Committee advances bill to speed permit review, allow independent third‑party certification for developers

The State and Local Government Committee advanced an amended housing and development accountability bill on March 24 that sponsors said will increase predictability and streamline permitting to improve housing affordability.

Sponsor Chairman Williams said the amendment rewrites the bill to do three things: establish a clear statutory "shot clock" for local governments to respond to developers; cap deficiency reviews to two consolidated rounds; and allow developers to hire a qualified independent third‑party engineer to certify that performance and payment bond obligations have been satisfied so bonds can be released more quickly. “It does 3 things. It establishes a clear shot clock... 2, it sets a 2 round deficiency review cap with consolidated feedback... 3, it enables developers to hire a qualified independent third party engineer to certify that the terms of the performance and payment bond have been satisfied,” Williams said.

Sponsors argued the changes will reduce iterative review delays that lengthen project timelines. Representative Mitchell asked technical questions about differences from the subcommittee amendment; Williams said the amendment primarily clarified consolidated timing and deliverables.

The committee adopted the amendment and the bill was moved to Finance (vote recorded as 18 ayes, 0 nos).