City of San Juan Bautista Planning Support & Staff Augmentation Services

Harris has provided planning support and staff augmentation services to the City of San Juan Bautista since November 2019. In this role, Harris staff serve as planners for all development applications [administrative permits, design review permits (major and minor), subdivision applications, conditional use permit, and historic alternation permits], CEQA document preparation and/or peer review, public hearings, staff report preparation, building permit review, information inquiries, and code enforcement/compliance inspections. Harris staff have also served in a mentor role for lower level staff to provide training and assist in implementation of a permit streamlining, updating the recently acquired electronic permitting system.

Harris has also been instrumental in assisting the City with the clean-up of various permits which had become stagnant and/or controversial. Immediately upon reporting to the City, Harris was able to quickly review a Conditional Use Permit proposing mixed-use development (retail/residential) and restoration of a key historic structure within the downtown of San Juan Bautista. Through the process, Harris staff worked with the developer, City staff, and concerned stakeholders to quickly obtain project revisions, historic analysis/reports, perform a CEQA analysis, and move the project to hearing, ensuring compliance with the Secretary of the Interior Standards for rehabilitation/restoration of a historic structure.

Harris staff received several commendations from the City for maintaining a superior level of review, quick processing, leading various applicant and stakeholder meetings, and providing a high level of public hearing presentation(s) via Zoom, Ring Central, Skype and other electronic platforms.

Harris has also assisted the City with grant applications (LEAP, SB-2) and is actively assisting with regulatory updates, including potential Zoning Ordinance Amendments, General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan Amendments/Updates, Sphere of Influence, and Urban Growth Boundary implementation.