2021 Annual Development Report

One of the functions of the Department of Planning and Sustainability is to coordinate the County's comprehensive planning, zoning regulatory framework, building development and business activities with its various partners. The department believes that communication and community partnerships are among our most precious resources as they serve as the pillars of our services. It is our partners that provide us with direction because they know their needs and how we can assist meeting them.  

The 2021 Annual Development Report (ADR) is intended to be an evolving, useful tool for staff as well as the public to track building and development activity throughout DeKalb County, Georgia's Land Use Character Areas. It is the desire of the Planning Department staff to receive the necessary feedback from citizens, builders and the business community in order to continue to improve the quality of this report. The activity highlighted in this report is segmented between planning and zoning, structural permits, business license and land development activity. 

The following is a list highlighting the major accomplishments for the Department of Planning and Sustainability for the year 2021. It is broken down by each division within the department.

• Adopted the  Five-year Comprehensive Plan Update  (2021)
• Established a funding source for the Memorial Drive Community Action Group (2021)
• Started the ITB process for the Memorial Drive Rebrand Project (2021)
• Completed the  Glenwood Road & Columbia Drive Redevelopment Plan 
• Analyzed Future Land Use Plan Map Amendment Applications
• Assisted  Decide DeKalb  with the update of the Urban Redevelopment Plan

• Processed a total of 65 Rezoning or Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) cases. The majority of these cases (68%) were approved by the board.
• Processed a total of 113 Variances. Also implemented mandatory pre-application meetings, which have aided in reducing deferrals and improved agenda-setting.
• Updated the Public Hearing Webpage to improve the user experience and ability to differentiate between meetings and agenda items.
• Collaborated with Long-Range Planning and Business License to improve the business license renewal process for existing, late-night establishments.
• Processed 198 historic preservation applications, 78% of which were approved by the Historic Preservation Commission.
• Approved the conceptual plan for construction of a film studio south of the Indian Creek MARTA station.

• Planted 84 Front Yard trees & 135 public spaces/ROW trees as part of the ReLeaf DeKalb program
• Filled the Sustainability Coordinator position
• Secured two interns from ARC’s Sustainable Connections Internship Program
• Adopted the No Net Loss of Trees resolution
• DeKalb County recertified under the ARC Green Communities Program at the Bronze level

• Reduced backlog of nearly two thousand (2,000) applications to zero (0) in 2021
• Moved from a paper process to a sustainable all-electronic process
• Upgraded the ePermitting system
• Implemented an online self-service portal allowing customers to submit plans in Hansen/IPS and Projectdox.  The online self-service portal offers information and resources to help users submit plans, applications, and other documents.
• Added temporary personnel to assist with answering the telephones, alleviating long wait times, and the permitting general mailbox, reducing backlogs.
• Conducted cross-training for all Permits staff to build the skills of everyone in the division to understand better what it takes to run the division.

• Land Development completed 268 reviews (218 in 2019), 84 Final and Sketch Plat reviews (65 in 2019), 123 Lot Combination/Division reviews (112 in 2019), 1,882 Building Permit reviews (2,537 in 2019), and issued 73 Land Development permits (68 in 2019). Though a strenuous task, all accomplished with only two (2) Engineer Review Officers.
• Updated Standard Operating Procedures for performing tasks, intake and process applications, and utilizing the online Hansen/IPS and Projectdox systems.
• Added an online self-service portal that allows customers to submit plans in Hansen/IPS and ProjectDox.
• Land Development has a new paperless system; paper submittals are no longer accepted.
• Submitted a draft to the Law Department for review, revising the County ordinances.
• Updated the County’s GIS map to reflect the bounds of newly defined flood-prone areas. Also, in DeKalb County Parcel Viewer, the map updates road crossings at flood-prone locations, where researchers predict that 2-year, 5-year, 10-year, 25-year, 50-year, 100-year, 200-year, or 500-year storm events could inundate roads.
• Created a dataset in IPS based on the floodplain map layer and intersection. The dataset identifies the permit application to generate alerts that applications entered for buildings will require floodplain management compliance.
• Updated and revised the online checklists and application forms for a more customer-friendly process. 

• 112,105 Building Trade Inspections
• 38,226 Building Structural Inspections  
• 16,179 Environmental Inspection
• Total number of Inspections: 166,510      
• All 166,510 Inspections were completed within 24 hrs above a constant yearly rate above 95%
• Three (3) Inspectors Achieve the lofty certification as Chief Building Inspectors from The Building Association of Building Officials
• Completed The National Insurance rate for Dekalb County (ISO Rating) and improve our position within the ratings to continue insurance savings for the entire residents and owners of the County
• Participated and led the way for Building safety Month awareness month of  May with a signed proclamation from the CEO and Commissioners of Dekalb County
• Led the way on a new inspection Moblie Application for Inspections to increase effectiveness and efficiency for Inspectors and compliance officers

• Business License Revenue for 2021 was $7.1 million which was an increase in revenue compared to 2020 revenue of $6.8 million.
• The Business license team completed 4,008 business license applications for businesses located in unincorporated Dekalb County.
• The Business License team completed two audits without incident. 

Structural Permits, also known as building permits, allow residents, developers or contractors to proceed with a project on a given property. The purpose of these permits is to ensure that all development is in compliance with the County's standard for safety, construction, zoning and land use. They can be broken down into the following classifications: 

• New Construction: This type of permit is required when a landowner or contractor wants to build a structure on an unoccupied lot.
• Additions: These are required when an individual wants to build onto an existing property. An example of an addition might include adding an extra story to a building or an accessory structure such as a garage, accessory dwelling unit or storage shed. 
• Alterations: A permit for an alteration is required when the building in question needs to be modified, improve its performance or change the nature of its use. This can include refurbishing, retrofitting, repairing, maintenance or decoration. 

 These classifications can be further broken down into the type of structure for both residential and non-residential uses--although it is imperfect. One other type of permit included separately in this map is Residential Care Permits. This type of permit is used for buildings that will be providing care to part-time occupants such as day care facilities or personal care homes.

There are many reasons to consider different types of housing development. Where are new things being built? Where are residential structures being repaired or altered? In order to find the answers to these questions, this section will look at the following development types:

• New single family housing developments
• Single family additions and alterations
• New multi-family housing developments
• Multi-family alterations
• Development and other housing types
• Shell Permits

From an economic development perspective, it is crucial to take a look at what types of businesses are coming to the area and where they are "setting up shop". Therefore, this section will look into the following:

• New development for businesses, retailers and other similar uses
• New community assets
• Alterations for businesses, retailers and other similar uses
• Additions for businesses, retailers and other similar uses
• Residential Care permits

Although structural permits can give us an idea of the types of development taking place in the county, it is important to analyze other permit activity as well as rezones and land use amendments. Therefore, the following will be mapped and analyzed:

• Approved Rezones
• Approved Land Use Amendments
• Approved Special Land Use Permits
• Processed Land Disturbance Permits
• Processed Sketch Plats

From a development perspective, it is important to analyze how certain characteristics have changed over the years. Trends in revenue and permit type can have an impact on future developmental patterns.

14K permits were issued in the year 2021. This is an increase of 1,717 or 13% in comparison to 2020. This represents a recovery from the dip caused by the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, though it is still far below the pre-pandemic peak.

• New single-family housing was most prevalent in the area north of Avondale Estates and in new subdivisions at the south end of the county.
• Single-family additions and alterations were heavily concentrated in Druid Hills, LaVista, and the Candler/McAfee area along the Atlanta border.
• New multifamily housing developments were most prevelent along Interstate 285.
• New commercial structures were predominantly intended for retail or warehouse, and were most commonly found in Commission District 3.
• Business alteration and addition activity was clustered in existing commercial centers, particularly in the North Decatur area.
• Rezoning activity mostly occurred in the central region of the county and was most frequently found in Commission District 4.
• Commission District 3 had by far the largest share of Special Land Use Permits.
• Land Disturbance activity was concentrated along I-285 east of Avondale Estates.
• Permitting revenue ticked up from 2020 but has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.