HOUSTON – The city of Houston is taking steps to make it easier to issue permits to businesses.
Right now if you want to open a new business in Houston you will face a sea of red tape. Katie Koenig, a Bellaire bead shop owner says when it comes to obtaining all of the proper permits it's like a full-time job because there is no clear direction of where to go, what to do or how. She is preparing to reopen at a new location on the east side of Houston.
“It takes up all of our time,” she said. “Just running around and getting all these things done.”
She says she feels like she's just spinning her wheels.
“You can go to the same place twice and they'll tell you two different things, in some circumstances, I've had the same people tell me two different things,” Koenig said.
The city of Houston said a solution is on the way.
“Presently, you've got a number of different permits that are issued by more than ten different departments, spread out in different buildings and different floors within those buildings,” said Chris Newport, with administration and regulatory affairs.
He said that all ends in June, when the new Houston permitting center goes online.
Once it is up and running, six permitting departments, consisting of 32 divisions, will all be housed under the same roof and the city is anticipating nearly half a million transactions a year.
He said Houston is the largest city to attempt it, and it's expected to set the standard for the nation.
“Think of it as a department store for permits,” he said. “When you're ready you go to the cash register, and you make one payment for the number of different permits you've purchased.”
