Leggett, Johnson Participate in Ribboncutting to Open New WSSC Office at County's Department of Permitting Services

For Immediate Release: March 10, 2015

Leggett, Johnson Participate in Ribboncutting to

Open New WSSC Office at County’s Department of Permitting Services

 

Another innovative improvement in processing development approvals was announced today by County Executive Ike Leggett and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s (WSSC) General Manager and CEO Jerry Johnson. WSSC will open an office at the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) in Rockville that will make it more convenient and efficient for customers to obtain assistance with development and construction approvals from DPS and WSSC.

“The opening of WSSC’s office at the Department of Permitting Services is a long-awaited opportunity,” said Leggett.  “This is another step to improving the subdivision and permitting process for Montgomery County residents and businesses.  This co-location gives us the opportunity to address development matters together for the greater good and is a significant convenience for WSSC’s Montgomery County customers.”

After DPS moves to its new location in downtown Wheaton, WSSC will continue to have an onsite presence. Construction for the new building is scheduled to begin construction in the fall of 2016. It will be a one-stop shop for development and construction services, housing the headquarters of the Montgomery County Planning Board and the Parks Department, the Department of Permitting Services with the WSSC offices, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Mid-County Regional Services Center.

“We are pleased to partner with Montgomery County on this project,” said Johnson “This coordinated approach will streamline the development process and facilitate economic growth in the area. This follows our E-Doc project that went online several years ago, eliminating a lot of the paperwork and time involved in the development process. It is another effort to provide our customers and county residents with the highest quality service possible.”

Over the past year, DPS has significantly improved its customer services by launching several new initiatives. Last year the department introduced ePlans and ePermits, an online system that saves residents and businesses money, time, energy and paper. The eServices have rapidly been expanded across permit types including permits for residential construction and additions; commercial construction; additions and alterations; rights-of-way for driveways, utilities and road construction; fire protection systems and fire alarms; and electrical permits.  

Automation fees have been cut in half, saving customers an estimated $2 million annually. Also, fees have been reduced for wood frame, midrise construction, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of permit fee savings per project.

Backlogs have been eliminated in critical areas, next-day inspections have been maintained and the transfer of fire safety inspections has been hugely successful. Changes have been made to the processes for reviewing and processing development approvals across agencies, which have resulted in an estimated nine or more months of time savings.

For more information about the Department of Permitting Services, call 311 or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/permittingservices.

 

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Media Contact: Sue Tucker, 240-777-6507