The city of Albuquerque is making efforts to improve the efficiency of its Planning Department. Mayor Tim Keller and Alan Varela, the director of planning, addressed the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on August 28 about ongoing improvements in operational efficiency and business processes.
Mayor Keller acknowledged that community feedback has highlighted issues with the Planning Department's procedures. He said, "We’ve worked to streamline it all so that there’s not a big bottleneck for any economic development project. We have lots of challenges, and it’s getting better." The Chamber has consistently advocated for reforms to make permitting processes more business-friendly.
Alan Varela discussed specific changes, noting significant improvements since implementing ABQ-PLAN. This initiative has enhanced clarity for customers and tailored licensing needs more effectively. Varela reported a reduction in daily trouble calls from 50 to three and a decrease in business license processing time from 15 days to two.
Inspection times have also improved, with commercial permit processing now averaging 37 business days and residential permits taking 15 days in fiscal year 2025. Previously, these averages were as high as 121 days for commercial permits and 112 days for residential permits in fiscal year 2023. Varela commented on the restructuring: "The restructuring has made it more efficient for the entire department," adding that it aids economic development by reducing obstacles.
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