Piedmont Planning & Zoning

I had to write this review to counter the one I just read. I have submitted countless permits at the City of Piedmont. I have found staff to be unfailingly able and willing to help, both at Planning and at Building. The planning commission is forthright and sensitive to the applicants and neighbors. I’ve not always gotten what I want, but I’m not always right, and there are neighbors to consider. In regards to fees, they exist to keep the wheels turning. In Piedmont they are neither higher nor lower than any other municipality in the Bay Area. Construction takes time, and a necessary component of the process is the review leading up to a permit. If the planners don’t review plans properly it could lead to chaotic facades and buildings. If a building department plan checker doesn’t properly vet the plans, your roof could collapse. A month for a permit is nothing. It is a minor but necessary irritant in the process of building. I have no vested interest in hyping myself up, our work is primarily elsewhere. But I will forever hold my experiences in Piedmont dear - it is a wonderful community to have lived in, and every one of it’s City employees are rock stars.