City of San José
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68℉PBCE Awards
SEPTEMBER 2020
Planning Division wins APA California 2020 Award of Excellence in Urban Design
The San José Planning Division has been honored by the California State and Northern California Chapter of the American Planning Association with the 2020 Award of Excellence in the Urban Design category for its creation of the San José Downtown Guidelines and Standards (DGS). The award recognizes the excellence of the DGS for format, usability, and content.
The DGS provides a consistent framework and clear, aesthetic graphics that set forth expectations for site and building design in the Downtown area. It is primarily used by architects and project applicants as well as the staff and decision-makers who review proposed developments. The document includes interactive features and jump links that enable users to quickly navigate the 109-page document.
The project team that created the DGS includes project manager Leila Hakimizadeh and Division Manager Timothy Rood of the Planning Division, and John Beutler and Ellen Lou of consultant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
View the September 16, 2021 awards ceremony YouTube video.
APRIL 2018
San José Wins CALBO’s 2017-2018 Building Department of the Year
California Building Officials (CALBO) honored the San José Building Division and its development services partners with the 2017-2018 Building Department of the Year award. CALBO officials noted San José’s many accomplishments:
- An outreach program to promote building careers with students at local high schools and colleges.
- A trilingual Small Business Ally team to help businesses succeed with permits.
- A multi-agency coordinated Streamlined Restaurant Program, saving small restaurants many weeks of time in the permit process.
- A time- and cost-saving Over-the-Counter permit program for homeowners.
- A time- and cost-saving combination inspection program for multifamily buildings.
- A highly successful Special Tenant Improvement program in which all plan review staff coordinate on major building improvements proposed by businesses.
The division's goal is to deliver the best service possible for its many types of customers. Staff from the Building Division who accepted the award: (left to right) Lisa Joiner, Marc Garcia, Chu Chang, Bill Mayne, and John Chiang.
April 2018
Planning Division wins American Planning Association’s Silver Achievement Award for Public Outreach Silver Achievement Award
The Planning Division’s video tutorial, Designing an Addition to Your Single-Family Residence, won the prestigious “Silver National Achievement Award for Public Outreach” from the national American Planning Association.
Planner Aparna Ankola, center, attended the April 23, 2018 ceremony in New Orleans to accept the award. This is the third award bestowed to this video tutorial, which guides homeowners through the process of planning an addition to their home.
September 2017
ICC Community Service Award
The Building Division frequently holds open houses, workshops, and training sessions to educate its customers about permitting for home improvements, the changing building codes, and the permitting process. In 2016, staff of the division conducted more than 220,000 inspections; processed more than 17,000 plan reviews; and issued approximately 37,000 permits. ICC officials noted the excellent customer service delivered to this high volume of customers, going beyond the daily business of issuing permits and extending to promoting public health, safety, and welfare in the San José community.