By Jorge Casuso

For decades, Santa Monica has been notorious for delays that snarl building projects in red tape -- from renovating a home to remodeling a storefront to constructing a building.

That is expected to change after the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to move ahead with an initiative that will provide "an updated, streamlined and comprehensive online system to secure building permits," City officials said.

As part of Tuesday's consent calendar approved with no discussion, the Council voted to enter into a $3.8 million, five-year contract with Speridian Technologies, LLC to adopt and implement the Clariti permitting and land use management system.

The new system -- which will "benefit businesses, home renovators and property owners" -- is expected to be fully implemented in the next 18 months, City officials said.

“We all have the same goal, which is to get projects in and out of our queue as quickly and efficiently as possible while ensuring safety, environmental and other requirements are met,” said Planning Director David Martin.

“I’m proud that we took the initiative to look at our existing practices and are now taking concrete steps to improve and innovate,” Martin said in a statement Wednesday.

The Council's action comes after "an extensive evaluation of the existing permitting system and processes," City officials said.

The new "more intuitive" permitting system will "guide customers through the permit application process and make the overall review and approval process more efficient for both the public and city staff."

The modern, updated system -- which allows the user to navigate via an online portal with a single sign-on -- will "reduce manual processes and improve efficiencies through use of increased automation."

It also will improve "reporting and availability of permitting metrics," provide reports and dashboards for city staff to "better monitor permit processes and status" and "improve integration with other city technology systems."

The Council's action is expected to provide a boost to a local economy struggling too recover from the coronavirus shutdown by making it easier to open a business, officials said.

“Opening a business can be complicated, so any way we can help to make the process smoother on the city side is a huge win for everyone,” said Mayor Phil Brock.

“This new system will help us attract businesses to open here and thrive for years to come,” Brock said.

For more information on building permits and plan review in Santa Monica, click here.