DallasNow Goes Live
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Dallas planning and development services are finally entering the 21st century with the launch of a digital platform that integrates the city’s permitting, planning, platting, inspections, and engineering systems: DallasNow.
This new online one-stop shop is supposed to make things considerably easier for developers, contractors, and DIY homeowners who need particular permissions from the city to move their projects forward.
Boasting increased transparency, better customer service, and streamlined processing, the new platform stands a shot of improving the city’s reputation when it comes to development. Dallas permitting operations have been plagued with bad headlines the last several years, so some reform on that front is certainly called for.
A lot of this stuff has typically been done on paper, costing customers postage and trips to city offices. Starting Monday, users can submit a lot of it online and monitor the progress of an application as it is received and reviewed by staff.
‘End of Paper’
The Planning & Development Department (PDD) suspended most of its services the past couple weeks as it migrated data to the new system and trained staff on how to use it. PDD also held a number of live demonstrations for stakeholders ahead of the launch.
CandysDirt.com attended one of these demonstrations last week, which was hosted by the Architecture and Design Exchange in the Central Business District.
On hand were members of PDD’s staff, including Deputy Director Vernon Young, Assistant Director of Customer Experience Jason Pool, senior plans examiner Selene Alvarez, and project coordinator Clinton Bird. They walked attendees through how the platform works from the user side of things.
In certain respects, the launch of DallasNow heralds the “end of paper,” Pool said, explaining how one of the biggest inefficiencies in the past has been customers and staff having to go back-and-forth for minor issues that can now be resolved digitally.
The interface is intuitive enough by my assessment, requiring some basic computer skills to navigate the various interfaces, which in large part consist of the numerous forms stakeholders will already be familiar with.
Still, Young warned that the next 30 days will likely see a spike in staff review times due to the platform being pretty new to everyone involved. There’s also the fact that it’s building season.
“There’s never a good time to go live,” Young said.
Need Some Help?
Well aware that folks might need some assistance during this transition period, the city has set up various support opportunities.
Hour-long live demonstrations will be offered at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center from May 5 until May 16 during the hours of 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Those who can’t make it there can also watch them online.
“These sessions will help customers set up accounts, submit applications, and navigate the new system,” said Assistant City Manager Robin Bentley. “Additional sessions will be added weekly based on demand.”
A number of how-to videos have also been published on the DallasNow website, covering a wide array of platform functions.
