SILVER SPRING – How challenging is it to file a development application with the Montgomery County Planning Department?
Applicants would attest that it is a big task indeed, requiring filing paperwork for up to 20 submittal items, from a forest conservation plan to a traffic study. To accommodate reviews by representatives from several county and state agencies, applicants must deliver multiple copies of each of those 20 documents.
Starting today, that process got easier for two types of applications with the launch of ePlans, the Planning Department’s new online submittal and review system. Developers will file all application materials for preliminary and site plan applications electronically through ePlans. The applications will remain in electronic form for agency reviewers, negating the need for multiple copies and streamlining the time and cost required to transfer paper around the county and state.
Planners have long recognized the cumbersome nature of the application process. They initiated the development of an electronic system a few years ago, enough time for ePlans to be retrofitted for the Department’s needs and synchronized with an extensive existing database. The department-specific programming resulted in a system that meets the Department’s needs, from initial processing and record-keeping to archiving.
ePlans ensures transparency in the application review process – any user can see a reviewer’s comments in real time – as well as automated scheduling of tasks.
The Department accepts more than 300 applications a year, and reviewing proposed development is one of the Planning Board’s main functions.
On the ePlans webpage, applicants will find a user’s guide and instructions about how to prepare files for upload, as well as links to the application portal and ePlans log-in page. Fees will continue to be paid in person at Park and Planning Headquarters. Applicants will receive an email when fees are due after the application materials have been pre-screened.
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