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-Editorial
The City of San Diego Development Services Department (DSD) launched its new Zoning and Parcel Information Portal (ZAPP) to make it easier for customers to research zoning and property information. The online service helps users conveniently access real-time information from their computer or mobile device 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Using a City of San Diego property address, the new interactive portal allows customers to research more than 60 layers of information needed to plan and design the development of a property. Those layers of information include assessor parcel numbers, zoning maps, City Council districts, school districts, historic districts, fire risks, earthquake fault buffers, and various regulatory areas.
“Accelerating the use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a top priority for everyone at the City to better serve our customers,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “The innovative work by our Development Services staff is reflective of our overall efforts to ensure that the government is as innovative as the people we serve. This is a service San Diegans will be able to depend on for decades to come.”
The new online portal follows a series of recent innovations and process changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is part of Mayor Faulconer’s push to leverage data and technology effectively to help improve transparency and performance.
“Since the beginning of the year, the department has accelerated its use of technology and innovation for cost management, process improvement, and efficiency and to help keep customers and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DSD Director Elyse W. Lowe. “We are also transforming how we do business while being responsive to the increasing number and complexity of construction methods and technologies used by our customers. From using document-driven processes to rapidly integrating data-driven approaches and the latest digital technologies, the new online mapping and zoning portal is another innovative solution to better serve our customers.”
The innovations are also part of #DigitalDSD, an initiative to modernize all DSD workplace systems and cost-effectively leverage technology to increase productivity and improve service delivery to customers. These include the roll-out of an online permitting system for all new development projects; conducting reviews electronically through email and online conferencing platforms; the electronic submittal of all residential roof-mounted solar photovoltaic applications and plan documents; and updating the online Small Cell Supplemental GIS Tool, so customers can now research non-secured utilities within the public right-of-way remotely.
“This new online tool will save customers significant time and money by providing access to information about their property before starting a permit and construction project,” said DSD Deputy Director Gary Geiler. “This is another important advancement in transforming the development review process that uses technology to help us process up to 50,000 permits a year.”
The new ZAPP was developed using a checklist used by DSD staff to review land use and building development applications throughout the city, which reaches up to 50,000 approvals each year.
The public can access ZAPP by visiting sandiego.gov/development-services/zoning.
