Work on Streamlined Stafford Permit Center to Begin

STAFFORD, Va. — It will soon be easier to obtain residential and commercial construction permits in Stafford County.

Officials this summer plan to begin construction of a new $400,000 permit office that will be built inside the county’s government center in Stafford. When it opens later this year, the Community Development Service Center will be located in a renovated space on the first floor of the government center and will bring together the planning, public works, and zoning departments. The idea: put everyone in the same office and reduce the amount of legwork in the permitting process.

“It’s really an attempt to have a one stop shopping experience with Stafford county, to cut out some of the downtime with some different components of the process experienced now. It will be one person handling you all the way through the permit process. It’s more than just a center, it’s a new way of conducting business,” said Stafford Aquia Supervisor Paul Milde.

The Supervisor served on a committee with now retired Supervisor Harry Crisp that re-evaluated the permitting process and fee structure, and ultimately recommended the new permit office.

The center will also offer automated kiosks for those who want to come in and begin the permitting process on their own. Staff members will also be available to assist those customers as well, said county spokeswoman Cathy Vollbrecht.

Officials said the new center is part of the county’s 10-point economic plan passed in 2010, which is a document aimed at making Stafford more business friendly. The county led the state in job growth in the past five years and has the 7th highest median income in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.