City proposes reorganization of permitting and updates to permit fee schedule; business outreach underway

Falls Church — As part of the FY27 budget discussion, city staff on May 12 proposed organizational changes and a new permit‑fee structure intended to speed approvals and make the process more predictable for businesses and residents.

Permitting reorganization: Staff proposed creating a Department of Code Administration that would combine current zoning and building‑safety functions with related permitting work and some economic‑development functions. The new department would be led by a director charged with leading process improvements, coordinating as‑built drawings and certificates of occupancy work, and advancing technology and project‑management changes. Staff indicated the director position would be filled internally to avoid increasing the overall FTE cap for FY27.

Fee schedule changes and reserve: City staff presented a comprehensive update to the permit fee schedule, which raises many fees but also includes targeted reductions to better align fees with level of effort. Staff told council the FY27 budget assumes routine permitting revenue (about $600,000 in a non‑big‑development year) and that a separate permit‑fee reserve is used to absorb year‑to‑year volatility if large projects generate one‑time spikes.

Economic development outreach: The Economic Development Office reported it had visited roughly 60 local businesses to gather feedback, launched a multi‑channel visitor marketing push (Visit Falls Church), and planned events including restaurant week, summer promotions and a DORA pilot application to the ABC. Staff said marketing and council–staff coordination — including monthly appearance walks with DPW — are part of a city‑wide approach to support small businesses while staff develop a longer‑term economic‑development strategy.

Council feedback: Business groups have flagged two issues for further work: streamlining small‑project permits and revisiting zoning provisions that trigger board hearings for some routine business requests. Council members suggested pairing fee updates with policy changes that remove unnecessary regulatory friction for small businesses and considered incentives (e.g., lower fees) for green building upgrades as a future policy lever.

Provenance: Permitting reorganization and fee schedule were discussed in the budget presentation and subsequent Q&A (timeline entries beginning SEG 3950 and permit fee discussion SEG 3950–4020); economic‑development outreach reported at SEG 5625–5739.