Adams County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Colorado, experiencing rapid development and ambitious projects like the Colorado Air and Space Port.
With approximately 3,000 to 4,000 building permits processed annually, the county faced significant challenges in efficiently managing its plan review process. In 2022, Adams County implemented Avolve’s ProjectDox to streamline their operations and improve service delivery.
Adams County Struggled with Manual Processes and Communication Gaps
Before transitioning to Avolve Adams County faced numerous challenges with their plan review process, which hindered efficiency and service delivery. The existing system had limitations that caused frustration for staff and applicants alike.
“Previously, it was very time-consuming for staff to facilitate the process, communicate with customers, and manage documents,” said Kevin Mills, One-Stop Customer Center Supervisor at Adams County.
Lack of automated notifications was a particular pain point for Adams County; Applicants often weren’t aware when their plans were ready for revision after comments had been made, and on the agency side, the County relied on customers to alert them after resubmitting.
“Applicants had to either give us a phone call or shoot us an email to let us know they’d resubmitted. That was inefficient and kind of crazy considering we process 3,000-4,000 permits a year,” said Mills.
This manual document management and cumbersome resubmittal processes meant applications could get lost, misplaced, or forgotten, which ultimately penalized applicants who would then have to re-apply.
Mills explained, “Sometimes these permits would go 4-5, even 6 months without any kind of responses. Permits expire after 180 days, and if applicants hadn’t responded, they would be liable for the permit expiring.”
These inefficiencies were taking place against the backdrop of rapid growth in Adams County, with large commercial projects and new residential developments creating increased pressure on those involved in the review of permits.
As a citizen-centric community, Adams County knew they needed a better way in order to ensure a more hospitable environment for applicants.
“We wanted to find a solution for our developers, and especially our homeowners and taxpayers,” said Mills.
Adams County Implements ProjectDox for More Fluid Application Process Management
Adams County considered several electronic plan review solutions, focusing on features, costs, and implementation timelines.
The County had clear criteria in mind; they needed a system that could seamlessly integrate with their existing permitting platform, handle large uploads, and improve communication between agency staff and applicants.
Crucially, they also looked for a solution that allowed for more efficient resubmittal management.
During their evaluation, ProjectDox stood out. “When we were looking into ProjectDox, we liked its real-time comment response,” Mills said. “Uploads were fast and easy, and it simplified the process application management and felt more user-friendly and fluid integrating with Accela and ACA on our citizen side for the portals.”
The cloud-based nature of ProjectDox solved the file size limitations the County had been grappling with. Its robust notification system promised to keep both staff and applicants informed about document uploads and review status, addressing one of their major pain points.
Avolve Brings Enhanced Efficiency, Transparency, and Collaboration
ProjectDox has transformed Adams County’s plan review process, delivering marked improvements in efficiency, transparency, and overall customer satisfaction.
Notably, ProjectDox has drastically reduced review times.
“At the end of the year, our chief building official came to us and said the average review time for us was around three-and-a-half days, which was incredible given we have just three plans examiners.” Kevin Mills, One Stop Supervisor, Adams County
Thanks to ProjectDox’s notification features and comment response functionality, Adams County has significantly improved communication between staff and applicants.
ProjectDox has also enhanced transparency, and applicants can now easily track the status of their projects, reducing frustration and increasing satisfaction.
“Customers have more transparency, which helps the overall time frame. Everything is centralized in one location,” Mills noted.
The ability to reassign tasks and reopen reviews has improved collaboration between different departments, streamlining workflows.
“Having that ability to communicate within the department, leave comments and collaborate through discussions internally has allowed us to better communicate with each other,” Mills said.
Avolve Provides Stable Support for Adams County’s Growth
Implementing ProjectDox has not only modernized plan review for Adams County but created a more stable foundation for the County’s ongoing development projects.
As Adams County continues to grow and attract major projects like the Colorado Air and Space Port, the efficiency and transparency provided by ProjectDox will play a crucial role in managing the increased volume and complexity of permit applications.
Mills enthusiastically recommends ProjectDox to other jurisdictions. “I would absolutely recommend it. Everything about it has been phenomenal,” he said.