In July 2024, the City of Vacaville engaged consultant Baker Tilly to conduct a comprehensive review of its development review process. The development review process encompasses all activities in the City of Vacaville that involve obtaining City approval to make changes to the built environment, i.e. building permits, planning entitlements, encroachment permits, public improvement plans, and subdivisions.

The project focused on identifying opportunities for process improvement, enhancing customer service, and streamlining operations pertaining to development review. The review was focused on the Community Development, Public Works, and Fire departments and other City departments that also participate in the process such as Parks & Recreation and Utilities. Workload, organization, and procedures were analyzed.

The overarching goal of the initiative is to foster a more efficient and user-friendly experience for both staff and the public. The Final Report is available for reference.

The Plan Check Express program, launched on August 19, 2025, offers expedited plan review for eligible commercial and residential projects, helping streamline the permit process and keep projects moving forward. Plan Check Express includes:

• TI Tuesday – exclusively for commercial tenant improvement projects, conducted online only.
• Residential Wednesday – for residential projects, offering both online and in-person appointment options.

This program is designed for customer convenience and efficiency, providing faster turnaround times through scheduled over-the-counter or online reviews for qualifying permits. The service can also be used for customers seeking code advice. To date, 23 appointments have been facilitated and many have resulted in issued permits. Action Item #1 is considered complete and the program will be further refined based on customer feedback and staff observations.

All other items due by October 30, 2025 have been launched and are on schedule. Work has also commenced on longer-term items. Notable work on action items includes:

Action Item 2: Launch etrakit and electronic plan check for Building permit submittals.  etrakit was launched in May 2025 for Community Development permitting services and will be further built out by December 30, 2025. This action item is considered complete, because the system is functional and the City no longer requires paper plans for Building permit submittals, but it will be further enhanced in the short time ahead.

Action Item 3a: Application Completeness Phase 1. Existing checklists with edits are under review in preparation for a final round of internal review ahead of Phase 2, where customer feedback on completeness checklists will be elicited and incorporated. The team is on track to meet the October deadline.

Action Item 4: Processing Timeframes & Uniform Plan Review Times. Work on this item kicked-off in early September, and was followed by meetings with each department to delegate tasks and identify individual action items. Next steps include reviewing timelines provided by staff members, creating a matrix, and building consensus. The team is on track to meet the October deadline.

Action Item 6: Implement development permitting fees and calculations within the etrakit system. Calculate fees in advance of permit approval. City staff met with Central Square and Client First to pursue the most cost effective and efficient way to accomplish this action item. A contract has been executed with Client First and a fee calculation tool will be made available to the public in December 2025.