAT the City restructure the POD position from a rotating, shift-based
position to a permanent position for a Planning Technician.
> AND THAT the City assign the Department's Planners, on a rotating
basis, to provide back-up to the POD as necessary.
It is expected that Planners providing back-up
support would be called on infrequently.
> THAT the City situate the POD behind the front counter at the application
centre in order to enable the POD to interact efficiently with DSTs and
Planning Assistants, and to easily attend to in-person inquiries that require
the POD's input.
None.
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Recommendations Comments
Council Involvement
> THAT the City combine First and Second Readings, and in so doing eliminate
the current approach of taking Zoning Bylaw amendments to Council
separately at First Reading prior to applications being considered by referral
departments.
This change would put Maple Ridge in line with
other Metro Vancouver municipalities.
> THAT staff develop a report with recommendations for consideration by
Council to identify cases in which no public hearing is required for a proposed
amendment to the Zoning Bylaw.
> AND THAT in formulating the policy, staff review and be guided by
criteria such as those set out in other municipalities that eliminate the
need for a public hearing when:
− the proposed amendment concerns a subdivision with a
limited maximum number (e.g., five or ten) new single family
residential lots
− the Official Community Plan is in effect for the area that is
subject to the amendment
− the amendment is consistent with the Official Community Plan
These criteria are taken from the City of
Surrey's approach, and have been adopted by
some other municipalities.
Delegation of Approvals
> THAT the City develop a report with recommendations for consideration by
Council to broaden the range of development permits, and to identify minor
development variance permits, that may be approved by staff.
Examples for staff to consult include those in
the City of Abbotsford, City of Surrey, City of
North Vancouver and City of Chilliwack.
Referral of Applications
> THAT the City establish timeline expectations for referrals.
A recommended timeline can be established in
the short term, then revised downward in the
medium term once the new file management
software platform is in place, and once the
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Recommendations Comments
other accepted recommendations in this
report have been implemented.
> THAT the City require all staff involved in referrals to use a common format
for providing comments to File Managers.
The common format will be included in the
new file management software platform, once
implemented.
File Manager Model
> THAT the City create a File Manager Guide to outline the role responsibilities
of the position, and to set out expectations for File Managers to meet and
others to respect, including:
− keeping applicants informed of the status of applications and any
issues that staff have identified
− managing trade-offs in the priorities and concerns put forward by
referral departments prior to providing referral comments to
applicants
− ensuring consistency, as the principal point of contact, in
communications between the City and individual applicants
None.
Application Streams
> THAT the City create a framework document for a Development Concierge
service; and that the framework include:
− criteria, specific to Maple Ridge, to identify development proposals
that would be overseen by the Development Concierge
− placement of the Development Concierge within the City's Economic
Development Department, reporting to the Director of Economic
Development
The eligibility criteria and other features of the
service framework would be informed by
experiences in Ontario — in particular, in
Halton Hills — but would be specific to Maple
Ridge.
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Recommendations Comments
− protocols to define the relationship between the Development
Concierge and File Managers, internal and external referral groups,
applicants and others involved in the development services function
− factors necessary for the success of the service
− performance metrics against which to measure the success of the
program
> THAT the City adopt and operate the Development Concierge service as a
pilot project for two (2) years.
> AND THAT the City evaluate the service at the end of the pilot term to
determine if it should be made permanent.
None.
Technology
> THAT the City ensure during implementation of the new file management
software platform to:
− make use of any built-in or third-party vendor application portal to
expedite the transition from paper-based submissions to digital
submissions
− provide the necessary hardware to facilitate the review of digital files
− put in place an application monitoring dashboard to allow for greater
transparency
− reduce as much as possible the number of discrete steps in the review
process that is incorporated into the system
− formalize and public for all staff the actual review process to follow for
each type of application
− provide sufficient IT support to attend to trouble-shooting and the
ongoing development of new applications
− train staff to become proficient in using the system
− require staff to use the system exclusively in their review of files
None.
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Recommendations Comments
Communications and Engagement
> THAT the City inventory all written materials provided online to prospective
development applicants to identify:
− information gaps
− duplication between and among materials
− items to eliminate
As noted in the report, there are information
materials at various places on the City's
website. One inventory would be useful.
> THAT the City create a common template for materials to be used to present
revised and new documents that are created.
> AND THAT the City, as part of a broader website renewal initiative,
organized all development services function materials in a user-
friendly fashion under a "Development" heading.
The City's current website is not user-friendly
for development applicants and prospective
applicants.
> THAT the City put in place and host a set of workshops each year for the
development community and other applicants to:
− present information on application requirements and processes
− review policy and regulatory changes, as well as initiatives
− receive feedback on the City's development services function, as well
as suggested changes
− foster relationships between the development community and the City
Environmental Services (and others) has
hosted workshops in past years. Other
municipalities feature such workshops
regularly.
Infrastructure Development
> THAT the City set out a protocol agreement, based on the summary
presented in Figure 3.2, to clarify the authority of the Manager of
Infrastructure Development, and the situations in which applications will be
referred by the Manager for review and recommendations to sections in
Engineering and Operations.
Figure 4.2 is a summary only. The protocol for
Maple Ridge must set out all thresholds and
other conditions for referrals.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 64
REPORT
Recommendations Comments
> AND THAT the City implement the protocol agreement over the course
of 2023 to transition from Operations' current role in reviewing all
applications, to the more selective review role envisioned by the
protocol agreement.
> THAT the City, later in 2023, consider placing Infrastructure Development in
Planning & Development Services, reporting to and under the authority of
the Director of Planning.
> AND THAT the City determine the placement of Infrastructure
Development based on the City's success in implementing the other
recommendations in this report as measured by improvement to key
aspects of the development services function, including referral and
approval turn-around times.
In the consultant's view, moving Infrastructure
Development to Planning & Development
Services would elevate the importance of the
development services function in the
organization and community, and should be
strongly considered.
It is recognized that such change would take
some time to implement and would need to be
managed carefully. It is recognized, as well,
that the time required for action on other
recommendations in the report will be
considerable and will occupy leaders. For
these reasons, the change to Infrastructure
Development may be best revisited later in
2023 once the City has made progress on other
recommendations, and when the City is in a
position to evaluate the impacts of other
changes made. At that time, the City would be
able to either confirm the value of moving
Infrastructure Development, or leave the
current reporting structure unchanged.
A decision to proceed at that time could be
implemented in conjunction with any broader
structural changes that the organization may
wish to pursue.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 65
REPORT
Recommendations Comments
> THAT the City set out a new practices and expectations to guide Engineering
Inspectors in exercising a role of compliance verification related to the
construction of development works and services.
> AND THAT the practices and expectations emphasize the need for
greater reliance to be placed on the field reports and sign-offs
provided by applicants' engineering professionals.
Engineering Inspectors do not need to be as
heavily involved as they are today in the review
of development works and services
constructed by applicants.
Environmental Services
> THAT the City consider the structure and responsibilities of Environmental
Services in the context of the potential need to establish a new Environment
and Climate Action office (or department) in Maple Ridge.
In the consultant's view there is value in
reorganizing Environmental Services to
separate policy from development reviews.
Based on evolving community needs and
Council priorities, however, the City may wish
to consider elevating the importance of
environment and climate by creating a new
Environmental and Climate Action function,
possibly in its own department or office.
Several other municipalities have taken (or are
contemplating) a similar initiative.
Organization Culture
> None. None.
Staffing Levels
> THAT the City redouble efforts to fill existing vacancies. It is difficult to make the case for additional
positions when existing positions have not
been filled.
> THAT the City add a Planning Technician or Planner I position to serve as the
dedicated Planner of the Day.
None.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 66
REPORT
Recommendations Comments
> THAT the City create an exempt Development Concierge position for a two-
year pilot project term.
This position would report to the Director of
Economic Development.
> THAT the City monitor the need to add a Planner II position and Engineering
Technologist position to provide additional capacity for files brought in
through the Development Concierge service.
None.
> THAT the City make continue to make use of retired Planners and contact
Engineering Technologists and Inspectors to assist with managing workload.
None.
City of Maple Ridge
TO:His Worship Mayor Dan Ruimy
and Members of Council
MEETING DATE: April 25, 2023
FILE NO:01-0685-30
FROM:Chief Administrative Officer MEETING:Workshop
SUBJECT: Development Services Function Review Implementation Strategy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In the spring of 2022, Allan Neilson, of Neilson Strategies (Consultant) was retained to undertake a
review of the City’s development services function, which follows the completion of his review of the
City’s building permit function in 2021. The goal of the Development Services Function Review
(Review) is to position the City as a leader in the review and approval of development applications. The
final report – “City of Maple Ridge; Development Services Function Review” (Report) is attached as
Appendix A. The Report acknowledges that staff reflect a genuine desire to help customers get the
information they need to make development-related decisions but notes the current processes have
room for improvement to streamline and accelerate development approvals with a goal of approving
housing supply.
The effective implementation of any plan requires a strategic roadmap, with proper supports in place,
and a comprehensive strategy for moving forward. Staff from the Planning & Development Services
and Engineering Services divisions reviewed the Report and have created an implementation strategy
identifying initiatives and timelines to advance the Report recommendations. The purpose of this
report is to provide Council with an overview of the Development Services Process Review
Implementation Strategy (Strategy) highlighting the process improvements and initiatives that are
underway and scheduled to occur over the next year. Details pertaining to each action item will follow
later in the process.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Development Services Function Review Implementation Strategy be received as information.
DISCUSSION:
a) Background Context:
In early 2022, City Administration commissioned a review of development application processes,
to determine how the City was positioned in relation to other jurisdictions within the province, and
to identify opportunities to increase efficiencies in development application reviews and
processes. Neilson Strategies was retained, and the Development Services Function Review took
place in the summer/fall of 2022. The report includes a profiling of development services
functions, processes, comparative research, and statistics. In preparing the report, the Consultant
also interviewed staff involved in the process, as well as several developers and development
professionals.
Doc# 3369978 Page 1 of 7
In support of this review, Corporate Planning staff applied for and received a grant from the Union
of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Local Government Grants Program which funded the
review of the City’s Land Development Approvals Process.
The report identifies a number of things the City does very well, with a highlight on organizational
culture, noting that staff recognize the importance of the function, and the need to balance their
regulator and facilitator roles. Staff are described as “capable professionals who strive to both
promote the community’s interests, and to provide a high level of customer service to applicants”.
No changes to organizational culture were recommended by the Consultant. At the same time, the
Consultant identified 26 recommendations, organized under 12 categories (see Appendix B
attached).
Implementation Strategy
Upon receipt of the Report, staff from Planning & Development Services and Engineering
Services have embarked on the creation of a Strategy to implement the recommendations
within the Report. It is recognized that some recommendations will take longer to implement,
or will be ongoing, while others were actioned immediately. The goal of the Strategy is to create
a roadmap for advancing all recommendations, noting that each item will contribute to
incremental, measurable changes.
The Strategy identifies timelines for implementation of all recommendations contained in the
Report. It is noted that timelines are very aggressive, with most items being scheduled for
completion by year end. In advancing recommendations, staff prioritized eight action items that
are believed to be the most impactful, and ultimately resulting in the greatest efficiencies, and a
reduction in processing times. Once these eight items have been implemented, and their success
has been measured, Administration will be better positioned to consider the appropriateness of
structural changes identified in the Report. Those priority items include:
Recommendation Implementation
Timelines
1. Technology - #SPLIT Q1 - Q4 2023
2. Bill 26 Process Improvements Q1 - Q3 2023
Q2 - Q3 2023
Q3 - Q4 2023
Q2 - Q3 2023
Q2 - Q3 2023
Q2 - Q3 2023
Q3 - Q4 2023
3. Combination of First & Second Reading
4. Creation of Multi-Stream Application Reviews
5. Enhanced Customer Service - Planner of the Day & Engineer of the Day
6. Efficiency Improvements for Engineering Design Review Process
7. Elimination of Off-site Frontage improvements for Single Family Homes
8. Metrics - Establishing a Baseline and Targets
The following sections of this report provides the details for each priority item.
1. Technology - #SPLIT
The Development Services Function Review Implementation Strategy report identifies that
the City’s current AMANDA file management platform does not meet the needs of applicants,
staff or decision makers. The current system is not user friendly; does not allow for the
submission of digital applications; does not provide for the seamless sharing of files between
staff or departments; lacks a portal for applicants to monitor the status of their applications;
and lacks the ability to track and display metrics.
Doc# 3369978 Page 2 of 7
The new Cityworks Land Management System is currently under development and is
anticipated to be serving the public by year-end. Some of the ways this new system will
address the Report recommendations are:
will provide applicants with a Portal where they can upload, view, manage and track their
applications as they move through the system, viewing staff comments and deficiency
notations in near real-time;
will allow applicants to upload plans, surveys and drawings, and staff will have the tools
to provide electronic mark-ups and approvals on these files;
will have a Land Development Tracker with similar functionality to the City’s current one.
Staff will be required to use the system exclusively in managing their files, in real time, so
that the data supplying the Tracker, and the applicant Portal, is current; and
will have configurable dashboards with which staff can monitor their open files, with alerts
where process targets have been established. Dashboards can be further configured to
provide managers with an overview of all open files, their statuses, and the staff they are
assigned to.
2. Bill 26 Process Improvements
On February 28, 2023, Council directed staff to bring forward policy and bylaw amendments
to support housing affordability. These changes are intended to modernize, streamline and
expedite the processes required to review and approve new housing projects. The draft bylaws
and policies will be presented to Council before the summer break, and will include the
following:
Development Variance Permit (DVP) Delegation – staff have been directed to prepare a
delegation bylaw and policy authorizing the Director of Planning to issue minor variances.
The policy will clarify the criteria under which variances can be issued, however is
envisioned to allow for variances that are relatively unnoticeable by the average user of
the site, adjacent sites and the surrounding public realm.
Further Development Permit Delegation - the Director of Planning currently has authority
to issue Wildfire and Watercourse Development Permits. Staff intend to pursue the
delegation of Intensive Residential Development Permits and increasing the threshold for
the issuance of Minor Development Permits.
Removal of Public Hearing Requirement for OCP Compliant Projects - staff have been
directed to prepare Policy criteria and Bylaw amendments to permit rezoning applications
that are OCP compliant to proceed without a Public Hearing, providing that appropriate
notice has been made. Staff estimate that the waiving of a Public Hearing will provide a
greater degree of certainty for applicants as they progress through the rezoning process.
Public Hearing Notification – Council directed that staff bring forward bylaw and policy
amendments to enable additional means of publication for public notices. These changes
are intended to modernize and consider additional requirements, beyond the current
requirement to post the notice in the local newspaper.
3. Combination of First and Second Reading
Unlike most municipalities, the City does not combine first and second readings to a zone
amending bylaw. Currently, a first reading report is prepared that speaks only to land use. It
is not intended to speak to development characteristics, servicing, or other matters, noting
that this information is not available at this point in the process. The Consultant has flagged
that this current process is problematic for three reasons:
it is open to misuse by applicants, who use the reading to enhance the marketability of
their projects;
Doc# 3369978 Page 3 of 7
Council has expressed frustration with the lack of information available in a first reading
report, and appears to be less comfortable in providing support without a clear
understanding of what exactly is being proposed; and
it requires staff to prepare a separate report to Committee of the Whole and Council.
In terms of time, the Consultant has noted that the current process “adds extra steps to the
overall processing time of the project and is not inconsequential”.
The Consultant recommends that the City combine first and second readings. Key to this
combined reading approach, will be the requirement for the submission of complete
applications, which is standard practice across local government jurisdictions. It is also
standard practice for local governments to reject incomplete applications outright.
Not unlike other municipalities, processing of a development application includes a review
phase, where the application is referred to a number of internal departments, such as
Infrastructure Development, Building and Parks Departments. These departments review
each application to determine compliance with policies, regulations and technical standards.
These comments identify compliance gaps that the applicant must address prior to final
approval. This phase of the process is noted by the Consultant as being the most time and
effort intensive part of the process, and has recommended that referrals be reviewed, and
that timeline expectations for referrals be established. This work has already begun.
Staff have drafted a report and bylaw amendments to action the combination of first and
second reading, which will be presented to Council in Q2 2023.
4. Creation of Multi-Stream Application Reviews
The City currently utilizes a single stream application process where files are managed on a
first-in, first-out basis, recognizing that there is a considerable range in both the magnitude
and complexity of applications. The Consultant recommends the creation of a Development
Concierge Service which would focus on high-value projects that are deemed a priority by
Council, namely large-scale projects that promote economic growth, employment generation,
and/or attainable, affordable and rental housing.
In Q3 2023, a corporate cross-functional team comprised of representatives from Planning,
Engineering, Building, Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives and Communications
will create a framework for a Development Concierge Service Pilot Program, which will include
criteria, protocols, resourcing and staffing requirements, fees, and performance metrics to
measure the success of the program.
Staff are excited to become the first British Columbia Municipality to consider a Development
Concierge Service, and the preparation of a business case for this Pilot Program will
commence shortly with the goal of launching the pilot program by the end of the year.
In recognition that the Development Concierge Service will focus on significant large-scale
projects, the Inter-Departmental, Cross Functional team will also explore the feasibility of
creating one or more additional streams to provide priority processing on complex and small
scale, non-complex applications.
5. Enhanced Customer Service - Planner of the Day (POD) and Engineer of the Day (EOD)
The Planning Department has a Planner of the Day (POD) rotation, where a Planner attends
the Development Services Counter to respond to questions that the Development Services
Technicians are unable to answer. The POD program is not unique to Maple Ridge; however,
it is differentiated from other municipalities in that enquiries often require the POD to work
on enquiries following their shift.
Doc# 3369978 Page 4 of 7
The Consultant has observed that this practice removes the Planners from file management,
and results in delays in the processing of development applications. The Consultant has
recommended that a new position be created to have a permanent POD situated in the
Building Department.
In reviewing this position, and with a goal of providing enhanced professional service, staff in
both the Planning and Engineering Departments included these positions in their Department
Business Plans and budget requests for 2023. With respect to budget, both of these positions
will be funded through the review and introduction of new fees and no impact to General
Revenues is anticipated.
To better support the POD program, the Consultant has recommended the creation of a POD
policy to limit POD enquiries to 30 minutes and require more complex enquiries to submit a
formalized Land Use Inquiry application. This policy is currently being created, and these
positions are expected to be posted in Q2, 2023.
6. Efficiency Improvements for Engineering Design Review Process
The Review acknowledged that applications often experience delays when going through the
engineering design review process. The Report notes that there are a number of reasons for
this, including retaining a full complement of development staff although it also notes that
this is an issue across the organization.
The referral of engineering design drawings to other departments, notably Engineering
Operations may result in delays in advancing applications through the development process.
It is important that when the City takes over development infrastructure it is built to City
standards, however the challenge is to provide comments on the application in a timely
manner that doesn’t result in delays. Staff support the Report recommendation to implement
a protocol agreement between Engineering and Engineering Operations that would include
setting internal parameters and thresholds when applications are to be forwarded for review.
Staff will also evaluate the feasibility, and impacts of relying more on professionals of record
and will explore this aspect further over the next six months through discussions with
consulting professionals to determine tangible improvements to reduce development
timelines while still providing the high level of infrastructure required to support current and
future generations.
7. Elimination of Off-Site Frontage Improvements for Single Family Homes
In 2016, the City amended the Subdivision Bylaw to require offsite frontage improvements
for building permit applications. Prior to that, offsite frontage improvements were only
required for subdivision applications. This more stringent requirement ensured that modern
infrastructure such as sidewalks, street trees, and streetlighting were installed on a per
frontage basis with the understanding that infrastructure gaps would exist until all homes
along a given block were redeveloped. While this was considered best practice at the time,
given the current housing affordability challenges, it is recommended that Council consider
eliminating this requirement going forward. Applicants would still be required to install new
service connections and dedicate road right of way for future works, but would not be
burdened with the cost to construct the offsite works.
Waiving offsite frontage improvements for single family home applications would be
applicable to single family re-builds, in-unit suites, and detached garden suites. Staff do not
propose to waive requirements for duplex, tri-plex and courtyard developments as land values
for these applications typically experience a lift in property value which can be used to offset
the improvements. Staff will commence this work in Q2 2023, with implementation
anticipated for Q3 2023.
Doc# 3369978 Page 5 of 7
8. Metrics - Establishing a Baseline and Targets
Key to undertaking the Review was a corporate desire to position itself as a leader in the review
and approval of development applications, which amongst other things includes a goal of
promoting innovation, positioning the City for growth and investment, and reducing processing
times. As a component of developing the Strategy, there was a recognition for a need to
understand the baseline that we are currently operating under, however the current AMANDA
file management platform lacks the ability to track and display metrics. Later this year, the
Cityworks Land Management System will be launched and with it will come the ability to track
data in real time, have configurable dashboards, and alerts.
Taking advantage of Bill 26 permissions, the collapsing of first and second readings, and
introducing Engineering process review efficiencies will result in reductions in development
processing times. For example, staff estimate that the Director of Planning could issue a
Development Variance Permit in a matter of weeks, verses the current timeframe of four or
more months. Staff further estimate that collapsing first and second reading, and requiring
complete application materials, could result in a reduction of six to 24 months from time of
application to receipt of second reading, depending on the complexity of the application, and
the responsiveness of the applicant. With the new Land Management System in place, and the
implementation of process changes, staff will be able to establish an accurate baseline of
current processing times, set realistic targets, and monitor the effectiveness of changes being
implemented.
b) Desired Outcome:
The Strategy is intended to advance the recommendations within the Report with a goal of bringing
housing units and employment space to market as quickly and efficiently as possible.
c) Strategic Alignment:
The Strategy aligns with the Council’s strategic priority areas of Liveable Community, Diversified
Thriving Economy, and Governance & Corporate Excellence.
d) Citizen/Customer Implications:
The Strategy identifies items and timelines that staff have assigned to the Consultant’s
recommendations within the Report. The action items are intended to position the City as a leader
in the issuance of development approvals and expedite the approval of housing units and
employment space, which benefit residents, applicants and members of the development and
building communities.
e) Business Plan/Financial Implications:
While developing the Strategy, staff identified opportunities to review and introduce new fees, which
will form part of a subsequent report. The fees identified to date include:
Pre-application meeting – review existing fee
Pre-Application meeting with Engineering Participation – review existing fee
Letter of Inquiry – review existing fee
Development Variance Permit – Director of Planning approval –new fee
Board of Variance – review existing fee
Development Permit Delegation – Intensive Residential – new fee
Development Permit – Minor Amendment – review existing fee
Rezoning application – Development Concierge Stream – new fee
Rezoning application – Fast track Stream – new fee
Public Notification Fee – new fee
Engineering Service Reviews – new fee
Doc# 3369978 Page 6 of 7
The increase in fees is expected to fund the permanent Planner of the Day and Engineer of the
Day positions.
f) Interdepartmental Implications:
While the Planning and Engineering Departments are leading the majority of the Development
Services implementation Strategy, all City Departments will be impacted, as they all support the
function in some capacity, through referrals, agenda preparation, the collection of fees and
securities, the hiring of staff, provision of expert advice, and development and maintenance of
systems and technologies.
CONCLUSION:
Following the receipt of the review, Engineering and Planning staff commenced work immediately to
develop an Implementation Strategy that is both aggressive and achievable. The Implementation
Strategy (Appendix B) identifies timelines for recommendations contained in the Report, with most
process improvements and initiatives being underway, or scheduled to occur over the next year. Staff
have identified eight action items that focus on process improvements and are believed to be the most
impactful on timelines, efficiencies and will result in the creation of housing and employment in the
community.
“Original signed by Charles R. Goddard”
Prepared by: Charles R. Goddard, BA, MA
Director of Planning
“Original signed by Forrest Smith”
Prepared by: Forrest Smith, P. Eng
Director of Engineering
“Original signed by Christine Carter”
Prepared by: Christine Carter, M.PL, MCIP, RPP
General Manager Planning & Development Service
“Original signed by David Pollock”
Prepared by: David Pollock, P. Eng
General Manager Engineering Service
“Original signed by Scott Hartman”
Approved by: Scott Hartman
Chief Administrative Officer
Appendices:
(A) Development Service Function Review, Neilson Strategies Report dated January 2023
(B) Development Services Implementation Strategy
Doc# 3369978 Page 7 of 7
APPENDIX A
CITY OF MAPLE RIDGE
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FUNCTION REVIEW
REPORT
This Report has been prepared by Neilson Strategies Inc. for the City of Maple Ridge. The document is presented for
discussion with, and for the sole use of, the City. No representations of any kind are made by the consultants to any party
with whom the consultant does not have a contract.
Neilson Strategies Inc.
106-460 Doyle Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 0C2
neilsonstrategies.ca
January 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................1
Report....................................................................................................................1
Context ..................................................................................................................2
2. CURRENT FUNCTION................................................................................................3
Purpose of the Function.......................................................................................3
Buildings..........................................................................................................4
Legislative Framework..........................................................................................4
Provincial Legislation......................................................................................4
Municipal Bylaws............................................................................................5
Departments and Staffing ....................................................................................6
Planning and Development Services .............................................................6
Engineering Services ......................................................................................8
Building Department......................................................................................9
Other Departments......................................................................................10
Approval Processes.............................................................................................10
Simplified Rezoning Process ........................................................................11
Other Approval Processes............................................................................15
Technology..........................................................................................................15
Information to Applicants...................................................................................16
Applications and Information Requests.............................................................16
Application Numbers....................................................................................16
Information Requests...................................................................................18
Application Processing Times ......................................................................19
3. ISSUES TO CONSIDER............................................................................................. 21
Nature of Reviews...............................................................................................21
Information Requests .........................................................................................22
Managing Inquiries.......................................................................................22
Observations.................................................................................................23
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Development Services Technicians ................................................24
Information Resources....................................................................24
Planner of the Day...........................................................................24
Inquiries Database...........................................................................25
REPORT
Council Involvement ...........................................................................................25
Rezoning Process..........................................................................................25JANUARY 2023
PAGE i
Observations.................................................................................................27
First Reading ....................................................................................27
Public Hearings................................................................................28
Delegation of Approvals .....................................................................................28
Delegation to Staff........................................................................................28
Observations.................................................................................................29
Referral of Applications ......................................................................................29
Internal Referrals..........................................................................................29
Observations.................................................................................................31
File Manager Model............................................................................................32
The Role ........................................................................................................32
Observations.................................................................................................33
Application Streams............................................................................................35
Single Stream................................................................................................35
Observations.................................................................................................35
Development Concierge .................................................................36
Technology..........................................................................................................37
Existing File Management Platform ............................................................37
Observations.................................................................................................37
Communications.................................................................................................39
Dual Role.......................................................................................................39
Observations.................................................................................................41
Infrastructure Development Section .................................................................41
Responsibilities.............................................................................................41
Observations.................................................................................................43
Staffing.............................................................................................43
Turn-Around Times .........................................................................43
Intra-Divisional Consultation ..........................................................44
Placement in Engineering Services.................................................46
Inspection of Works ........................................................................48
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT Environmental Services ......................................................................................49
Range of Services..........................................................................................49
Observations.................................................................................................50
Organizational Culture........................................................................................51
JANUARY 2023
PAGE ii
Staffing Levels .....................................................................................................53
Current Levels...............................................................................................53
Observations.................................................................................................53
Comparative Research ....................................................................54
Adjustments for Maple Ridge.........................................................55
4. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 58
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE iii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Land development in Maple Ridge is governed by a set of policies and regulations set
out in the City's Official Community Plan (OCP), Zoning Bylaw, Subdivision and
Development Servicing Bylaw, and other municipal documents. In many if not most
cases, the development or re-development of individual properties require property
owners to apply for and obtain various approvals from the City, as identified in the
City's Development Procedures Bylaw. Staff in the City's Planning Department, along
with those in Engineering, Parks and Recreation, and other departments, review
applications for development through different regulatory processes. These
processes, the departments and sections that administer them, and the approaches
taken by staff to perform their work constitute the City's development services
function.
The City of Maple Ridge seeks to position itself as a leader in the review and approval
of development applications. The City understands that success in the function
requires an organizational culture that values solutions and customer service, as well
as approval processes that have clear expectations and efficient timelines, are well
understood by applicants, and are administered in a fair, consistent and efficient
manner. To help the City achieve its aim, Council and Senior Leadership
commissioned an independent review of Maple Ridge's current development services
function. Neilson Strategies Inc., a local government consultancy based in British
Columbia, was selected as the consultant to conduct the review.
REPORT
This Report presents the review of the development services function. The report
begins by profiling the function as it exists in the City today. The function's legislative
basis, organization and staffing model, and application review processes are
described; available statistics on the numbers and types of applications as well as
timelines are provided. The report then presents the consultant's assessment of the
current function. Key issues in need of attention are identified, including issues
related to organizational structure, approval processes, the use of information
technology, staffing levels and other matters. Recommended changes for the City to
consider in addressing the issues are presented in the report's final chapter.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Over the course of the study, the consultant interviewed all City staff involved in the
development services function, as well as several developers and development
professionals with experience in Maple Ridge and in other Lower Mainland
municipalities. The consultant also conducted a considerable amount of comparative
research. Development services managers in other municipalities were interviewed;
relevant materials were obtained and reviewed. The consultant's identification of
issues and development of recommendations were informed by all of the interviews
and comparative research.
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 1
CONTEXT
The context within which the review of the development services function was
commissioned is important to highlight before turning to the body of the report. The
City of Maple Ridge is a high-growth community in British Columbia's Metro
Vancouver Regional District. Over the next thirty years, Metro Vancouver projects
that the region as a whole will experience 37% growth in population to a total of 3.8
million people. Growth in the Ridge Meadows sub-region, which is dominated by
Maple Ridge, is projected to hit 40% — a figure that translates into an additional
44,200 people.1 Close to 20,000 new dwelling units will be needed in Ridge
Meadows to accommodate this growth in population. Increased density and a focus
on multi-family housing will features of the future landscape.
Housing affordability is a significant challenge in the Metro Vancouver region, the
Ridge Meadows sub-region and the province as a whole. Municipalities are not able
on their own to solve the affordability crisis; municipalities can, however, contribute
to solutions in different ways, including through efforts to streamline and accelerate
development review and approve new housing supply. The Province of British
Columbia has identified municipal development approval processes as a topic for
review and action.2 Provincial Grants have been provided to several municipalities,
including Maple Ridge, through the Local Government Development Approvals
Program to facilitate improvements. Legislated changes designed to encourage—
and ultimately force —municipalities to approve more housing units, and to approve
them faster, have been put forward.3
Maple Ridge Council and Senior Leadership understand the growth and affordability
challenges facing the community and region. The review of the development
services function is a direct response to these challenges.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
1
2
Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy.
See the province's 2019 Development Approvals Process Review: Final Report from a Province-Wide
Stakeholder Consultation.
3 See the province's Bill 43 – 2022: Housing Supply Act, announced in November 2022.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 2
CHAPTER 2
CURRENT FUNCTION
This chapter profiles the City of Maple Ridge's development services function as it
exists today. The function's purpose and legislative framework are outlined first. The
City's departments involved in reviewing development applications are then
reviewed, including information on staffing, roles and responsibilities, application
volumes and timelines, application processes, information documents for applicants,
and other points.
This chapter, it should be emphasized, outlines the function in its current form.
Issues with the function to address, findings from the comparative research, and
recommended changes for the City to consider, are presented in subsequent
chapters.
PURPOSE OF THE FUNCTION
Property owners in Maple Ridge who wish to develop or re-develop their properties
must proceed in compliance with the requirements set out the City's development-
related policy documents and bylaws. In many cases, property owners must apply for
and obtain different types of development approvals. Depending on the
characteristics of and development intentions for a parcel, an owner may require one
or more of the following approvals:
•
•
•
an amendment to the Official Community Plan, required when a proposed
development does not conform to the future land use designation for the
property in the OCP
an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw (i.e., a rezoning), which must be obtained
when the proposed development is not permitted in the property's zone, or
when the proposed density exceeds that which is identified for the site
one or more development permit, required for developments that are
proposed for properties situated within a designated development permit
area with guidelines to address form and character concerns, or to protect
the natural environmentDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
•
•
a development variance permit, which is required when an owner seeks to
have building setback, building height, lot width, or off-street parking
requirements in the Zoning Bylaw relaxed, timing of service requirements
from the Subdivision and Development Serving Bylaw changed, or
requirements in the Sign Bylaw altered
REPORT
subdivision approval, which must be obtained to change or create new lot
boundaries, including through the creation of new lots from existing lots, or
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 3
through the consolidation of separate lots
The applications for these approvals are received, proposed development projects
are reviewed, conditions are set, approvals are granted, and development works
(where required) are set out and inspected through the City's development services
function. The function exists to ensure that property development in Maple Ridge
proceeds in a way that supports the City's land use and development goals, adds
value to and meets the needs of the community, and protects the natural
environment and the City's infrastructure systems.
Buildings
The building permit function, through which the construction and alteration of
buildings is regulated, will be considered by some to form part of the broader
development services function. The City of Maple Ridge, however, reviewed the
building permit function in 2021 as a separate, stand-alone exercise.4 For the
purposes of this report, therefore, the development services function does not
include activities involved in the review of building permit applications, the issuance
of building permits, or the inspection of buildings during construction.
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
Provincial Legislation
Similar to all municipalities in British Columbia, the City of Maple Ridge obtains its
authority to create development policies and regulations, and to require property
owners to apply for and receive approvals pursuant to the policies and regulations,
from the Local Government Act. Part 14 of the Act, titled Planning and Land Use
Management, outlines specific municipal powers the City may — or, in some cases,
must — exercise. Part 14 also identifies constraints and requirements the City must
respect in the exercise of its powers.
The range of items addressed in Part 14 is considerable. Key items that are
particularly relevant to this report include:
•
•
the authority of the City to adopt an OCP — defined in section 471(1) as "a
statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land
use management" — along with requirements related to the components of
the plan, and the procedures to create and adopt itDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW the authority to create, and the procedures to adopt, a zoning bylaw that
divides the municipality into zones, and regulates for each zone:
REPORT
–
–
–
–
the permitted land uses, buildings and structures
the allowable density for land uses and buildings
the siting, size and dimensions of uses and permitted buildings
the location of uses on the land and within buildings
4 Neilson Strategies completed a Building Permit Function Review for the City in November 2021.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 4
•
•
the authority to enter into housing agreements for affordable and special
needs housing
the authority to require applicants to provide traffic impact studies,
environmental reports, infrastructure impact reports and other development
approval information requirements in support of applications to amend the
Zoning Bylaw, or for a development permit or temporary use permit
•the authority to create development permit areas in its OCP, and to require
property owners within each designated area to obtain one or more
development permit prior to subdivision, construction or alteration of a
building, or any alteration of land within specific types of development permit
areas (e.g., natural environment, greenhouse gas reduction, and others)
•
•
the authority to create and impose specific protections, conditions and
requirements in different types of permit areas
the authority to issue temporary use permits, within designated temporary
use areas, to allow for a specified period of time a use not permitted in a
zoning bylaw, and to specify conditions under which the use may occur
•the authority to issue development variance permits to vary specific
provisions (other than density, use or residential tenure) of the Zoning Bylaw,
the timing of service requirements from the Subdivision and Development
Serving Bylaw changed, or requirements in the Sign Bylaw
•
•
the authority to adopt a subdivision and development servicing bylaw to
impose requirements and regulate the provision of works, services and park
land in order to subdivide land
application fees that the City may, by bylaw, impose on all applications to
amend the OCP, change zoning, obtain a development permit or
development variance permit, subdivide properties, and obtain certain other
types of approvals
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Other provincial statutes and regulations dealing with highways, the natural
environment, registration of lands, strata corporations, agriculture and farming set
out additional authorities for and constraints on municipal action. The Local
Government Act, however, is the primary source of authority and direction for
municipalities in the development services function.REPORT
Municipal Bylaws
The Local Government Act provides the City the authority required to create and
enforce its development policies and regulations. The actual policies and regulations,
however, are contained in City of Maple Ridge bylaws that property owners must
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 5
follow to obtain the necessary development approvals. The most important bylaws
include:
•Maple Ridge Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879 — This bylaw sets out
the requirements and the process for property owners (or their authorized
representatives) to submit applications to amend the OCP and Zoning Bylaw,
and to obtain a development permit and development variance permit.5
Items that must be included in every type of application are outlined in the
bylaw's schedules.
•Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 7060 — The City's OCP outlines the long-
term vision for growth and development in Maple Ridge. It puts forward
objectives and policies on a variety of community issues, identifies future land
uses, designates development permit areas and provides matching
development guidelines, and includes specific area plans to guide the
development of the Albion, Silver Valley, Town Centre and Hammond areas.
•
•
•
City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600 — The Zoning Bylaw divides
Maple Ridge into a variety of agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial,
institutional and comprehensive development zones. Regulations are listed
for each zone to address permitted uses, density, lot coverage, setbacks,
building height, landscaping needs, parking requirements and other matters.
Maple Ridge Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800 — This
bylaw sets out the application procedure and the application requirements
for subdivisions. The bylaw and its schedules set out requirements, standards
and design criteria for services and utilities that must be provided in respect
of subdivisions.
Maple Ridge Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 7575 — This bylaw identifies the
fees that must be paid to the City, as part of development applications, for
the processing of OCP amendment, zoning amendment, development permit,
development variance permit and subdivision approval applications.
DEPARTMENTS & STAFFING
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Staff in several City departments have roles and responsibilities in the review of
development applications through the development services function as it exists
today. Overall administration of the function, however, falls to staff in the Planning &
Development Services Division. Staff in the Engineering Department (within the
Engineering Services Division) play a significant role in the function, as well.REPORT
Planning & Development Services
This division is comprised of the Planning, Building and Bylaw and Licensing
5 Applications are also required under the bylaw for temporary commercial and industrial permits,
and for heritage alteration permits.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 6
Departments, each of which is headed by a Director who reports to the General
Manager of Planning & Development Services. The development services function —
which, as noted earlier, is distinct from the building permit function for the purposes
of this report — is the focus of the Planning Department.
Figure 2.1 on the following page presents the Department's organization chart. As
illustrated in the chart, the Department is divided into two sections:
•Development & Environmental Services — This section is comprised of
development planning staff and environmental planning staff. Reporting to
the Manger of Development & Environmental Services are ten (10) full-time
development planning positions, including Planners, Planning Technicians, a
Planning Assistant, and a Mapping & Graphics Technician. Three (3) full-time
Planner positions, including one (1) Planner III and two (2) Planners I, are
vacant at the time of writing.
The staffing complement also includes one (1) permanent part-time Clerk II,
and three (3) part-time auxiliary Planner II positions. The staff in the Planner
II positions are recently-retired City staff who have been brought back to help
process specific applications — in most cases, applications that the staff
members had managed in prior to retirement.6
All of the development planning positions, it is important to note, undertake
the various tasks involved in processing development applications. The
specific tasks vary by position; however, all positions are focused on assessing
and moving the development applications through to approval.
The environmental planning group consists of five (5) full-time positions, all of
which report to the Manager of Development & Environmental Services.
Included in the group are one (1) Environmental Planner II, one (1)
Environmental Planner I, two (2) Environmental Technicians and one (1)
Environmental Coordinator. The team as a whole works on environmental
strategies, plans and policies, green infrastructure initiatives, the issuance
and enforcement of tree permits, and the review development applications
for compliance with environmental development permit area guidelines.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW •Community Planning — This section has four (4) Planners — two (2) Planners
II and two (2) Planners I — reporting to the Manager of Community Planning.
All of these positions are focused primarily of planning policy matters,
including review of the City's OCP, the creation of Area Plans for placement in
the OCP, neighbourhood plans and other related matters. The planners
provide input on development applications that may not conform to the
City's planning policy direction.
REPORT
6 The three part-time auxiliary Planner II positions combine to equal approximately 1.0 full-time
equivalent (FTE).JANUARY 2023
PAGE 7
Figure 2.1
Planning Department
Current Organization Chart
Director of Planning Admin Asst
Manager Manager
Community PlanningDevelopment &
Environmental Services
Planner III
(vacant)
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Environmental
Planner II Planner II
Planner II
(vacant)
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Environmental
Planner I Planner II
Planner I
Planner I
Planner I
(vacant)
Planner II
(Part-Time Auxiliary)
Environmental
Technician
Planning
Technician
Environmental
TechnicianPlanner I
Planner I Planning
Technician
Environmental
Coordinator
Planning
Assistant
Planning
Technician
Vacant Position
Mapping &
Graphics Tech Clerk II
(Part-Time)Auxiliary Position
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Engineering Services
The Engineering Services Division is comprised of the Engineering Department and
the Engineering Operations Department, both of which are headed by a Director who
reports to the General Manager of Engineering Services. Engineering Services is
focused on the planning, construction, maintenance, operation and replacement of
City infrastructure services, including roads and transportation, water, sanitary
sewers and drainage. The Division is responsible for ensuring that development in
the municipality is properly serviced, and for understanding and addressing the
impacts of development on existing infrastructure systems.
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 8
The Engineering Department in the Division consists of four sections, each of which is
headed by a Manager. One section — Infrastructure Development — deals with land
development matters that arise through the development services function. Staff in
the section review development applications to:
•
•
understand the impacts of proposed developments on municipal services
identify, based on the requirements in the Subdivision & Development
Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, service deficiencies as well as studies that the
applicant must provide related to transportation, water, sanitary sewer and
storm water management
•
•
•
receive and assess off-site infrastructure design drawings and cost estimates,
submitted by applicants to address the service deficiencies
inspect the off-site works constructed by applicants, at their cost and based
on the approved design drawings, to address the deficiencies
issue Certificates of Completion and Certificates of Acceptance for the
constructed off-site works
All off-site works constructed by applicants through the development services
function as a condition of development approval are ultimately inherited by the City
and maintained by staff in Engineering Operations.
Figure 2.2 presents an organization chart for the Engineering Department. The focus
of the chart is the Infrastructure Development section; however, the full Department
is shown since staff in other sections provide input and advice to Infrastructure
Development on specific infrastructure impacts.
Building Department
The City's Building Department is included alongside the Planning Department in the
Planning and Development Services Division. The Building Department is comprised
primarily of Plan Reviewers and Building Inspectors who are involved in review of
building permit applications, the issuance of building permits, and the inspection of
permitted construction. These activities are undertaken through the building permit
function which, as noted earlier, is separate from the development services function
for the purposes of this report.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
In addition to Plan Reviewers and Building Inspectors, however, the Building
Department is also home to Development Service Technicians (DSTs). The DSTs are
attached to the Building Department, but work at the City's one-stop application
centre on the main floor in City Hall. Applications for all types of land development
applications, engineering applications, building applications and others are submitted
by property owners (or their agents) to the one-stop centre.
REPORT
There are seven (7) DST positions at the City. The City is in the process of training all
DSTs to be able to receive, vet and provide information on all types of applications.
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 9
Figure 2.2
Engineering Department
Current Organization Chart
Engineering
Project Clerk
Director of
Engineering Admin Asst
Manager
Infrastructure
Development
Manager
Design & Construction
Manager
Utility Engineering
Manager
Transportation
Engineering
Technologist
Senior Project
Engineer
Engineering
Inspector III
Sr. Engineering
Technologist I*
Engineering
Technologist I
Engineering
Technologist
Instrument
Person II
Engineering
Inspector II
Engineering
Technologist I
Engineering
Technician I
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Inspector II
Engineering
Technologist I
Traffic
Technician
Engineering
Inspector I
(Temporary)
Engineering
Technologist
Engineering
Technologist
Subdivision & Dev.
Technologist
Vacant Position
Engineering
Technologist
(vacant)
Supervisor
Mapping & Draft
Development
Technician Temporary
Position
Development
Technician
(Temporary)
* Position currently
filled by an
Engineering
Technologist
Draftsperson II Draftsperson II
Draftsperson II
(vacant)
Other Departments
Development applications received by the Planning Department are regularly
referred to staff in other City departments or work groups for comment and, in some
cases, approval. Staff in other departments or groups are also invited to pre-
application meetings to identify impacts, issues and opportunities aimed at helping
potential applicants frame their applications. Key departments and groups involved
in reviews and pre-application meetings include Community Planning, Engineering
Operations, Parks, and Maple Ridge Fire & Rescue.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
APPROVAL PROCESSES
Every City develops and follows processes to receive, review and approve
development applications — the City of Maple Ridge is no exception. The processes
required for a proposed development project will be shaped by the type and location
of the project being proposed, and the number of approvals required. Proposed
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 10
developments that require a change in zoning, for example, will follow the rezoning
process which involves Council and the community. In most cases, such projects will
also require a development permit and subdivision approval, both of which are
granted through their own separate processes which overlap with the rezoning
process.
The complete lists of steps for staff to follow in the City's different approval processes
are set out in the municipality's file management software system (currently the
AMANDA platform). The full lists contain significant detail and are not reproduced
for this report.7 Figure 2.3 presents, instead a simplified version of Maple Ridge's
rezoning process to give a sense of how applications are considered by the City, as
well an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff, Council, the
community and applicants.
Simplified Rezoning Process
Figure 2.3 divides the rezoning process into four phases:
•Pre-Application Phase — The process begins prior to any formal application
being submitted with a pre-application meeting. Development proponents
request these meetings with the Planning Department to present and discuss
their proposed developments at a conceptual level. The meetings are chaired
by a Planning staff member, but typically involve staff from other
departments and sections.
Prior to the meeting, staff attendees review the proponent's pre-application
meeting request form with its description of the proposed development.
Staff also review the attached site plan and elevation drawings submitted by
the proponent. At the meeting, staff discuss the proposal with the proponent
and identify known or potential requirements, issues and concerns. All
feedback provided to the proponent is intended to help strengthen the
proposal and prevent problems from arising during formal application review
process. A faster and smoother approval process is the goal of the pre-
application meeting.
Pre-application meetings have been a feature at the City of Maple Ridge for
several years, as they have in many other places. The City has always
recommended the meetings for proponents of projects that require rezoning,
subdivision and/or development permits. In early 2022, however, the City
made the meetings a requirement for proponents of most development
proposals, including all commercial, industrial and multi-family proposals,
single-family residential subdivisions with more than two lots, and
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
developments on steep slopes, on a floodplain or near a watercourse. These
7 The rezoning process, for example, includes over 75 separate steps.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 11
Figure 2.3
Simplified Current Rezoning Process
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 12
developments require a pre-application meeting as part of the rezoning
process, but also as part of the subdivision and development permit
processes.
•Application Phase — All development applications are submitted by
proponents in person to the Development Services Technicians at the City's
one-stop application centre. Checklists are provided online to guide
applicants in assembling all materials that must be included in order for an
application to be accepted as complete.
DSTs that receive the applications conduct an initial check to ensure the
packages include all necessary documents. The Technicians then enter the
information into the City's file management software platform (AMANDA) to
create a folder that can be shared with staff across departments. The
information, it should be noted, must be entered manually — the City's
version of AMANDA does not allow applicants to digitally submit applications
through an online portal that would automatically create the necessary file.
Once created, the application file is forwarded as a hard copy package to the
Manager of Development & Environmental Planning. The Manager assigns
responsibility for the application file to a Planner or Planning Technician
based on existing workloads and the proposed development's level of
complexity. At the City there is only stream through which applications are
processed. All applications are assigned to and processed by staff in the
order in which they are received.8 The Planner or Planning Technician who
receives the file becomes the File Manager, responsible for steering the
application through the approval process, and for being the primary point of
contact between the applicant and the City.
One of the first tasks for the File Manager is prepare a First Reading report on
the proposed rezoning. At Maple Ridge, applications for rezoning are taken
to Council (through Council's Committee of the Whole) early in the
application approval process prior to the submission by the applicant and the
review by staff of technical reports, a complete site layout, elevation
drawings and other documents.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Maple Ridge's approach to First Reading is unique among municipalities,
including cities in Metro Vancouver. The approach was introduced in the
early 2000's as an opportunity for Council to provide early input on all
rezoning proposals prior to formal staff review, and as a way to allow
applicants to gauge Council's support for the proposal prior to investing
significant funds on development consultants and technical reports. In all
REPORT
8 Certain applications that are considered by Council or Senior Leadership to be particularly
important to the community may be given priority in processing. Decisions on such priorities,
however, are ad hoc in nature, not guided by formal policy.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 13
other municipalities, rezoning applicants are required to submit technical
reports and other supporting materials with the applications, prior to
appearing before Council. Initial reports to Council in other municipalities
provide the results of staffs' technical analyses of the files.
•Review Phase — The review phase is the most time- and effort-intensive part
of the process. Following Council's approval at First Reading, the File
Manager notifies the applicant of the need to submit the full application
package (if not already provided) with all documents and reports identified in
the application checklist. The File Manager then distributes — that is, refers
— the application package to the managers of other City departments and
sections that have responsibility for applying Maple Ridge's policies,
regulations and servicing standards to proposed land developments. The
specific list of internal referrals will be determined by the nature and location
of the proposed development, but will typically include Infrastructure
Development, Community Planning, Environmental Planning and Parks.9
Public agencies outside of the City may, depending on the proposed
development, also receive a copy of the application package. The Ministry of
Transportation and Infrastructure is one example.
All internal and external referral groups will make comments on and identify
requirements related to the application. All comments and requirements will
be sent to the File Manager for review, consolidation and communication to
the applicant. Ideally, a single letter of issues for the applicant to address is
developed and provided by the File Manager.
The community and Council have important roles to play in the review phase
of the rezoning process. The community has an opportunity, first, to learn
about the proposed development and its implications for the City in a
Development Information Meeting (DIM). DIMs are required for rezonings
that propose a change in land use or the development five or more dwelling
units.10 The community has an additional opportunity to provide input at the
Public Hearing, which takes place at the end of the review phase.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Council's involvement in this phase occurs, first, at Second Reading, which
comes on the heels of the DIM. A report by the File Manager captures all of
the comments from the referral groups, summarizes the input from the DIM
and provides a recommendation for Council. The report goes first to
Council's COW, then to Council itself. Following Second Reading, CouncilREPORT
9 In many cases, a rezoning application will be accompanied by applications for development permits,
subdivision and/or other approvals. Reviewers in referral departments will receive the materials
necessary to consider the City's requirements for all applicable approvals.
10 Through the development permit process, DIMs are also required for commercial and industrial
projects that do not require rezoning, but that are adjacent to residential land.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 14
convenes and presides at the Public Hearing, then considers the application
at Third Reading (no separate report is provided for Third Reading).
•Approval Phase — After Council approval at Third Reading, the File Manager
sets out in a letter to the applicant the Final Reading requirements. At the
same time, the Infrastructure Development Manager sends to the File
Manager the servicing agreement and cost estimate that outlines the
development servicing infrastructure that must be provided to meet the
conditions set out in the Preliminary Layout Approval provided to the
applicant (for subdivision approval) after Third Reading.11
The File Manager submits a report to Council for Final Reading. Where
applicable, the report includes development permit and/or variance permit
materials required for Council to provide those approvals, as well.
Other Approval Processes
The City has a detailed process in place for the receipt, review and approval of
applications for development permits; formal, written processes for development
variance permit applications and applications for subdivision approval have not been
created. Wherever possible, Maple Ridge (similar to all cities) receives and processes
applications together. Final approvals must follow a specific order to ensure that
applicants do not obtain approval to subdivide land or develop property that has not
been formally rezoned to accommodate the proposed development. For the most
part, however, processes proceed concurrently.
TECHNOLOGY
The departments and sections in Maple Ridge that are involved in the City's
development services function currently use the AMANADA software platform to
manage application files. The platform is intended to allow staff to share and provide
input on application files, prompt action on the part of reviewers, generate
communications to send to applicants, and track the progress of applications through
the approval processes.
The current platform — and, more significantly, staffs' approach to using it — has a
number of shortcomings that make it less than ideal as an application management
system for the City. The current version, for example, either does not have or has not
been configured to allow for the online submission of applications and materials
through an applications portal. Applications submitted to the City must be entered
manually into the system by DSTs. The current version is also not able to store or
transmit attachments to applications — a shortcoming that makes it difficult for the
City to maintain a single set of digital files. Finally, the system does not allow
applicants to track their own applications. Applicants are expected, instead, to seek
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
11 Applications for subdivision (where required) are processed concurrently with the rezoning
application. Final adoption of the rezoning is a condition, however, for final subdivision approval.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 15
updates from File Managers who, in turn, are expected to put aside their work,
identify where an application sits and report back their findings.
The City was successful in 2021 in its application for funding through the provincial
Local Government Development Approvals Program to assist in the purchase of a new
development applications management software platform. A multi-disciplinary team
of City staff has worked to review platform options, and is in the process of procuring
the preferred system. The new system will have the potential to significantly improve
information flow, sharing, retention and management, and to expedite approvals.
INFORMATION TO APPLICANTS
The processes for reviewing and approving applications for development can be quite
complex, with multiple submission requirements, conditions for approval, and steps
to take. Over time the degree of complexity has increased considerably in response
to new regulations and expectations at the local, regional and provincial levels. To
assist applicants and their consultants in understanding the processes and
requirements, the City of Maple Ridge, similar to most municipalities, produces and
makes available a broad range of information materials. Materials that applicants
can find and download on the City's website include:
•copies of all development bylaws, including the Official Community Plan
Bylaw No. 7060, City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, Maple Ridge
Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, and Maple Ridge
Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879
•the City's application form for all development approvals, along with
supplemental forms
•
•
•
twelve checklists that identify the requirements for different applications
development permit guidelines and checklists for all permit areas
reference documents on key information items, including application fees,
community amenity contributions, DIMs, street trees, and basic regulations
that apply in each zone in the City
•
•
•
thirteen guides and brochures to outline (at a high level) the approval
processes, and the information required in key supporting reports
twenty checklists, guidelines and regulations specifically related to
environmental planning requirements
design and construction documents to follow in the construction of
development works
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION REQUESTS
Application NumbersREPORT
In an effort to better understand the level of development activity in Maple Ridge,
the numbers of different types of development applications received by the City were
collected from the City for the past five years. Figure 2.4 presents the data.12
12 Comparative data from other municipalities are presented in Chapter 3.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 16
In reviewing the figure, certain limitations inherent in the data are important to
highlight. it is important to note, for example, that the numbers in the figure show
how many individual development applications were received by City staff each year,
but provide no sense of the varying level of complexity associated with different files.
It can be assumed that some of the files processed by staff over the time period were
relatively simple in nature with few complicating factors. It can also be assumed,
however, that other files were complex in nature, requiring the involvement of staff
from several departments, and significant interaction with applicants and their
professionals. The time and effort required to process applications with different
levels of complexity can vary considerably.
It is also important to note that the processing of files received in one year can — and
often will — extend into subsequent years. Files approved in any one year may
include the files received in a previous year, but also files received and processed in
the current year. The impact on City resources may be greater than that which is
implied by focusing on totals received in single years.
Finally, Figure 2.4 does not show the number of building permits received by the
Building Department that are referred for comment to Planners, Engineering
Figure 2.4
Development Applications Received by Type
2018 to 2022 (October)
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
*January to end of September, 2022
** OCP Amendments, where required, are handled as part of rezoning applications
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 17
Technicians, Engineers and others. Building permit applications that are not
connected to rezonings or other applications are typically referred by the Building
Department to these other staff. The need to review and provide comments on
these permit applications add to the workloads of staff.
Information Requests
The City regularly receives information requests from property owners, developers,
realtors and others on land use regulations that apply to, and on the development
potential of, specific parcels of land in Maple Ridge. In general, requests are made by
telephone or email, or in person at the application centre in City Hall. Requests are
taken and, for the most part, addressed by the DSTs. When DSTs are unable to
provide answers, requests are passed to the Planning Assistant in the Planning
Department. Requests that cannot be answered by the Planning Assistant are
elevated to the Planner of the Day (POD). The POD is a designation assigned a
rotating basis to the Planning Technicians and Planners in the Department.13 Each
day, one Technician or Planner designated as the POD will be available to take calls
and answer questions at the front counter that the DSTs and Planning Assistant are
not able to answer.
The POD service is intended for information requests that require the professional
knowledge of a Planner (or Planning Technician), but that do not require consultation
with other departments or research by the POD. Ideally, requests handled by the
POD should take no more than 30 minutes.14 Persons with requests that require
consultation with other departments, and/or greater time and effort on the part of
Planning staff, are re-framed as land use inquiries (LUIs).
LUIs are formal requests for land use information on a particular property. They are
used to provide information such as preliminary comments on engineering servicing
and possible road dedication, interpretations of the Zoning Bylaw related to a
property, watercourse setback requirements and other items. They are submitted by
the property owner (or its authorized agent) using the Planning Department's Land
Use Inquiry Application Form. A fee of $255.00 applies.
The City records numbers of telephone and in-person information requests, as well
as numbers of LUIs. Figure 2.5 presents numbers tracked by staff for recent years.
The volume of requests handled by the PODs is not recorded. Anecdotally, staff
report that POD requests range from five to fifty per day; a typical day sees ten.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Application Processing Times
The time it takes a city to process different types of development applications is an
important metric. It is also a metric that can be defined and calculated differently
across municipalities, and that must be unpacked to fully appreciate. A municipality
that "starts the clock" at the time of application acceptance and keeps it running until
REPORT
13 Several (but not all) municipalities offer the POD service.
14 The reality in Maple Ridge is somewhat different, as is explored in Chapter 3.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 18
final approval, for example,
will report considerably
different times than an
organization that "stops the
clock" for the periods of
time during which the
applicant is responding to
staff requests for
Figure 2.5
Land Use Planning Information Requests
information.
In response to the
consultant's request, City
staff compiled processing
times using data from the
AMANDA file management
system. The findings are
presented in Figure 2.6.
The times in the figure
account for the period
beginning with the
acceptance of an
application, and ending with
final approval. No
deductions have been made
for periods during which
applicants were responding
to staff requests of
information requirements.
Applications that were
processed outside of the
AMANDA system through
some other approach are
not reflected in the data,15
nor are applications that
began prior to January 1,
2019, or that at the time of
*COVID-19 forced closure of City Hall in the spring of 2020
** Telephone and In-Person from January to September;
LUIs from January to end of June
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW writing (November 2022) remain open.
REPORT
15 There is considerable variability among staff in the level of reliance on and use of AMANDA in
processing application files.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 19
Figure 2.6
Application Processing Times*
* Data include all Rezoning and Subdivision applications accepted after January 1, 2019, and approved
before October 1, 2022; and all Development Permits opened after January 1, 2020, and approved before
October 1, 2022. Includes only files managed through AMANDA.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 20
CHAPTER 3
ISSUES TO CONSIDER
Over the course of several months, all City managers and staff involved in the
development services function were interviewed by the consultant — some more
than once — as were a number of developers and development professionals with
experience in Maple Ridge and in other Lower Mainland municipalities. A range of
materials and statistics were obtained from the City and reviewed. The consultant
also undertook a considerable amount of comparative research on similar-size, high-
growth municipalities in British Columbia, primarily in the Lower Mainland. Based on
findings from the interviews, review of materials and comparative research, the
consultant identified a set of issues that the City may wish to consider in its efforts to
strengthen the function. The issues are explored in this chapter of the report under
the following headings:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Information Requests
Council Involvement
Delegation of Approvals
Referral of Applications
File Manager Model
Application Streams
Communications and Engagement
Technology
Infrastructure Development
Environmental Services
Organizational Culture
Staffing Levels
All issues are outlined in detail; observations specific to Maple Ridge are presented.
Recommendations on each of the issues are offered in the report's final chapter.
The issues examined, it should be emphasized, do not represent the definitive list of
points raised by stakeholders and staff or identified by the consultant. In the
consultant's judgement, however, the set of selected issues highlights the concerns
and opportunities that are the most important for the City to address.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW NATURE OF REVIEWS
Reviews are undertaken by municipalities to critically examine a part of the
organization, a service or — in the case of the current exercise —a function.
Questions are asked, materials are examined, and comparisons are considered in an
effort to identify issues to address and changes to make. Staff who work in the
function may agree that such reviews have value and as well as the potential to
improve outcomes for the organization and those it serves. Staff may also, however,
feel unsettled by the scrutiny that is inherent to reviews, and concerned about the
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 21
changes that may ensue. These feelings are understandable and need to be taken
into account when presenting reviews and implementing recommendations.
It is also important in reviews to highlight not only the issues to address and
improvements to make, but the strengths that are in place and the accomplishments
that have been achieved. Consider the following strengths and accomplishments in
the Maple Ridge development services function:
•Commitment — In interviews with the consultant, staff involved in the
function exhibited a strong commitment to the community and its future
development. Staff also showed significant commitment to and support for
their colleagues in the function, as well as the organization as a whole.
•Initiative — There are several examples of individual staff finding solutions to
concerns, and creating small improvements to the application review process.
Individuals have created checklists and templates, collected data, undertaken
comparative research on best practices, and eliminated unnecessary
referrals, all in an effort to streamline the review process.
•
•
Pre-Application Assistance — The decision by Maple Ridge to mandate pre-
application meetings is a best practice. These meetings provide valuable
feedback and guidance to prospective applicants. They can provide greater
certainty to applicants and result in more complete and better quality
applications.
Approachability — Development community representatives interviewed for
the study raised concerns related to turn-around times, requirements and file
updates. Representatives did not, however, point to concerns related to the
approachability of staff. On the contrary, several developers highlighted
staffs' professionalism and desire to help despite challenges that complicate
the review process.
•Openness — Staff interviewed by the consultant expressed an openness to
change — change, that is, in processes, structure, organizational culture and
other key elements of the workplace. Staff are excited about the prospect of
certain changes already underway, namely the selection of a new file
management software platform. There is a widespread openness and desire
to change what is necessary to provide a consistently high level of service.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
INFORMATION REQUESTS
Managing Inquiries
REPORT
As illustrated in Figure 2.5, the City receives a significant number of telephone and in-
person land use planning information requests each year (email requests are also
received). Individuals making requests may be seeking information and/or
clarification on a variety of development services topics, including:
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 22
•the status of and expected turn-around times for applications that have been
submitted to the City and are under review
•
•
•
•
application requirements, and steps to take to submit an application
reasons for the City deciding that applications are incomplete
fees required and how to pay them
the development potential of, and/or development restrictions related to, a
specific property, in particular one that may be available for purchase
infrastructure needs for a property, and a sense of costs involved
interpretations of a development bylaw or regulation
•
•
Most inquires that come to the City are received initially by the Development
Services Technicians or Planning Assistant.16 The DSTs are physically situated at the
Application Centre counter in City Hall, and are the first point of contact for all in-
person inquiries and most telephone inquiries. The Planning Assistant is seated
behind the front counter, and is able to attend in-person inquiries, take telephone
questions when requested by DSTs, and respond to emails.
Inquiries that cannot be answered by the DSTs are referred to the Planning
Assistant.17 Inquiries that cannot be answered by the Planning Assistant are directed
to the Planner of the Day (POD). As noted in the previous chapter, the POD
designation rotates among Planning Technicians and Planners on a daily basis. The
POD is physically situated on the second floor of City Hall in the Planning
Department's regular workspace. Staff report that while some of the information
requests referred to the POD can be addressed relatively quickly, it is not uncommon
for staff in the position to continue working on more complex requests in the day(s)
following their shifts.18 Some complex inquiries will be presented by the POD to
colleagues for input and assistance at a weekly Friday planning meeting.
An inquiry that cannot be addressed in a reasonable amount of time by the POD,
even with input from colleagues, will be treated as a Land Use Inquiry (LUI). The
party that made the request for information will be asked to submit an LUI
application form and pay the associated $255.00 fee. As indicated in Figure 2.5, the
number of LUIs handled by the City each year is small — exceedingly small relative to
the numbers of telephone and in-person inquiries received.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Observations
The City's efforts to receive and address land use planning information requests
reflect a genuine desire on the part of staff to help residents, property owners,
developers, realtors, existing and prospective applicants, and other customers get
REPORT
16 Inquiries that are specific to an existing application — particularly an application for a large
development — may be submitted directly to the application File Manager or referral department.
17 There is one Planning Assistant position in the department. One Planning Technician position
works spends up to half of its time as a Planning Assistant to assist with inquiries.
18 The department does not collect data on the PODs to track the numbers of inquiries handled, types
of inquiries, time required to close inquiries, or other points. The findings cited in this section
emerged from interviews with staff.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 23
the information they need to make development-related decisions. The current
method of receiving and processing such inquiries, however, could be improved to
help staff manage their own time, and manage — or in some cases reset — the
expectations of parties seeking information from the City. Consider the following
points:
Development Services Technicians
The DSTs were not interviewed as part of this review; they were, however,
interviewed as part of the 2021 review of the Building Permit Function. In that
review the observation was made that City needed to provide greater training
and guidance to the DSTs to enable them to confidently manage inquiries in all
areas of development, including planning and land use, infrastructure,
environment and building. Changes made from the Building Permit Function
Review placed the DSTs under a new manager in the Building Department. The
DSTs now have strong guidance and leadership; technical training is an ongoing
need to enable them to manage an ever-higher proportion of inquiries.
Information Resources
The entire system of handling inquiries at the City would benefit from efforts to
make additional online resources publicly available and easily accessible to
persons who seek information. To be sure, the City's Zoning Bylaw, OCP Bylaw
and most other information sources can be accessed online already, as can
various bulletins and guidance documents. It is not easy for users, however, to
find and apply the information in the various materials to an individual property.
The Cities of Surrey and Coquitlam make available sophisticated digital mapping
systems that can be used by individuals to get a considerable amount of
information. These systems, along with others, serve to pre-empt inquires. Their
availability also makes it possible for staff to re-direct some inquiries to the online
tools.
Planner of the Day
The POD position is not unique to Maple Ridge — several (but not all)
municipalities in high-growth regions make use of the POD initiative. Maple
Ridge appears to be more unique, however, in its practice of having POD staff
continue to work on enquiries in the day(s) following their shifts. Inquiries that
follow the POD to his or her regular position, post-POD shift, occupy the staff
member's time and energy that are supposed to be focused on existing
application files for which he or she is responsible. The practice, which appears
to be based on a desire to provide good customer service, results in poor
customer service for existing applicants whose files have been assigned to the
staff member. These customers face delays and frustrations.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
The POD initiative is designed to enable the City to respond in a relatively quick
manner to inquiries that require input from a professional planner, and that
cannot be handled by front-line counter staff. The initiative is not designed as an
intake point for complicated or time-consuming inquiries that, if addressed,
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 24
would impact a staff member's time available to review applications already
received. Maple Ridge should consider the following types of changes to align
the POD initiative with its intended purpose:
–Set a guideline to regulate the amount of time a POD will make available
to address any single information request. At the City of Delta, the time
limit is 30 minutes.
–
–
Require any inquiry that in the POD's judgement will require more than
30 minutes of the POD's time to be submitted to the City as an LUI.
Place the POD behind the front counter at the Application Centre so that
he or she can interact more efficiently than at present with the DSTs and
Planning Assistants, and easily attend to in-person inquiries that require
the POD's input.
The City may also wish to consider restructuring the POD from a rotating, shift-
based position to a permanent position for a Planning Technician or Planning I.
The current approach impacts all Planners and Planning Technicians' time, and is
disruptive to the department as a whole.19 The City of Kelowna has a permanent
POD position held by a junior Planner who sits in the Kelowna's Application
Centre. The position is back-stopped by a back-up POD that rotates among
senior staff. This back-up POD is called upon only sparingly, but is useful to have
in place.
Inquiries Database
Maple Ridge does not at present have in place a database to record by property
land use development inquiries that are submitted to the City, and corresponding
responses that are provided. The lack of such a database makes the system both
inefficient and prone to risk. In the current system, staff who are unaware of
previous inquiries taken on a particular property end up answering repeat
questions about the same parcel (in some cases from the same individuals who
are seeking different answers). And, since staff are unaware of the answers that
were given in the past by their colleagues, they risk providing contradictory or
inconsistent information.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Upcoming advances in the City's application review technology platform (see
later) provides an opportunity to put in place a proper inquiry tracking system.
COUNCIL INVOLVEMENT
Rezoning Process
REPORT
As the elected governing body for the City of Maple Ridge, Council has an important
19 It should be emphasized that the Planners and Planning Technicians do take inquiries from existing
applicants on whose files the staff are working. These inquiries would continue to be taken by
these staff.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 25
role to play in establishing the policies to guide and regulations to manage
development in the community. Council also has a responsibility to receive and
consider certain types of development applications, to approve the applications that
Council deems to be in the community's interest, and reject applications that in
Council's view are not.
Council's involvement in the development review process is a fundamental feature of
our system of democratic local governance — Council's ongoing involvement is not a
matter for debate. What can be considered, however, are changes to the level of
Council's involvement. Consider the process for reviewing rezoning applications. As
identified in Chapter 2, all applications for rezoning are presented to Council in the
form of a bylaw amendment at the following points:
•First Reading — A staff report is prepared on the proposed development's
land-use implications. The report speaks only to land use matters — it does
not present information on development characteristics, servicing
implications or other matters. The report is prepared prior to the applicant
having provided, and prior to staff having reviewed, the necessary technical
reports and drawings that are required to support any rezoning application.
The report is prepared to give Council an opportunity to signal its willingness
to consider the development proposal subject to the applicant providing
additional information. The report is presented first to Council's Committee
of the Whole, then to Council itself.
•Second Reading — Council receives a second staff report at Second Reading.
This report captures the feedback provided by internal and external referral
bodies that have reviewed the various technical reports and drawings.
Anticipated servicing, transportation, community and other impacts are
outlined for Council's consideration. A summary of the Development
Information Meeting held by the application (where required) is also
provided, as is a staff recommendation. The report is submitted for
consideration first to Committee of the Whole, then to Council itself.
•
•
•
Public Hearing — The application is referred by Council during Second
Reading to Public Hearing. At the Public Hearing Council sits as a tribunal
body, in place to hear the community's views on the proposed development.
Staff prepare information documents and mapping.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Third Reading — Council considers the application at Third Reading, which
typically occurs at the first Council meeting following the Public Hearing.
Conditions that must be met by the applicant within one year in order to
receive final approval are set out by Council at Third Reading.
REPORT
Final Reading — Fourth or Final Reading of the bylaw occurs once the
conditions for approval have been met. A staff report is prepared for
Council's consideration.
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 26
Observations
Maple Ridge Council exercises a higher level of involvement in the rezoning process
than most if not all other municipal councils, certainly in the Lower Mainland and
other high-growth parts of the province. The City is unique, in particular, in its use of
First Reading as an opportunity for Council to consider the merits of an application
based solely on land use implications, without any information on other important
impacts. In most if not all other municipalities, applications do not go to council for
review until the professional staff have a clear understanding of, and are able to
advise council on, the environmental, servicing, transportation, community and other
anticipated impacts of a proposed project.20
First Reading
Maple Ridge's approach to First Reading was introduced by Council in the early
2000's as a way to give applicants a sense, prior to spending money on technical
reports and drawings, of Council's willingness to support the proposed
development. The initiative was also intended to bring to Council's attention all
rezoning applications that come to the City, including those that in other
municipalities may not be presented to Council following staff's technical review
and identification of deficiencies.
These reasons may have been important in the early 2000's when development
activity at the City and in the surrounding region was less significant and in many
ways simpler than at present. Today, however, the approach to First Reading is
problematic for at least three reasons:
–The approach is open to misuse by applicants who may seek First Reading
approval not as the first step towards formal rezoning, but rather as a
signal of Council support that can be used to enhance the marketability
— and possibly the value — of the property.21
–Council has expressed frustration with the lack of information on
development implications that is provided for consideration at First
Reading. Council appears to be less comfortable than it may have been in
earlier times to provide support without a clear understanding of what
exactly is being proposed, and what it would mean for the City and the
community.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW –The approach to First Reading requires City staff to prepare a separate
report and to present the report to Committee of the Whole, then to
REPORT
20 Some municipalities (e.g., Coquitlam) have a separate First Reading at which all implications will be
considered, then combine Second and Third Readings. Other municipalities (e.g., Surrey) have a
combined First and Second Reading at which implications are considered followed by a Third
Reading. No municipalities other than Maple Ridge appear to have a separate First Reading for
land use implications, followed by a separate Second Reading for the more significant implications,
followed by a separate Third Reading to set out conditions for approval.
21 The City does not collect statistics to understand the prevalence of potential misuse.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 27
Council. The time required for these extra steps adds to the overall
processing time, and is not inconsequential.
The City should consider changing its current approach by combining First and
Second Readings, as is done in many other municipalities.
Public Hearings
For many years, municipalities have had the authority to waive public hearings for
proposed amendments to a zoning bylaw in cases where the amendment is
consistent with the official community plan. In 2021, Bill 26 changed the Local
Government Act slightly to clarify and promote this authority. Bill 26 replaced the
current wording which states that "a local government may waive" a public
hearing, with the statement that "a local government is not required to hold" a
public hearing.
Some municipalities responded to this change by amending their own Council
procedure bylaws. The City of Surrey, for example, added new language:
"No public hearing is required for a proposed zoning bylaw which meets
the following criteria:
(a) it is in relation to a subdivision creating five or fewer new
single family residential lots
(b) the Official Community Plan is in effect for the area that is the
subject of the zoning bylaw
(c) it is consistent with the Official Community Plan…"
Decisions to not hold a public hearing in these types of cases help to reduce staff
workload and make resources available for more complex development
proposals. Maple Ridge should consider a similar approach.
DELEGATION OF APPROVALS
Delegation to Staff
Under the Local Government Act, the approval in Maple Ridge of certain types of
development applications must come from the City's elected governing body — i.e.,
Council. Applications to change the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, for
example, must always be made by Council.22 For certain types of applications,
however, Council may choose to delegate the approval authority to a staff member,
such as the Director of Planning. The provision to delegate is provided in an effort to
streamline approvals and reduce the overall number of applications that compete for
Council's time.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
For many years, Council has had the ability under the Act to delegate approval
authority for development permit applications. In 2021, changes to the Local
22 This requirement applies to all municipalities in the province.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 28
Government Act under Bill 26 expanded Council's scope of delegation to include
development variance permits for specific types of variances that are deemed to be
minor in nature. Approval of development variance permits that propose to vary the
following types of bylaw provisions may be delegated to staff:
•provisions related to siting, size and dimensions of buildings and permitted
used in the Zoning Bylaw23
•
•
•
off-street parking and loading space requirements
sign regulations
specific screening and landscaping provisions
All delegation must be by bylaw, must set out criteria for determining what is minor,
and must be accompanied by guidelines that staff must consider in making an
approval decision.
Maple Ridge Council has delegated to the Director of Planning the authority to
approve all development permits related to the protection of the natural
environment. All other development permits and all development variance permits,
however, must be approved by Council itself.
Observations
The scope of delegation for development approvals in Maple Ridge is on par with that
in many other municipalities. A growing number of places, however, are expanding
the range of development permits delegated to staff, and beginning to delegate
approval for minor development variance permits. Examples of places include the
City of Abbotsford, City of Surrey, City of North Vancouver, City of Chilliwack and the
City of Burnaby. In all of these municipalities, the decision to delegate has been
driven by a desire to reduce staff workload associated with the provision and delivery
of reports to Council, allow Council to focus its (limited) time on significant
applications, and shorten the processing time for development permits and minor
development variance permits.
Maple Ridge should consider developing a more comprehensive delegation bylaw to
include approval for most if not all development permits, and development variance
permits wherever possible.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW REFERRAL OF APPLICATIONS
Internal Referrals
Most if not all development applications received by the municipality will be referred
by the File Manager in the Planning Department to staff in other departments in the
City, a list of which may include:
REPORT
•
•
Environmental Services (Planning)
Community Planning (Planning)
23 Variances may not result in changes to density or permitted uses.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 29
•
•
•
•
Infrastructure Development (Engineering)
Parks (Parks & Recreation)
Transportation (Engineering)
Utility Engineering (Engineering)
Staff in referral sections will review each application to determine the proposed
development's degree of compliance to the development-related policies,
regulations and/or technical standards set out by the City. Comments provided by
staff will identify compliance gaps along with changes necessary to address the gaps.
All comments are sent to the File Manager. The full list of internal referrals in any
single case will vary to some degree by the nature of the development being
proposed. In general, the larger and more complex a development proposal, the
greater the number and range of internal referral groups.24
Internal referrals are a feature of every development review process in every
municipality. Planners in the Planning Department that receive and shepherd
applications through the process do not have — and are not expected to have — the
specialized technical knowledge required to understand and address the anticipated
impacts of a proposed development on the utilities, drainage patterns, watercourses
and other natural features, parks and trails, approved future land use patterns,
transportation routes and other elements of a municipality. To ensure that all stated
requirements are met, specialist staff members in the different referral groups need
to review the applications received.
In some cities the internal referral phase of application review can be a "bottleneck"
in the overall process. Delays can occur for a number of reasons, including:
•
•
•
•
heavy workload in one or more referral group, related to the number of
applications, complexity of applications and/or shortage of active staff
outdated or incomplete standards, service plans or land use plans against
which applications must be reviewed
the need to obtain additional technical information or clarification from an
applicant
a lack of internal policies or processes to guide staff on turn-around times,
and to set out expectations
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
•
•
inter-departmental differences in priorities
weak application tracking systems to prevent applications from being
misplaced or forgotten
•a reliance on less experienced staff who, despite strong skills and
commitment, may not be as proficient as others in reviewing applicationsREPORT
24 Referrals to external agencies — Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Fraser Health,
Metro Vancouver, others — will also be made in many cases. The focus in this report, however is
on internal referrals.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 30
Observations
It is clear from the interviews with staff conducted for this assignment, and from the
discussions with representatives from the development community, that delays are a
feature of the referral phase in Maple Ridge. The magnitude of the issue is difficult to
gauge accurately because the City does not accurately track through its existing
AMANDA technology platform the amount of time an application sits with a referral
group. Based on staff input, certain sections appear consistently able to complete
their reviews and provide comments to the File Manager in relatively short order.
Other sections, however, face persistent challenges to respond in a timely manner.
The challenges are related to many of the reasons noted earlier, including:
•
•
•
•
difficulty in filling vacant positions and a resulting higher work load for
remaining staff
a lack of experienced more senior staff who, by virtue of time spent on the
job, tend to be able to process referrals efficiently
the need to update service master plans and the service standards that flow
from them25
poor application tracking systems that can (and do) result in applications
sitting unattended for too long, and that can (and do) result in comments
from referral groups being lost
•the absence of any stated expectations or internal requirements on turn-
around times
Efforts to retain staff in Infrastructure Development would help considerably to
reduce internal referral delays. If retention and subsequent recruitment are not
successful, the City should consider filling staffing gaps, at least for the short term,
with one or more contract technicians.26 The City should also consider developing
and implementing policies on acceptable turn-around times. Changes related to
tracking systems are addressed under other issues later in the chapter.
One additional observation to note concerns the lack of uniformity among referral
staff in the delivery of comments to the File Manager. In an ideal situation, all staff
would be required to provide comments directly into the application folder in the
City's AMANDA file management system. In Maple Ridge, staff are allowed to
present their comments in any format they wish, through whichever medium they
choose. Some staff input comments directly into the review folder in AMANDA.
Other staff, however, put comments into a memo that is emailed as a Word or PDF
document to the File Manager. Some staff put comments directly into the email that
is sent.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
25 The City has an updated master plan for water infrastructure but not for sewer.
26 This potential change would be subject to the City's Collective Agreement with CUPE Local 622. The
consultant's review of the Agreement did not reveal any prohibitions on using contractors for
limited periods of time, providing all qualified staff that wish to provide the service have been given
the opportunity. It is worth emphasizing, as well, that the City has made use of contract
Engineering Technicians in the past, and makes regular use of contract Engineering Inspectors.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 31
This lack of uniformity in the delivery of comments by reviewers reflects the varying
levels of proficiency and comfort in using the current AMANDA application review
platform. Varying levels of comfort with technology exist in every organization and
need to be addressed. The way to address them, however, is not to accommodate
individuals' preferences for email or memos, but rather to give staff the training and
practice needed to use the system properly.27 Accommodation of individuals'
preferences makes the review process less efficient than it could be, and serves to
undermine the City's file management system and desire for a single repository of
information on each application file.
FILE MANAGER MODEL
The Role
When a development application is submitted to the City, the Development Services
Technicians that receives the file creates an application folder in AMANDA, along with
a manual application folder. The manual folder (with a reference to the AMANDA
folder) is sent to the Manager of Development and Environmental Services. The
Manager assigns the file to a Planner or Planning Technician based on the proposed
development's level of complexity, existing staff workloads, staff experience with
similar files, and other factors.
The Planner or Planning Technician who is assigned the file takes on the role of File
Manager. As the title suggests, the File Manager is the City staff member responsible
for shepherding the application file through the City's review process from start to
finish. In the role, the staff member is responsible for:
•
•
•
introducing him- or herself (by letter) as the File Manager to the applicant,
and advising of any additional submissions required to proceed through the
review process
determining which departments and sections in the City, and which agencies
external to the City, need to review and provide comments on the
application
ensuring that all referrals are sent out, and that all necessary reviews are
undertaken
•
•
receiving all comments from reviewers
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
bringing together the different comments from City referral departments,
identifying priority needs and trade-offs, and putting forward a single
response letter from the City with issues for the applicant to address28
REPORT
27 Several staff noted in interviews with the consultant that they have never received training on the
use of AMANDA.
28 Trade-offs and priorities may be determined by the File Manager in consultation Development
Services managers. Trade-offs involving infrastructure needs are typically determined within
Engineering prior to being presented to the File Manager. Additional potential trade-offs involving
services need to made in consultation with the Infrastructure Development Manager who is
responsible for addressing implications of developments for City infrastructure.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 32
•
•
•
•
reviewing the file against the City's development planning policies and
regulations (e.g., Zoning Bylaw, development permit guidelines)
providing a letter to the applicant to identify requirements and issues that
must be satisfied for the application to proceed
working with the applicant and, where necessary, the referral groups to
resolve issues identified
preparing and presenting all reports, complete with recommendations, to
Council and its Committee of the Whole29
Throughout the process, the File Manager is the principal — if not the sole — point of
contact between the City and the applicant. At the very least, all communication
between the applicant and the City involves the File Manager.30
The File Manager position is critical to the smooth flow of development applications
through the City's review process. A good File Manager is able to ensure that the
requirements and concerns from the City are brought together, balanced,
communicated clearly to the applicant and understood by the applicant. A good File
Manager ensures that all materials submitted by the applicant are received properly
and distributed to the right referral groups. A good File Manager provides
recommendations to Council that take into account the concerns and needs of the
City as a whole.
Observations
The File Manager position can only work when applicants and other City staff
recognize and respect the File Manager's authority. Staff across the organization,
and applicants dealing with the City, need to support the File Manager as the
principal point of contact.
The File Manager system works well in many cases in Maple Ridge as it does in other
municipalities. At the City, however, it does not appear to be uncommon for staff in
referral departments to deal directly with applicants on issues and requirements that
may be important to an individual department, and/or that may be unpopular with
an applicant. It is understood that, in most instances, it is the applicant who initiates
contact directly to staff in the referral departments, either to better understand an
issue that has been identified, or in an effort to move an application through the
process faster.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Applicants — in particular, applicants seeking permission for large development
projects — are under significant pressure to obtain development approval as quickly
as possible. Every month that passes without approval adds to an applicant's carrying
costs, and can put strain on an applicant's relationships with its contactors and
REPORT
29 Planning Technicians write but do not present Council reports. Presentations are made by Planners.
30 In several places, including Maple Ridge, Infrastructure Development will communicate directly
with a proponent's engineering consultants. All correspondence, however, includes the File
Manager.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 33
financers. In this context it is understandable that applicants may initiate contact
with managers staff in referral departments. The desire for direct contact may be
even more understandable in cases where the applicant has not received any
updates on the status of an application, and has no ability to independently
determine where in the process an application sits.31
Empathy for applicants aside, the City's practice of allowing applicants to bypass the
File Manager and directly contact staff in referral departments undermines the File
Manager model and reduces the efficiency of the overall process. The practice also
relieves the File Manager of accountability related to:
•
•
•
keeping applicants informed of the status of applications, and any issues that
staff have identified32
managing trade-offs in the priorities and concerns put forward by different
departments
ensuring consistency in communications between the City and an individual
applicant
The expectation that staff in referral departments will respect the role and authority
of the File Manager needs to be made clear and enforced. A formal written
document on the role of File Manager and expectations for other staff may be
required.33
One additional observation concerns the communication of referral department
comments by the File Manager. Most Planners and Planning Technicians in the City
understand that when they are serving as File Manager, they are expected not only
to communicate issues and requirements from referral departments to applications,
but also to bring together comments in a way that:
•
•
•
recognizes trade-offs among concerns and interests raised
resolves conflicts in the different comments
presents a single letter and set of stipulations to meet
To fulfill this role, File Managers must exercise judgement. Some staff in the position
either do not understand this aspect of the role, or do not feel able to scrutinize
comments and — where necessary — reject concerns or interests that fall outside of
established requirements, and/or impose expectations on applicants that the File
Manager feels are inappropriate. These File Managers choose, instead, to pass on all
comments presented by referral departments, without edits, to the applicants.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
31 The City does not have an online portal that applicants can access to monitor the progress of their
files.
32 Applicants interviewed by the consultant reported significantly different experiences in
communications from File Managers. Some File Manager are proactive and work to keep
applicants informed. Others appear to make no effort to connect.
33 The City of Kelowna has such a document for staff; other municipalities may as well.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 34
It is important to clarify that File Managers should always seek clarification from
referral departments where necessary, and should never hesitate to seek guidance
from colleagues and managers in the Planning Department in assessing comments
that are provided. It is also important that File Managers explain to referral
departments why certain comments may be omitted from communications with an
applicant. In all cases, however, the File Manager needs to exercise judgement and
present referral department comments to applicants in a way that is clear and fair.
APPLICATION STREAMS
Single Stream
All applications that are submitted to the City are received into a single stream for
the purpose of review. Applications are forwarded from the DSTs to the Manager of
Development and Environmental Services, the assigned to File Managers in the order
in which they are received. File Managers, similarly, initiate work on their files when
the files are received, and in the order in which they arrive. Since every File Manager
in Maple Ridge (and in every municipality) has a workload consisting of many files at
any one time, new files that are assigned to the File Manager will often be placed in a
queue and not opened immediately. Individual files move out of File Managers'
queues in the order which they are received.
The receipt and management of applications using a single stream is not unique to
Maple Ridge, but is also not ubiquitous across municipalities. Increasingly, cities
recognize that while every application is important, and while every applicant has a
legitimate expectation — indeed, a right — to receive prompt and fair treatment, not
every proposed development is equal in terms of value to the community. Put
differently, some applications are simply more important than others, and need to be
recognized as such. Separate priority application streams for the review of these files
can be useful.
Staff should not be expected (or allowed) to judge on their own which files are most
important and deserving of access to the priority stream. To protect the City from
charges of arbitrariness or favouritism, Council and senior management need to
provide guidance. As well, to make a priority stream operate as intended, Council
and Senior Leadership need to ensure that resources exist and are dedicated to the
stream.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Observations
The following observations emerged from the consultant's interviews with City staff:
REPORT
•As a way to manage workload, provide prompt service and reduce the
number of files in the review process, some staff will expedite the review of
applications that are straightforward and can be processed relatively quickly.
•Managers in the Planning Department understand that some proposed
developments will be viewed by elected decision-makers as high-value
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 35
projects relative to others. Managers note that while there are no formal
guidelines in place to identify such projects, managers have a good sense of
which ones are priority. Where possible, efforts to advance these projects in
the queue are made.
•A number of staff who act as File Managers expressed the view that all
applications, regardless of investment value or type of development, should
receive the same treatment.
As a municipality in a rapidly-growing and expensive metropolitan area, Maple Ridge
has received and will increasingly receive interest from businesses and developers
who seek areas in which to invest and expand. Maple Ridge also has, similar to every
municipality, housing challenges that can best be addressed through the expedited
approval and construction of new housing units. The City should consider changing
its approach development applications to give priority to proposed developments
that bring substantial investment to the area, deal with housing needs, or promote
some other priority established by Council.
Development Concierge
One idea that has been raised and discussed in a range of municipalities, but
pursued by relatively few, concerns the creation of a Development Concierge
(alternatively referred to as a Business Concierge). A Development Concierge is
an individual or department that works directly with applicants who are seeking
approval to develop high-value projects that meet specific conditions, and that
are deemed priority by the municipal council.
The Development Concierge becomes involved early in the process at the pre-
application stage to identify and help the applicant understand the requirements
to meet and approvals to obtain. The Concierge stays involved through the entire
process, working with the File Manager as well as internal and external referral
groups to ensure time-sensitive responses, to coordinate comments, and to
communicate with the applicant. The Concierge also works with applicants to
ensure that they provide all required studies and reports in a timely fashion, and
that they respond to the city's legitimate and legal needs.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
The Concierge has the authority to bring together staff from referral departments
to resolve conflicts and clarify requirements. The Concierge will also, as required,
bring together applicants and City staff to find solutions and overcome impasses.
On a regular (e.g., monthly) basis, the Concierge briefs the Chief Administrative
Officer and key General Managers of progress and issues, and seeks intervention
as required.
REPORT
The Development Concierge initiative does not appear to exist in a formal sense
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 36
in British Columbia.34 Municipalities in Ontario and the United States, however,
have experimented and — in some instances — embraced the idea. One such
municipality is the Town of Halton Hills (population 63,000) within the Greater
Toronto Area. Halton Hills' Business Concierge program, profiled in Figure 3.1,
provides an example for Maple Ridge to consider.
TECHNOLOGY
Existing File Management Platform
The City has known for some time that the current version of its AMANDA file
management platform does not meet the needs of applicants, staff or decision-
makers. The current version's shortcomings, which appear to be numerous, include:
•
•
a user interface that is not user-friendly
the lack of an application portal to enable applicants to submit applications
and associated materials online, directly into the software — a feature that
would eliminate the need for DSTs to manually enter all information into the
system, and save staff from having to distribute hard copies of materials to
referral departments
•
•
an inability for applicants to independently monitor through an online
dashboard the progress of application files through the review process
an inability for staff to track applications and know where they are in the
review process
•
•
an inability to accurately measure turn-around times35
an inability to store all studies, reports and other materials in the digital
application folder created in AMANDA for each application by the DSTs
These shortcomings are exacerbated by differing levels of proficiency among staff in
their use of the platform, a lack of training to assist staff who need guidance, and a
tolerance of staff who simply choose to not use the system.
Observations
There is no doubt that the City's reliance on its current file management software
platform creates additional work for staff, inhibits process transparency for
applicants, requires applicants to produce and submit multiple hard copies of all
materials, heightens the potential for applications or parts thereof to be lost in the
system, and introduces other inefficiencies that serve only to increase turn-aroundDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
34 The City of Delta has a Citizen Advocate; however, this function does not help to shepherd priority
developments through the review process. In general, the idea of Development Concierge is
dismissed by BC municipalities as unnecessary. Managers and decision-makers take the view that
reform efforts should be focused on improving the review process for all applicants, not just ones
perceived as high value. A focus on high-value, for-profit projects is considered inappropriate by
some. Priority treatment for non-profit housing projects is more palatable — a sentiment that
explains why cities in BC that do have some form of priority stream tend to reserve the stream for
BC Housing-sponsored and other non-profit housing developments.
REPORT
35 The system lacks an effective "stop-start" function to adjust overall timelines to account for time an
application sits with an applicant, outside of the City's control, during the review process.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 37
Figure 3.1
Town of Halton Hills Business Concierge Program
The Business Concierge initiative at the Town of Halton Hills is run by the Manager of
Investment Attraction (a former Development Planner) in the municipality's Economic
Development Office. Projects that are eligible for the Halton Hills Concierge service
must meet one of the following criteria:*
>
>
large development located in one of three specified employment areas
minimum of 100,000 ft2 in gross floor area (by comparison, the Albion
Community Hub is 20,000 ft2)
>
>
>
>
>
high profile and complex proposal
major employment (minimum of 100 new jobs) and assessment generator
major office, commercial or mixed-use development (including residential)
large financial investment (over $100 million)
facing urgent timelines
At any one time, there are up to six (6) active projects with the Concierge (with up to 30
being tracked). The Concierge manages applications from pre-application through to
construction, working along the way with the File Manager, staff in planning and referral
departments, as well as with applicants to resolve issues and maintain review
momentum. The Concierge helps to bridge internal silos, hold departments and
applicants to account, and facilitate solutions.
The initiative, which is now two years old, was driven by the Chief Administrative Officer
who continues to provide active support. The Planning and Development Engineering
Departments also support the initiative, with senior managers from each group
attending monthly briefings along with the CAO and others on projects under review. In
all, success factors identified by Halton Hills include:
>
>
>
>
>
>
support from, and ongoing involvement by, the CAO
support from all senior managers and their staff
a "solutions mindset" at the municipality (bolstered by the program)
the Concierge's background as a Development Planner at the municipality
flexibility in refining and shaping the program based on lessons learned
adequate resources dedicated to the program
DEVELOPMENT
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REVIEW
* These criteria are specific to Halton Hills. Maple Ridge would set its own criteria to match
Council and community priorities.
REPORT times. There is also no doubt that a decision to replace the current platform with a
newer, more user-friendly system would increase efficiency and improve the
application process experience both for applicants and staff.
The City has decided to replace its current system — a decision made easier by
financial assistance provided by the province under the Local Government
Development Approvals Program. Since late-2021, an inter-departmental team ofJANUARY 2023
PAGE 38
system users, IT staff and decision-makers has been identifying needs and assessing
candidate platforms. It is anticipated that the City will be in a position to proceed
with the purchase and implementation in early 2023. Implementation of the new
system will, in and of itself, create efficiencies and other improvements for staff and
applicants. To optimize the opportunities for improvement, however, the City will
need to:
•make use of any built-in or third-party vendor application portal to expedite
the transition from paper-based submissions to digital submissions36
provide the necessary hardware to facilitate the review of digital files
put in place an application monitoring dashboard — which can be expanded
over time — to allow for greater transparency
•
•
•
•
•
reduce as much as possible the number of discrete steps in the review
process that is incorporated into the system
formalize and publish for all staff the actual review process to follow for each
type of application37
provide sufficient IT support to attend to trouble-shooting and the ongoing
development of new applications38
•
•
train staff to become proficient in using the system39
require staff to use the system exclusively
COMMUNICATIONS
Dual Role
Development services functions run most smoothly when staff embrace the two roles
they play in the system — namely, the roles of regulator and facilitator. As regulator,
staff have a responsibility to ensure that proposed developments support the
community's objectives set out in policies and regulations. In this role staff also are
responsible for ensuring that proposed developments do not negatively impact the
City's infrastructure systems, Maple Ridge's sensitive ecosystems and environmental
features, the City's parks and trails, and other community assets. Technical standards
and regulations that are in place to protect these assets are applied by staff to
impose servicing and other requirements on proposed developments as conditions
for approval.
As facilitator, staff recognize that the development community — broadly defined to
include property owners, development professionals and developers — is critical toDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
36 All new applications at the City of Coquitlam are now submitted digitally through Coquitlam QFile.
Applications are submitted digitally at the Township of Langley using its Development Application
Submission Portal. Many types of applications can also be submitted digitally to the City of Surrey.
37 Many staff interviewed for the review were unaware if the City had in place any process maps, flow
charts or lists of steps for all staff to follow. (The City has process charts in place for rezoning
applications and development permit applications, but not others.)
REPORT
38 The City of Surrey has four Business Analysts (platform specialists) dedicated to its development
services function.
39 As noted earlier, several staff interviewed for the study reported that they have never received
training on AMANDA.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 39
the City's efforts to provide affordable housing, attract investment, build
neighbourhoods, protect the environment and strengthen the economy. In the role
of facilitator, staff encourage quality development, and work with applicants to
address concerns and eliminate (or reduce) barriers. Staff acknowledge the risks and
costs inherent in development, and embrace a solution mindset to help bring
projects to fruition.
It is incumbent on staff in performing both of these roles to communicate and with
the development community. Some communication will be one-way in nature,
focused on the provision of user-friendly guides, bulletins and other information
resources aimed at helping applicants understand the City's processes and
requirements for approval. Other communication will be two-way, involving
discussions and other forms of engagement.
As noted earlier in Chapter 2, the City has a considerable number and range of
written materials available online for applicants and potential applicants to learn
about Maple Ridge's processes and requirements. The list of materials includes:
•copies of all development bylaws, including the Official Community Plan
Bylaw No. 7060, City of Maple Ridge Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, Maple Ridge
Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 4800, and Maple Ridge
Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5879
•the City's application form for all development approvals, along with
supplemental forms
•
•
•
twelve checklists that identify the requirements for different applications
development permit guidelines and checklists for all permit areas
reference documents on key information items, including application fees,
community amenity contributions, DIMs, street trees, and basic regulations
that apply in each zone in the City
•
•
•
•
thirteen guides and brochures to outline (at a high level) the approval
processes, and the information required in key supporting reports
twenty checklists, guidelines and regulations specifically related to
environmental planning requirements
bulletins and information pieces on a variety of topics (e.g., trees) to assist
applicants in understanding requirements and submitting applications
design and construction documents to follow in the construction of
development works
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Opportunities for two-way engagement with applicants or potential applicants are
also provided by the City. The list of these opportunities includes:REPORT
•
•
interactions between individuals making inquiries and the DSTs at the
Application Centre (or, in some cases, the Planning Assistant or POD)
pre-application meetings that bring together applicants and staff from a
range of departments
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 40
•
•
site visits of proposed development sites, conducted by the File Manager
whenever possible
outreach to the development community to gather input on proposed policy
or regulatory changes
•
•
discussions through formal industry liaison committees
formal and informal discussions with applicants to resolve issues
Observations
It is clear that the City understands the importance of making information resources
available online to applicants and potential applicants. The current number and
range of resources is impressive. The organization and presentation of the materials,
however, could be improved to match the levels in place in some other municipalities
such as the Cities of Kelowna and Coquitlam, and the Township of Langley.
On the Township's website, all materials to guide applicants — and only those
materials — are presented on one main page titled "Development". In Maple Ridge,
by contrast, applicants must go first to the Planning Department section of the site to
find development application forms, guides and brochures and other relevant
materials listed in a side column along with a number of reference documents and
City initiatives. For information on servicing, applicants must go to the Engineering
Department home page find choose "Land Development" — as opposed to the more
common "Infrastructure Development" or "Development Engineering" headings — to
view expectations and requirements.
The City of Kelowna is similar to Langley with all relevant information in one place —
"Homes & Building". Processes are outlined and important materials are provided.
Navigation is intuitive.
In terms of two-way engagement, Maple Ridge's decision in early 2022 to make pre-
application meetings a requirement for all but the simplest development applications
was a positive step forward. The City may wish to create additional connection
points with the development community, including development workshops — or,
"development cafes" — to explain processes, policies and regulations to, and obtain
input on changes to consider from, the development community.40 Such workshops
take time and effort to deliver. The can, however, serve as valuable opportunities to
reduce potential confusion regarding City processes and requirements, and to build
relationships with professionals and developers.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT SECTION
ResponsibilitiesREPORT
The City's Infrastructure Development group is situated within the Engineering
Department. The group is focused entirely on engineering and infrastructure
considerations, and works exclusively in the development services function. The
40 Some sections at the City have (and do) host workshops with the development community. An
example is Environmental Planning.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 41
group is responsible, first, for identifying off-site works and services that applicants
must construct in order to address development impacts on City infrastructure; and,
second, for ensuring that the works and services constructed by developers meet the
City's stated construction standards prior to being inherited the City. In more specific
terms, the group is responsible for:
•participating in pre-application meetings to identify potential works and
service needs that proponents of proposed developments should understand
prior to completing and submitting an application package
•reviewing development applications (and building permit applications)
against the standards in Maple Ridge's Subdivision and Development Servicing
Bylaw to identify existing servicing deficiencies, and to list studies the
applicant must submit to show how the proposed development would
address the deficiencies related to transportation infrastructure, water
distribution systems, sanitary sewer systems and stormwater management
•reviewing the engineering drawings and construction cost estimates prepared
by applicants' consultants, pursuant to requirements in the City's Design
Criteria Manual and its Supplementary Standard Detail Drawings, to install
necessary works
•
•
creating servicing agreements upon acceptance of, and based on, the
submitted drawings
convening pre-construction meetings involving the City's Engineering
Inspectors, the applicants (developers), contractors, and other City staff to
provide guidance and address questions
•
•
•
conducting inspections during construction of the works and services to
ensure compliance with the approved design drawings, as well as relevant
regulations and bylaws
issuing Certificates of Acceptance one year after works and services have
been deemed complete (with any identified issues addressed), and securities
have been eliminatedDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW updating existing guidance documents, creating new documents, and
participating in the technical review of City standards
REPORT
The City's Infrastructure Development group, as shown earlier in Figure 2.2, includes
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and Engineering Inspectors. The group is
a critical internal referral agency that reviews and provides comments on the
majority of development applications, and that interacts with staff in the Planning
and Building Departments regularly. Staff in the group also deal with their colleagues
from Utilities Engineering and Transportation in the Engineering Department, as well
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 42
as with staff in the Operations Department. These groups are available to provide
input and comments on applications that are particularly large, are complex in
nature, feature unique infrastructure maintenance issues, or deviate materially from
the standards in the Subdivision and Development Serving Bylaw and related
documents.
Observations
The Infrastructure Development group is comprised of hard-working, committed staff
who recognize the importance of development to the community, have a desire to
provide good customer service to applicants, and want to support their colleagues in
the development services function. The Engineering Technologists, Technicians and
Inspectors in the group are respected by their peers in Planning and Building, and by
their colleagues across the Engineering Services Division. These points aside, it is
clear that Infrastructure Development is facing a number of challenges.
Staffing
Infrastructure Development faces challenges in maintaining a full staffing
complement. This challenge is not unique to the group — Planning, Building and
other departments at the City are facing similar issues, as are departments in
other municipalities involved in development service functions. The challenge
has been acute, however, in the Infrastructure Development group. At the time
this report was submitted the group had only one Engineering Technician
position vacant. During the writing of the report, however, the number of
vacancies fluctuated and included at one point two of the group's most important
positions — Senior Engineering Technologist and Engineering Technologist.41
There does not appear to be any single reason for the difficulty in retaining a full
staff team. It is almost certainly the case that workload challenges, applicant
expectations are contributing factors, as is the lack of supportive file
management technology.
Turn-Around Times
Infrastructure Development is responsible for ensuring that proposed
developments pay for and provide properly-designed and -constructed additions
to City works and services that are needed to accommodate the developments
and maintain the integrity of the City's existing systems. It is important that such
work not be rushed. It is also important, however, that reviews undertaken by
Infrastructure Development not unreasonably delay the overall review process or
development of subject lands. Unfortunately, significant delays attributable to
the Infrastructure Development seem to have become common.42 Periodic
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
41 The Senior Technologist position, at the time of submission, is filled by a Technologist.
42 This statement is based on interviews with staff in Infrastructure Development, staff in the broader
development services function, Engineering staff, and representatives of the development
community. The absence of a proper application file tracking system makes it necessary to rely on
anecdotal evidence.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 43
vacancies in the group contribute to delays, as do the other factors noted earlier
under staffing. The involvement of other Engineering Services teams in reviewing
application files and the work of Infrastructure Development, however, is also a
factor (see next point).
Intra-Divisional Consultation
In all municipalities there is the need for staff in Infrastructure Development to
consult on development applications with their colleagues in Engineering Services
in charge of infrastructure planning and design, and the maintenance and
operation of civil works. Consultation can be important in managing
infrastructure risks and protecting a municipality's servicing needs and interests.
Consultation can also, however, be a source of potential disagreement for staff
who work in different engineering groups, with different mandates. Consider the
following points:
•Infrastructure Development exists to help process development
applications and enable applicants to develop their lands and grow the
community. The group recognizes the importance of ensuring that
proposed developments pay for and provide the off-site works and
services necessary to develop. Similarly, the group understands clearly
the need to ensure that municipal works and services constructed by
applicants meet the City's standards prior to being transferred to the City.
In reviewing applications and in working with applicants, however, the
group is expected — and, indeed, is driven — to facilitate solutions to
overcome infrastructure issues that arise. Finding ways to move
applications through the review process to the point of development is
central to the Infrastructure Development team's mandate.
•Other groups in the City's Engineering Department are focused on
ensuring that the City's infrastructure planning and development
adequately anticipate and keep ahead of new growth, and that the
standards in place to identify the need for and guide the provision of off-
site works and services by applicants are both fair and complete. These
other Engineering groups are aware and supportive of the City's need to
facilitate development, but are not primarily concerned with (or
rewarded for) streamlining development processes.DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW •The sewer, water, roads and other teams in the Operations Department
are the sections that inherit responsibility for all works and services
constructed by applicants, pursuant to the City's stated requirements.
These teams accept the importance of development to the City's future
prosperity; however, similar to the other Engineering groups, they are not
primarily concerned with or rewarded for streamlining processes.
Operations is driven by the need to ensure that works and services
provided by applicants do not fail or create maintenance issues for the
City once inherited.
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 44
Each of these mandates is legitimate and important to the municipality. The
differences in the mandates, however, have the potential to create conflict
between Infrastructure Development and the other groups. To be clear,
relationships in Maple Ridge are strong among section managers in most cases;
where challenges arise, leaders at the Director and General Manager levels
intervene to facilitate compromises that attempt to meet the broader City
interest in ways that accommodate the needs and concerns that are central to
each group's mandate. Nonetheless, the potential for conflict between
Infrastructure Development and the other sections persists. Measures that are
put in place to accommodate concerns and pre-empt conflict contribute to delays
in the processing of development applications.
From the perspective of the development services function, it is critical that
Infrastructure Development be able to perform its mandated role efficiently,
without having to seek actual or de facto approval on all applications from other
sections in Engineering and Operations. Infrastructure Development needs to
consult professionals in these other sections, and seeks to incorporate the input
obtained through such consultation into its review of development applications.
It is up to Infrastructure Development, however, to exercise judgement and
determine when consultation is needed, and when to invite professionals from
other sections into the review process, pursuant to stated protocols. It is not up
to staff in other sections to insert themselves into reviews.
Engineering Department sections such as Transportation understand that their
role in the review process is that of advisor, in place to act on requests of
Infrastructure Development to help review traffic impact analyses and other
technical reports. Operations Department's sections, conversely, appear less
ready to accept the authority of Infrastructure Development Manager to identify
infrastructure requirements, and to approve infrastructure designs and
constructed works. Development application review measures introduced in the
past 18 months bring Operations managers together with the Infrastructure
Development Manager on a bi-weekly basis to scrutinize and — where deemed
necessary by Operations — add to Infrastructure Development's comments on
every development application reviewed by the Infrastructure Development
team. These bi-weekly meetings are promoted as an effort to ensure that
Operations — the department that is responsible for the maintenance of all
inherited works — is satisfied with the works being proposed, to build confidence
on the part of Operations' managers in the abilities of Infrastructure
Development staff, and to foster trust among colleagues. The compromise is
intended to have zero impact on application review timelines; however, the
accommodation of Operations can only add to overall delays, not to mention the
potential for tension among colleagues.43
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
43 It is important to note that leadership in Engineering Services feels strongly that the involvement of
Operations in reviewing Infrastructure Development's comments on every application is important,JANUARY 2023
PAGE 45
From a development perspective, interactions between Infrastructure
Development and other sections in Engineering and Operations need to be
structured in accordance with a protocol that acknowledges the authority of the
Infrastructure Development Manager in the review of development applications,
and that assigns clear roles and limits to other sections in Engineering and
Operations.
Figure 3.2 presents a summary of a protocol agreement based on systems in
place in other municipalities.44 Central to the agreement is the notion that
referrals to Engineering and/or Operations are only made in cases in which the
scope of a proposed development exceeds specified thresholds, or in which the
Infrastructure Development Manager feels that others' expertise is required.45
The vast majority of applications (e.g., 80%) that are considered more
straightforward in nature are handled by Infrastructure Development without
involving other teams.
Placement in Engineering Services
The discussion on intra-divisional consultation leads to the question of whether
Infrastructure Development should exist as part of Engineering Services or placed
under Development Services. This question has been tackled by many other
high-growth municipalities in British Columbia; different places have reached
different conclusions. Municipalities such as the City of Delta, City of Coquitlam,
Township of Langley, City of Port Coquitlam, District of North Vancouver, City of
Kelowna, City of Nanaimo and many others have elected to place Infrastructure
Development within Development Services, under the authority of the Director
or General Manager (as the case may be). The City of Surrey, City of Vancouver,
City of North Vancouver and others have chosen to keep the section under the
authority of the head of Engineering, who is ultimately responsible for all
infrastructure. The City of Abbotsford had Infrastructure Development in
Development Services, but recently transferred it to Engineering.
There are strong arguments in support of each option. There are also certain
success factors that are common to both options — the need for good inter-
departmental communication and respect for assigned authorities being key. In
the end, the "right" choice for any particular place may be determined by theDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
at least in the short term. The decision to involve Operations in reviews is considered to be helpful
in building support for development proposals, in catching and address infrastructure needs, and in
creating a strong inter-team dynamic. Operations' involvement is also considered a useful form of
professional development for Infrastructure Development staff.
REPORT
44 The protocol in Figure 3.2 is a summary that would need to be expanded on and customized for
Maple Ridge.
45 A development application that proposes a unique or significant piece of infrastructure is an
example of an application that would exceed thresholds and that would be referred to Engineering
and/or Operations.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 46
desired approach to development, and by the message leaders wish to send to
staff and the development community. Consider the following points:
Figure 3.2
Development Application Review Process Protocol Agreement
Infrastructure Development and Engineering Services
EXAMPLE ONLY
This Protocol Agreement outlines the responsibilities of the Infrastructure
Development Manager in the development application review process, as well as the
responsibilities of Managers in the Engineering and Operations Departments.
1. The Infrastructure Development Manager is responsible (and accountable) for
all decisions on service matters related to development applications.
2. The Infrastructure Development Manager will refer applications, as necessary,
to managers from Engineering and Operations with authority over the
planning and maintenance of the City's works and services.
3. Referrals will be made in cases where the scope of a proposed development
exceeds established thresholds, or in any case in which the Infrastructure
Development Manager feels that others' expertise is required. A full set of
thresholds will be established to guide the Infrastructure Development
Manager. Examples of thresholds are as follows:
Category Examples of Thresholds
Utilities
Planning;
Operations
> rezonings that would result in 100+ housing units
> projects with drawings that differ materially from
standards of Subdivision Bylaw
> projects that would result in City inheriting major
infrastructure (e.g., trunk line, lift station)
Transportation > rezonings expected to add 100+ peak hour trips
> projects where drawings differ materially from
standards of Subdivision BylawDEVELOPMENT
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REVIEW
> projects that would result in City inheriting a
major collector road
4. All technical recommendations provided by Engineering and Operations will be
considered by the Infrastructure Development Manager and incorporated,
where possible, into a single Servicing Memorandum. Explanations will be
provided when recommendations are not used.
REPORT
5. Engineering and Operations managers who disagree with decisions of the
Infrastructure Development Manager may appeal through an internal process.
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 47
•In Development Services — Leaders who place Infrastructure
Development in Development Services seek to emphasize a desire to
facilitate development. The Infrastructure Development Manager in this
structure reports and is accountable to a Director (Director of Planning in
the case of Maple Ridge) who is focused on, and rewarded for, finding
solutions to development issues. To be clear, infrastructure
considerations remain important as they do under any structure. But
infrastructure requirements, designs and approvals are determined
within Development Services by the Infrastructure Development
Manager, in accordance with published technical standards and criteria,
and the inter-departmental protocol agreement (see Figure 3.2). Any
conflicts with Engineering and Operations are handled by the Director of
Planning, or by the General Manager of Planning and Development
Services.
•In Engineering Services — In municipalities with Infrastructure
Development in Engineering Services, the concerns of engineering
planners and operations managers are paramount. The Infrastructure
Development Manager in this structure reports through and is
accountable to the Director of Engineering, and is expected to involve
Engineering and Operations planners in decisions on reviews and
development works more than would be the case under Development
Services. The Director of Planning has no authority to direct the
Infrastructure Development Manager in this structure.
If the City of Maple Ridge wishes to streamline its development application
review process and communicate to the community and staff that efforts to
facilitate good development are priority, the City should consider placing
Infrastructure Development within the Planning Department under the authority
of the Director of Planning. A strong protocol agreement, similar to the example
set out in Figure 3.2, would be important to enable the change. Conversely, if the
City is more concerned with minimizing risk associated with the infrastructure
implications of development, the City may wish to leave Infrastructure
Development in Engineering Services. A strong protocol agreement would also
be important under this scenario.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW As noted earlier, the needs to facilitate development and manage development-
related infrastructure risk exist and must be recognized under both structural
scenarios. The relative emphasis given to the each need, however, varies based
on the structure in place, as does the message sent to stakeholders.REPORT
Inspection of Works
One of the roles of Infrastructure Development is to inspect and ultimately issue
Certificates of Acceptance for off-site works and services constructed by
developers and transferred to the City. All municipalities are responsible for
inspecting works and providing these certificates. The approaches taken by
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 48
municipalities, however, are not uniform.
In many cities, Engineering Inspectors will rely on the developers' professional
engineering consultants to oversee and inspect construction at specified points of
the construction process, and to provide field reports to the Engineering
Inspectors for review. Inspectors may attend construction sites at key times,
irrespective of the field reports and work of the consultants, to exercise direct
oversight. In a small number of cities — Kelowna is an example — the
Engineering Inspector position has been eliminated. That city relies on the
developers' engineering consultant to inspect and ensure that the works meet
prescribed the approved designs. Certificates of Acceptance are provided by the
City, but are based largely on assurances provided by consulting engineers.
In the City of Maple Ridge, Engineering Inspectors are more directly involved that
their counterparts in some other cities in reviewing the construction of off-site
development works. The City's approach minimizes risk associated with the
inheritance of development works — presumably, the reason for taking the
approach. The approach also, however, relieves developers' consulting engineers
of accountability and risk, and makes for a larger-than-necessary workload for
Inspectors.46 The approach also adds to the overall time required for
development approvals, simply because the number of Engineering Inspectors is
limited.
The City of Maple Ridge should consider a new approach that emphasizes a more
limited role of compliance verification. The elimination of the Inspector position
— the Kelowna approach — is not recommended. A greater reliance on the
consulting engineers' field reports and assurances is suggested.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Range of Services
Environmental Services is active in the following subject areas:
•Environmental Policy — Staff involved in policy are responsible for creating
and revising, as necessary, development permit guidelines to regulate
development in environmental development permit areas. Staff also create
and amend, as necessary, environmental bylaws on the protection of
watercourses, regulation of soil deposition, protection of trees, and other
matters. The City's 2014 Environmental Management Strategy — Caring For
Our Nature — and subsequent implementation reports were created by staff
in environmental policy; so, too, was the City's 2021 Green Infrastructure
Strategy.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
46 The City does not require, as a standard practice, developers' consulting engineers to provide field
reports.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 49
•Engagement — Staff undertake community engagement on natural
environment matters. Efforts are designed to inform and educate various
audiences, including neighbourhood groups and the development
community, of opportunities and requirements related to protection of
sensitive ecosystems and natural habitats, control of stormwater and soil
erosion, and other matters. The section publishes a considerable number of
information materials on a range of environmental matters and
requirements. The City's Environmental Advisory Committee (citizen based)
is managed by staff involved in engagement.
•
•
Development Review — Staff in the section play an important role through
the development services function in reviewing development permit
applications (as well as building permits applications). More specifically, the
section is an internal referral group that reviews applications against
environmental development permit guidelines. In this capacity, staff also
participate in pre-application meetings and respond to environment-related
development inquiries.
Permits and Enforcement — Staff issue tree permits and enforce the
requirements of Tree Protection & Management Bylaw. Soil deposit permits
are also issued and enforced by staff in the section.
The section has a staffing complement of five (5), including Planners, Technicians and
a Coordinator.
Observations
Staff in the section are passionate about the environment and efforts that the City
takes, and could take, to support ecosystems, natural habitats and biodiversity, and
to innovate in topic areas such as green infrastructure. Staff are ambitious, as well, in
their efforts to engage, educate, advocate and regulate.
Workload is high for staff in the section, as it is for staff in all parts of the
development services function. To help manage workload, staff have taken steps to
create referral templates, development guideline checklists and other similar tools,
all of which help to increase the efficiency of development reviews. Innovations in
tree permit processing allow the section to issue most permits on the day of
application, on site.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
A challenge facing the section is its placement in the organization. As shown earlier
in Figure 2.1 (Chapter 2), Environmental Services exists alongside Development
Planning in the Planning Department. All five (5) Environmental staff report to the
Manager of Development and Environmental Services. This placement results in an
exceedingly broad span of control — 19 staff — for the Manager, and limits the
ability of the Manager to effectively lead, direct, mentor and prioritize the work of
staff in the Environmental Services section. A complicating factor is the broad range
of duties undertaken by the section. Development permit reviews, which are central
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 50
to the development services function and the focus of the Development Services
group in which Environmental Services is situated, constitute only one part of the
section's work. Other areas of activity are, arguably, better aligned with the work of
different groups in the organization. Environmental strategy and policy work, for
example, may fit better with the Community Planning group in the Planning
Department.47 Alternatively, Maple Ridge could consider bringing Environmental
Policy together with Climate Action in a completely separate department — a move
that has been taken by the District of North Vancouver, among others. The issuance
and enforcement of tree permits may be better placed in Bylaw & Licensing, or in a
similar group that is focused on permits and licenses.48
If the City does not wish to assign elements of the current section to different parts
of the organization, the City may need to consider creating a Manager of
Environmental Services to help direct and prioritize the work of the full section. In
the consultant's view, placing elements of the current section in different parts of the
organization may be preferable and should be explored. Specifically, the City may
wish to consider:
•
•
•
leaving development application review with Development Planning
placing environmental policy and strategy with Community Planning
placing tree permit issuance and enforcement with Bylaws & Licensing
Staff would be moved from the section to these other parts based on existing
responsibilities and qualifications. Some changes to responsibilities would likely be
required to implement such changes fully. Staffing levels may need to be considered
depending on Council's strategic priorities and the extent to which environmental
initiatives and protections (i.e., regulations and guidelines) are featured.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
In the consultant's view, informed by the interviews with all staff and a number of
development community representatives, the vast majority of staff active in the
development services function recognize the importance of development to the
community, and understand the need to balance their dual regulator-facilitator roles.
Staff in the function are capable professionals who strive both to promote the
community's interests, and to provide a high level of customer service to applicants.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW This report has identified various issues with the development services function that
highlight process, technological and structural challenges, as well as approaches
taken by the organization. Efforts taken to address these issues will help to
REPORT
47 The City of Kelowna, among others, takes places environmental policy and strategy in Community
Planning.
48 To be clear, the development of policies and regulations on which tree permits are based would
rest with Environmental Policy, as they do today. Only the issuance of permits (in excess of 600 per
year), and the enforcement of bylaws, would be transferred under this scenario.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 51
streamline the approvals process. Underlying all of the issues, however, is the
deeper matter of organizational culture.
Organization culture, in simple terms, can be defined as the beliefs, values, attitudes,
practices and behaviours that are accepted and rewarded in the organization.
Culture strongly influences the actions and the approaches taken by managers and
staff, and affects how people experience the organization. In the consultant's view,
the organizational culture underlying the development services function can be
characterized as cautious and risk averse, as well as inwardly-focused on the needs
and concerns of individual sections (a focus that results in groups working in silos).
File Managers and department managers seem overly deferential to their colleagues
in other sections, and hesitant to challenge practices, push for attention or challenge
comments. Staff in all parts of the function are reluctant to take any action that
carries some risk of impact to City services, the environment, the urban landscape or
the community. On the whole, staff and Council seem unsure of each other's
motives.
The organization's culture of caution is reflected in the following practices and
observations, some of which have been highlighted already:
•the approach taken to First Reading, which is designed to give Council a view
of all proposals that are being presenting to staff, and staff a sense of
Council's high-level support for proposals
•
•
a reluctance to require all staff to input all review comments directly into the
digital folder (software limitations notwithstanding)
the accommodation shown to Operations managers to review all files that are
sent to Infrastructure Development, and all of Infrastructure Development's
referral comments
•
•
a tendency on the part of File Managers to err on the side of caution in
seeking reviews from internal referral groups — a tendency that was
reported by several staff interviewed
a tendency to impose "late hits" — that is, requirements imposed and
requests for additional information made after comprehensive application
review letters have been sent to applicants
•
•
the reluctance of Engineering Inspectors to rely on consultants' field reports
and assurance when reviewing the construction of development works
the absence of enforceable time limits on internal referrals — an absence
that, when combined with a reluctance on the part of Planning Department
managers to apply pressure, can result in significant delays
Planning reports that require four reviews and sign-offs in the Development
Services Division alone prior to publication in Council and Committee agendas
a reluctance to view some development applications as more important and
worthy of expedited treatment than others, despite clear differences in
economic and other impacts
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
•
•
REPORT
•a City website that organizes and presents development application
information in ways that are less-than-user-friendly
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 52
An organization's culture is set by its leaders — Senior Leadership in the case of
Maple Ridge. To make significant changes to the culture underlying Maple Ridge's
development services function, Senior Leaders will need to promote and embrace
change, tolerate mistakes, reward innovation and improvement, and hold each other
accountable for making change.
STAFFING LEVELS
Current Levels
Figures 1.1 and 1.2 in Chapter 1 presented the number of positions in the Planning
Department and Infrastructure Development section respectively. Key information
from those figures included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Managers — 249
Planners III (Senior Planner) — 1
Planners I and II (full-time permanent) — 4
Planners II (part-time auxiliary) — 3
Planning Technicians — 3
Planning Assistants — 1
Planning Clerks — 1
Mapping / Data — 1
Engineering Technologists — 4
Engineering Technicians — 2
Engineering Inspectors I, II and III — 4
Environmental Planners I and II — 2
Environmental Technicians — 2
Environmental Coordinator — 1
Development Services Technicians — 7
These positions add up to a total of 38; however, it needs to be remembered that not
all Environmental Services positions or DST positions are fully engaged in the
development services function as defined in this report. It should also be
remembered that these numbers include three (3) part-time positions that, together,
are equivalent to one (1) FTE. The numbers include, as well, four (4) vacant positions
— three (3) in Planning and one (1) in Infrastructure Development.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW Observations
All staff and all representatives of the development community interviewed for the
review put forward the view that the City's development services function needs
more people, and a larger number of senior experienced people. Staff feel
overburdened by workloads that seem impossible to manage; applicants feel
underserved both in terms of turn-around times and staff responsiveness.
Infrastructure Development was highlighted as the section perceived to be most
under-staffed and most challenged in its attempts to retain staff.
REPORT
49 Manager of Development & Environmental Services; Manager of Infrastructure Development.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 53
The natural questions that arise in response to calls for added positions are:
•
•
How many positions and what types of positions are required?
On what factors should recommendations for additional positions be
determined?
Comparative Research
Efforts to answer these questions typically involve some level of comparative
research — that is, an examination of staffing levels in other municipalities
deemed comparable to Maple Ridge. Figure 3.3 presents current staffing levels
in four Lower Mainland municipalities with characteristics similar to those of
Maple Ridge. The figure focuses on the positions that exist in some form in all
places. Missing from the figure are Engineering Inspectors, Environmental
Planners, Technicians and Coordinators, and Development Services Technicians.
Figure 3.4 provides some additional context in the form of development
application numbers. The figure shows total applications received each year over
a four-year period, by municipality. Included in the totals are applications for:
•
•
•
•
•
OCP amendments
rezonings
development permits (all types)
development variance permits
subdivisions
Figure 3.3
Current Development Services Function Staffing Levels (FTEs)
Comparable Positions
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 54
Figure 3.3 shows that
while Maple Ridge
has considerably
fewer Senior
Figure 3.4
Development Applications RECEIVED
Select Types — 2018 to 2021
Planners, Planners,
Planning Technicians
and Planning
Assistants than the
City of Coquitlam,
Maple Ridge has as
many of these
positions (combined)
as the City of
Chilliwack, City of
Delta and Township
of Langley. The figure shows, as well, that the number of Engineering
Technologists is Maple Ridge is comparable to that in all places other than
Coquitlam (Maple Ridge is also the only jurisdiction in the table with Engineering
Technicians). Figure 3.4 shows that the number of development applications
(specific types) received each year by Maple Ridge is not wildly different from the
numbers in Coquitlam and Langley Township, and is lower than that received by
Chilliwack.
Comparisons across municipalities are requested and conducted to provide
decision-makers guidance and/or comfort in decision-making on staffing levels.
Such comparisons, however, are inherently problematic and — in many cases —
of questionable value. Differences in review processes, technology platforms,
organizational structure, underlying land use policies and regulations, technical
standards, the level of reliance on applicants, and organizational culture can limit
the usefulness of comparisons. Limitations in the data also undermine their
usefulness to decision-makers.50 The data in Figure 3.4, for example, show the
total numbers of applications received, but say nothing about the total numbers
that remain active.
Adjustments for Maple Ridge
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
In the consultant's judgement, there is no doubt that staff in Maple Ridge's
development services function are unable, collectively, to manage existing
workloads. If none of the issues examined in this report was addressed,
additional staff positions would be needed to enable the City to accelerate its
review of development applications and provide an overall higher and more
consistent level of customer service. Additional staff in Infrastructure
Development would be a priority under these circumstances, followed by
increased numbers in development planning.
REPORT
50 It is worth noting that, as well, that while municipalities are able and willing to provide staffing and
application numbers, municipalities are reluctant to provide data on turn-around times.JANUARY 2023
PAGE 55
What would the need for additional staffing be, however, if the City made
changes to address all or even most of the issues identified in the report?
Consider the impacts on staffing needs from changes designed to:
•
•
simplify, manage and expedite responses to development inquiries
assign a dedicated Planner of the Day to allow Planners and Planning
Technicians to focus on their files
•
•
eliminate the current approach to First Reading, along with the associated
work for Planners and Planning Technicians
limit through delegation the need for Council to approve a range of
development permits, and to hold certain types of public hearings — all
of which add to staff workloads
•standardize and streamline referrals to and comments from internal
referral groups
•
•
standardize and simplify the role of File Manager
introduce a Development Concierge service to remove high-value, high-
profile and complex applications from the applications stream
implement a new file management technology platform, complete with
an application portal, accurate tracking system for staff and applicants,
the ability to store all materials and drawings in a digital folder, clear
processes for staff to follow, regular training for users
enhanced, user-friendly information resources and guides to assist
applicants (and limit their need to call on staff for assistance)
place Infrastructure Development in the Planning Department, reporting
to the Director of Planning
•
•
•
•increase reliance on engineering consultants, both in the preparation of
drawings and inspection of works
•
•
re-organize Environmental Services
shift the organization's culture to one that is less risk-intolerant and more
solution-focused
These types of changes that could be made to address the issues highlighted in
the report would have a positive impact on staff's ability to manage application
file volumes, reduce turn-around times and provide a higher level of service. The
exact magnitude of positive impact would vary based on the number of changes
embraced, but also on the speed of implementation. Indeed, even with the
strongest will, the City would be hard-pressed to achieve major results in the
short term. One major change — the introduction of a new technology platform
— is still well over a year away from taking effect.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
The City may need to take some action on staffing levels in the near term to help
address existing workload challenges. Specific steps to consider are as follows:
•Fill Vacancies — The City should redouble its efforts to fill existing
vacancies. It is exceedingly difficult for the City to manage workload and
provide an acceptable level of service when existing positions sit empty.
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 56
It is similarly difficult for decision-makers to make the case for additional
positions when existing positions have not been filled. The City's internal
and external Human Resources advisors need to be encouraged to try
new recruitment methods aimed at filling the vacant spots.
•Create New Positions — The City may wish to make the proposed
dedicated Planner of the Day resource a new position. Staffing the
resource with an existing Planner of Planning Technician would be better
than the current situation, but would still result in taking away a much-
needed resource from the current development planning complement.
The City may also wish to create a new position for the Development
Concierge. Based on the lessons learned in Halton Hills, it is anticipated
that the position would be exempt, but filled by a professional planner or
individual with experience in development application review. One new
dedicated Planner II position in the Planning Department, and one new
dedicated Engineering Technologist position to support the Development
Concierge initiative may be warranted as well, depending on the number
of high-value projects brought to the City through the program.
•Make Use of Contractors — The City has brought back recently-retired
Planners II to assist with application files. These individuals are employed
as part-time auxiliary staff, but essentially function as contractors. The
City has also made use in past situations of contract Engineering
Technologists and Engineering Inspectors to help manage workloads. The
City should consider making use of all of these contractors, as required,
while changes to address the issues in the report are pursued.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 57
CHAPTER 4
RECOMMENDATIONS
The previous chapter — Chapter 3 — identified and assessed a broad range of
structures for the City to consider under the following headings:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Information Requests
Council Involvement
Delegation of Approvals
Referral of Applications
File Manager Model
Application Streams
Communications and Engagement
Technology
Infrastructure Development
Environmental Services
Organizational Culture
Staffing Levels
Observations provided under the headings pointed to the specific changes for the
City to consider. These changes are presented in Figure 4.1 as recommendations.
DEVELOPMENT
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REPORT
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 58
Figure 4.1
Recommendations
Recommendations Comments
Information Requests
>THAT the City continue to train Development Services Technicians (DSTs) to
respond to a broad range of development inquiries, and to receive all
development applications.
The Manager of Process Optimization, Training
and Client Services in the Building Department
is in the process of implementing training
programs.
>THAT the City continue to expand the number and range of information
documents and tools available, in an effort to enable potential applicants and
others to find answers to questions without needing to submit inquiries to
staff.
None.
>THAT the City develop and make publicly available a guideline to limit the
amount of time the Planner of the Day (POD) is able to spend on any single
information request to 30 minutes.
None.
>AND THAT the City require any inquiry that, in the judgement of the
POD, will require more than 30 minutes to be submitted to the City as
a Land Use Inquiry.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW >
>
THAT the City restructure the POD position from a rotating, shift-based
position to a permanent position for a Planning Technician.
It is expected that Planners providing back-up
support would be called on infrequently.
>AND THAT the City assign the Department's Planners, on a rotating
basis, to provide back-up to the POD as necessary.REPORT
THAT the City situate the POD behind the front counter at the application
centre in order to enable the POD to interact efficiently with DSTs and
Planning Assistants, and to easily attend to in-person inquiries that require
the POD's input.
None.
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 59
Recommendations
Council Involvement
Comments
>THAT the City combine First and Second Readings, and in so doing eliminate This change would put Maple Ridge in line with
other Metro Vancouver municipalities.the current approach of taking Zoning Bylaw amendments to Council
separately at First Reading prior to applications being considered by referral
departments.
>THAT staff develop a report with recommendations for consideration by
Council to identify cases in which no public hearing is required for a proposed Surrey's approach, and have been adopted by
These criteria are taken from the City of
amendment to the Zoning Bylaw.some other municipalities.
>AND THAT in formulating the policy, staff review and be guided by
criteria such as those set out in other municipalities that eliminate the
need for a public hearing when:
−the proposed amendment concerns a subdivision with a
limited maximum number (e.g., five or ten) new single family
residential lots
−
−
the Official Community Plan is in effect for the area that is
subject to the amendment
the amendment is consistent with the Official Community Plan
Delegation of Approvals
THAT the City develop a report with recommendations for consideration by
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW >Examples for staff to consult include those in
the City of Abbotsford, City of Surrey, City of
North Vancouver and City of Chilliwack.
Council to broaden the range of development permits, and to identify minor
development variance permits, that may be approved by staff.
REPORT
Referral of Applications
THAT the City establish timeline expectations for referrals.>A recommended timeline can be established in
the short term, then revised downward in the
medium term once the new file management
software platform is in place, and once the
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations Comments
other accepted recommendations in this
report have been implemented.
>THAT the City require all staff involved in referrals to use a common format
for providing comments to File Managers.
The common format will be included in the
new file management software platform, once
implemented.
File Manager Model
THAT the City create a File Manager Guide to outline the role responsibilities None.>
of the position, and to set out expectations for File Managers to meet and
others to respect, including:
−
−
keeping applicants informed of the status of applications and any
issues that staff have identified
managing trade-offs in the priorities and concerns put forward by
referral departments prior to providing referral comments to
applicants
−ensuring consistency, as the principal point of contact, in
communications between the City and individual applicants
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Application Streams
THAT the City create a framework document for a Development Concierge>The eligibility criteria and other features of the
service framework would be informed by
experiences in Ontario — in particular, in
Halton Hills — but would be specific to Maple
Ridge.
service; and that the framework include:
REPORT −
−
criteria, specific to Maple Ridge, to identify development proposals
that would be overseen by the Development Concierge
placement of the Development Concierge within the City's Economic
Development Department, reporting to the Director of Economic
Development
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations Comments
−protocols to define the relationship between the Development
Concierge and File Managers, internal and external referral groups,
applicants and others involved in the development services function
factors necessary for the success of the service
performance metrics against which to measure the success of the
program
−
−
>THAT the City adopt and operate the Development Concierge service as a
pilot project for two (2) years.
None.
None.
>AND THAT the City evaluate the service at the end of the pilot term to
determine if it should be made permanent.
Technology
>THAT the City ensure during implementation of the new file management
software platform to:
−make use of any built-in or third-party vendor application portal to
expedite the transition from paper-based submissions to digital
submissions
−
−
provide the necessary hardware to facilitate the review of digital files
put in place an application monitoring dashboard to allow for greater
transparency
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
−
−
−
reduce as much as possible the number of discrete steps in the review
process that is incorporated into the system
formalize and public for all staff the actual review process to follow for
each type of application
provide sufficient IT support to attend to trouble-shooting and the
ongoing development of new applications
REPORT
−
−
train staff to become proficient in using the system
require staff to use the system exclusively in their review of files
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations Comments
Communications and Engagement
>THAT the City inventory all written materials provided online to prospective
development applicants to identify:
As noted in the report, there are information
materials at various places on the City's
website. One inventory would be useful.
−
−
−
information gaps
duplication between and among materials
items to eliminate
>
>
THAT the City create a common template for materials to be used to present The City's current website is not user-friendly
revised and new documents that are created.for development applicants and prospective
applicants.
>AND THAT the City, as part of a broader website renewal initiative,
organized all development services function materials in a user-
friendly fashion under a "Development" heading.
THAT the City put in place and host a set of workshops each year for the
development community and other applicants to:
Environmental Services (and others) has
hosted workshops in past years. Other
municipalities feature such workshops
regularly.−
−
−
present information on application requirements and processes
review policy and regulatory changes, as well as initiatives
receive feedback on the City's development services function, as well
as suggested changesDEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW −foster relationships between the development community and the City
Infrastructure DevelopmentREPORT
>THAT the City set out a protocol agreement, based on the summary
presented in Figure 3.2, to clarify the authority of the Manager of
Infrastructure Development, and the situations in which applications will be
referred by the Manager for review and recommendations to sections in
Engineering and Operations.
Figure 4.2 is a summary only. The protocol for
Maple Ridge must set out all thresholds and
other conditions for referrals.
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations
AND THAT the City implement the protocol agreement over the course
Comments
>
of 2023 to transition from Operations' current role in reviewing all
applications, to the more selective review role envisioned by the
protocol agreement.
>THAT the City, later in 2023, consider placing Infrastructure Development in
Planning & Development Services, reporting to and under the authority of
the Director of Planning.
In the consultant's view, moving Infrastructure
Development to Planning & Development
Services would elevate the importance of the
development services function in the
organization and community, and should be
strongly considered.
>AND THAT the City determine the placement of Infrastructure
Development based on the City's success in implementing the other
recommendations in this report as measured by improvement to key
aspects of the development services function, including referral and
approval turn-around times.
It is recognized that such change would take
some time to implement and would need to be
managed carefully. It is recognized, as well,
that the time required for action on other
recommendations in the report will be
considerable and will occupy leaders. For
these reasons, the change to Infrastructure
Development may be best revisited later in
2023 once the City has made progress on other
recommendations, and when the City is in a
position to evaluate the impacts of other
changes made. At that time, the City would be
able to either confirm the value of moving
Infrastructure Development, or leave the
current reporting structure unchanged.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
A decision to proceed at that time could be
implemented in conjunction with any broader
structural changes that the organization may
wish to pursue.
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations
THAT the City set out a new practices and expectations to guide Engineering
Comments
>Engineering Inspectors do not need to be as
heavily involved as they are today in the review
of development works and services
constructed by applicants.
Inspectors in exercising a role of compliance verification related to the
construction of development works and services.
>AND THAT the practices and expectations emphasize the need for
greater reliance to be placed on the field reports and sign-offs
provided by applicants' engineering professionals.
Environmental Services
THAT the City consider the structure and responsibilities of Environmental>In the consultant's view there is value in
reorganizing Environmental Services to
separate policy from development reviews.
Based on evolving community needs and
Council priorities, however, the City may wish
to consider elevating the importance of
environment and climate by creating a new
Environmental and Climate Action function,
possibly in its own department or office.
Several other municipalities have taken (or are
contemplating) a similar initiative.
Services in the context of the potential need to establish a new Environment
and Climate Action office (or department) in Maple Ridge.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
Organization Culture
None.
Staffing Levels
>None.
REPORT >THAT the City redouble efforts to fill existing vacancies.It is difficult to make the case for additional
positions when existing positions have not
been filled.
>THAT the City add a Planning Technician or Planner I position to serve as the
dedicated Planner of the Day.
None.
JANUARY 2023
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Recommendations Comments
>THAT the City create an exempt Development Concierge position for a two-
year pilot project term.
This position would report to the Director of
Economic Development.
>THAT the City monitor the need to add a Planner II position and Engineering
Technologist position to provide additional capacity for files brought in
through the Development Concierge service.
None.
>THAT the City make continue to make use of retired Planners and contact
Engineering Technologists and Inspectors to assist with managing workload.
None.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES FUNCTION
REVIEW
REPORT
JANUARY 2023
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