Case Study: Enhancing Plan Approval Efficiency in Mooresville, NC with Building Sense AI

Introduction

In high-growth cities like Mooresville, NC, the increasing demand for urban development presents significant challenges for city planning departments. These departments often struggle with limited staffing and the extensive requirements of reviewing detailed development plans in compliance with complex Unified Development Ordinances (UDO). Delays in plan approvals, often extending up to 90 days, exacerbate these challenges, leading to increased costs and project delays. Building Sense, a SaaS platform designed for AEC companies, introduces an AI-driven solution to streamline the plan review process, ensuring submissions are compliant before reaching city planners.

Challenge

Mooresville's rapid growth has heightened the need for efficient city planning. The local government faces pressures to expedite the development process while ensuring compliance with a UDO document that spans over 600 pages. The shortage of skilled city planners compounds these issues, as the existing staff must navigate the complexities of multiple high-volume plan submissions, leading to significant approval delays.

Building Sense's AI Solution

Building Sense offers a proactive approach by integrating AI technology to pre-screen and review concept and proposed plans against the UDO requirements before they are submitted to city planners. This section explores how the AI-enhanced review process benefits both the city planners and developers.

Pre-Submission Compliance Checks:

1. Building Sense AI analyzes the plans to ensure all required items are included and meet the UDO’s stipulations. This pre-check identifies potential compliance issues that can be addressed prior to official submission, reducing the burden on city staff and increasing the likelihood of first-time approval.

Efficient UDO Navigation:

1. The AI technology is equipped to navigate and reference specific sections of the UDO quickly and accurately, significantly reducing the time city planners would need to cross-reference and verify each submission manually.

Real-Time Feedback to Developers:

1. Developers receive immediate feedback from the Building Sense platform, allowing them to make necessary adjustments before formally submitting their plans. This process minimizes the typical back-and-forth communication with city planning departments and accelerates the pre-approval phase.

Impact in Mooresville

The introduction of Building Sense’s AI platform in Mooresville has led to measurable improvements in the plan approval process:

Reduction in Approval Times:

• Early detection and correction of compliance issues have decreased average approval times, with a significant reduction in plans being deferred for corrections.

Increased Planner Productivity:

• City planners can focus more on strategic planning and less on administrative review tasks, optimizing resource allocation within the department.

Enhanced Developer Satisfaction:

• Developers in Mooresville experience fewer delays, reduced costs, and a more predictable project timeline, contributing to a more favorable business environment.

Building Sense’s AI-driven platform exemplifies how technology can alleviate the pressures on urban development systems in fast-growing cities. By ensuring that plan submissions are compliant before they reach city planners, the platform not only streamlines the approval process but also enhances the overall efficiency of urban development projects. As Mooresville continues to grow, the integration of such technologies will be crucial in shaping a more efficient and responsive city planning framework.