The City of Binghamton has proposed a business-friendly reform package.
Planning Director, Tarik Abdelazim, says 25 changes can be made to help encourage and speed up the approval process for private development in the city.
The proposals were presented to City Council last night. Highlights include reducing the need for parking variances, allowing more projects to be approved by Planning Department staff instead of the commission to reduce wait times, and allowing the City's Historic Preservation Planner to make immediate decisions on proposed improvements for properties.
Abdelazim says, "We understand that those who are making significant investments in our community, young entrepreneurs who want to start their business, time for them means money. So, our goal is to try to navigate a very cumbersome review process the best way we can. Let's eliminate bureaucratic hurdles, red tape, inefficiencies. Let's get these quality projects approved as quickly as possible."
Abdelazim says the changes will not lower the standards of development. He expects changes to be adopted in a number of months.
