Community Development

Deputy City Manager

Mike Mathews

Community Development Director

Kevin L. Maevers, AICP

Five Divisions, One Department. . .

• Planning & Zoning • Building Inspections • Business License • Real Property • Code Enforcement

The second half of 2021 saw a dramatic resurgence in activity within the city’s Community Development Department.

The increase in activity across all five divisions; Planning & Zoning, Building Inspections, Business License, Real Property, and Code Enforcement, has given the department every indication to believe that 2022 and beyond will be several years of increasing economic activity and opportunity for the residents of the City of Roswell.

Development Services Center. . .

As a response to the increased activity in the city, and to address concerns by the building & development community, the Community Development Department

is currently working toward the opening of the new

Development Services Center in early 2022. This new facility will be a “one-stop” processing and permitting center with the goal of efficient customer service.

Permit Streamlining Program. . .

House in progress of being built

To further increase the department’s ability to serve our customers, the entire division will be undergoing a series of permit streamlining measures that will include new checklists, design standards, as well as permitting procedures.

These updates will further improve customer service.

The most dramatic increases in workload and activity were seen by the Building Division.

Pent up demand for new homes and commercial buildings began to drive the permitting process forward by mid-year.

Kass Plaza in progress during late 2021 Upgrades to McDonald’s on South Main

By the end of 2021, the City of Roswell’s Building Division had issued over 2,700 different permits for all types of construction (Residential and Commercial.)

Planning & Zoning Division. . .

In addition to significant increase in processing of permits for new development, the Planning & Zoning Division also tackled

the major tasks of writing a new Cannabis Ordinance and updating the Clean Air

Act, as well as a number of smaller tasks including fee resolutions, permit streamlining documentation, and public outreach as we move into the economic recovery of 2022.

Real Property Division. . .

Working together with the Code Enforcement Division to implement the Clean and Safe Program, the Real Property Division of the City of Roswell has identified over 90 different City parcels that are now available for development. Removing these types of structures positively impacts the local community by making it cleaner, nicer looking, and safer. Once returned to the market, the potential economic impact could reach over $32,000,000.

Business License Division. . .

Our business license clerk issued nearly 1400 business licenses for 2021, including over 200 new business licenses, giving a strong indication that Roswell’s business community is not only recovering, but setting the stage for growth in 2022 and beyond.

Building Division Issued 2,700 Different Permits

Vendor 166 Home Occupation 195

Commercial 1,013

Clean & Safe Program. . .

Code Enforcement demolished 16 dilapidated structures in 2021. Since inception of the Clean and Safe program, 162 derelict and dangerous structures have been removed by the City. As part of the same program previously conducted including private participation, to date a grand total of 294 unsafe buildings have been demolished.

Business License Clerk Issued over 200 New Licenses Over 7,200 Violations Addressed

Community Enhancement. . .

Community Enhancement utilized 1,782 total man-hours assigned to the department from municipal court to complete various tasks around the community.

Trash and other debris littered around an alleyway waiting to be cleaned up by the team Code Enforcement. . .

Newly developed lot cleared of any debris

Cases Filed Cases Dismissed

without permit