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Excerpts of Planning Commission Minutes UNAPPROVED/DRAFT Apri123, 2009 <br />Agenda Na. 09-08 Page S of 5 <br />plan checks, permits, etc. that applicants pay fees for is also problematic. Rather than being delayed, those <br />processes should be sped up to bring in more revenue more quickly. In addition, time is very costly to <br />businesses. Commissioner Reed said that he recollects, from attending League of California Cities' <br />Planning Institutes in the past, that only six or seven representatives came from cities with joint Planning <br />CornmissionsBZAs, which also makes San Leandro stand out. He pointed out that long meetings can <br />lead to bad decisions. If you want a project approved, get yourself placed last on a busy agenda. Would- <br />be protestors have gone home and your project has a better chance of approval. As Mr. Sims had said, it <br />would be crucial for staff to avoid loading agendas and having overly long meetings. Commissioner Reed <br />also suggests revisiting the idea of using subcommittees more closely. In the past, he said, subcommittees <br />of two or three have made decisions that could not be handled administratively but did not warrant the <br />attention of the full-blown Planning Commission or BZA -such as code compliance. With volunteers <br />meeting at perhaps 4 p.m., this approach could save money and cost no additional staff time. <br />Chair Dlugosh said that customer service tops his list of concerns. He would be hesitant to do anything <br />to detract from customer service. Even with the customer-friendly relations we talk about, a lot of people <br />still find fault with the way the Planning Services Division service the community. He believes the <br />subcommittee idea is an excellent one; subcommittees can accomplish a lot and maintain the kind of <br />service levels we want to project to the community. Because Planning Commission and BZA business is <br />slow now, this is a better time to do something if in fact it is necessary to do it. During a slow time, it is <br />easier to schedule training than when it's busy. There are things about what BZA does that are not <br />apparent to a Planning Commissioner from the BZA meeting minutes, just as a BZA member cannot <br />know everything about what the Planning Commission does from reading its meeting minutes. Chair <br />Dlugosh said he has often wondered why San Leandro has a BZA, because most communities of this size <br />do not. Times being what they are, we must step up and do what we can to make the City run better and <br />on a more economically sound footing. If asked to do more because of a combination of the Planning <br />Commission and the BZA, he said he is willing to do so. <br />Commissioner Collier added that she is just as concerned about customer service to individual applicants <br />as she is to businesses. Just as we must remain business-friendly, we must also be friendly and expedient <br />for homeowners who may move elsewhere -and pay taxes elsewhere - if it is too difficult for them to <br />improve their properties in San Leandro. <br />Mr. Sims said that having spent nine years as San Leandro's Business Development Manager before <br />becoming Community Development Director, he is well aware of things that affect the business <br />community and what the Commissioners said resonates with his experience. He expressed appreciation <br />for their feedback, suggestions, open-mindedness and candor. He said he will package the Commissioners <br />comments and take it back to the City Council's Rules Committee as a first step, if not at a work session <br />before that. <br />