Local
Permitting Survey
1) For statistical purposes, please identify the
name of the
municipality you represent?
_______________________
2) What
is your official municipal capacity?
o Elected
o Appointed
o Staff
3) Please identify your municipal governance
structure (check all that apply).
o City
Council/ Mayor
o City
Council/ City Manager
o Board
of Aldermen/ Mayor
o Board
of Selectmen/ Town Manager
o Board
of Selectmen/ Town Admin.
o Board
of Selectmen/ Executive Secretary
o Board
of Selectmen/ Town Moderator
o Town
Council
o
Representative Town Meeting
o Open
Town Meeting
4) Please identify which entity must approve a
special permit for commercial/industrial projects
(check all that apply).
o Planning Board
o Zoning Board of Appeals
o Board of Selectmen
o City/Town Council/Board of Aldermen
o Other ________________
5) Does your municipality employ professional
zoning and permitting, planning, conservation, economic development and/or
community development staff? Yes o No o
6) If so, how many employees staff:
Total professional zoning and
permitting, planning, ____
conservation, economic
development and/or
community development staff?
Planning Board? ____
Zoning Board of Appeals?
____
Conservation Commission? ____
Board of Health? ____
Housing Commission, Committee,
or Partnership? ____
Economic Development Agency? ____
Other ________________________ ____
7) Does your community have a Community Development
Plan under Executive Order 418 or other comprehensive or master land use
plan? Yes o No o
8) If so, when was it approved? _______________
9) Are any permit applications reviewed by staff to
determine acceptance as a complete permit application?
Yes o No o
10) Does any board vote such acceptance? Yes o No o
11) Please estimate how many public meetings or
hearings are required for all local permits necessary to develop a
commercial/industrial project of 50,000 square feet of gross buildable floor
area or greater? ____
12) Please identify the type of coordination that
occurs among municipal permitting boards and their staff
(check all that apply).
o Pre-development application submittal meeting
between developer and members of multiple boards
o No
coordination among municipal boards
o
Informal conversations among municipal staff and/or board liaisons
o
Regularly scheduled meetings to discuss development proposals
o Local
Technical Review Committee
o
Formal joint board hearings
o
Regional discussions with boards/staff of other municipalities, facilitated by
RPAs
o
Regional discussions with boards/staff of other municipalities, pursued
independently
13) Beginning on the date the first application is
filed, please estimate the average total length of time it takes for your
municipality to issue all of the necessary permits for a commercial/industrial
development greater than 50,000 square feet of gross buildable floor area
(please check one)?
o Less than 6 months
o 6-12 months
o 12 – 18 months
o 18-24 months
o
Longer than two years
o
Not applicable (i.e., no commercial/industrial development of that size has
been permitted within the last seven years)
14) Beginning on the date the first application is
filed, please
estimate the average total length of time it takes for your municipality
to issue all of the necessary permits for a commercial/industrial development
between 10,000 and 50,000 square feet
(please check one)?
o Less than 6 months
o 6-12 months
o 12 – 18 months
o 18-24 months
o
Longer than two years
o
Not applicable (i.e., no commercial/industrial development of that size has
been permitted within the last seven years)
15) Approximately what percent of permits necessary
to develop a commercial/industrial property are issued within the statutory
time period from the date of submission, or within 90 days if no time period is
set by statute?
o
5-25% o
25-50% o
50-75% o)
75-100% o Unknown
16) Please identify the municipal boards for which
you pay for or mandate training (check all that apply).
o
Planning Board
o
Zoning Board of Appeals
o
Conservation Commission
o Board
of Health
17) Does your municipality have an interstate
highway interchange? Yes o No o
18) Does your municipality have
commercially/industrially zoned property located within two miles of an
interstate highway interchange? Yes o No o N/A o
19) Does your municipality have a subway, rail, or
inter-modal transit station? Yes o No o
20) Does your municipality have
commercially/industrially zoned property located within one-quarter mile of a
subway, rail, or, inter-model transit station?
Yes o No o N/A o
21) Does your municipality:
Yes o No o
Yes o No o
Yes o No o
22) Have any of the previous design standards
referenced in question 21 been modified in the past seven years? Yes o No o
23) On a scale from 1-10, what is the biggest
barrier to permitting commercial/industrial development in your municipality
(10 being the most significant hurdle)?
24) Is the amount of new commercial/industrial development
being built in your community (check all that apply):
o Too
much
o Too
little
o About
right
o Wrong
locations
o Wrong
types
o Being
done without proper controls/mitigation
25) Are
you familiar with MGL Chapter 43D? Yes o No o
26) Are you currently considering using MGL Chapter
43D? Yes o No o
27) Are
you familiar with MGL Chapter 40R? Yes o No o
28) Are you currently considering using MGL Chapter
40R? Yes o No o
29) What suggestions do you have to make the
municipal permitting process more efficient and predictable for
commercial/industrial development in your municipality?
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30) On a scale from 1-10, what is the biggest
barrier to permitting residential development in your municipality (10 being
the most significant hurdle)?
31) Is the amount of new residential development being built
in your municipality (check all that apply):
o Too
much
o Too
little
o About
right
o Wrong
locations
o Wrong
types
o Being
done without proper controls/mitigation
32) What suggestions do you have to make the
municipal permitting process more efficient and predictable for residential
development in your municipality?
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33) If
you are willing to be contacted regarding this survey, please provide your
contact
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Thank You!