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Project Management Services

INFORMATION BULLETIN
701
April 2025

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IN THIS BULLETIN:

Overview 

The Development Services Department (DSD) provides project management services to help customers navigate the regulatory and approval process for land development in the City of San Diego by delivering consistent, transparent, and effective customer service. 

Several divisions within DSD perform project management. The Urban Innovation Division manages various Downtown projects. The Telecom and Utilities Division manages Wireless Communication Facilities (WCF) projects. Historically, DSD provided management for discretionary permits and related approvals, most of which require Public Hearings, Meetings and Notices. In the past several years, DSD began offering management for ministerial projects, mostly complex ministerial (“by right”) construction, engineering/grading permits, and mapping approvals. In 2024, DSD established the Project Management Division (PMD) to consolidate these discretionary and ministerial project management functions, and PMD is now responsible for most of the department’s project management services. 

The establishment of PMD represents a strategic investment in enhancing the permitting capabilities of DSD. Consolidating the staff teams and providing project management services under a single work program enhances PMD’s ability to provide more focused support to customers throughout the entitlement process, from the earliest design concept to the end of construction and inspection. 

Your Development Project Manager (DPM)

Development Project Managers (DPM's) function as the team leads in providing DSD’s project management services, helping keep the reviews timely, predictable, coordinated, and ensuring your project gets to a decision point, public hearing or permit action to bring the project to completion. 

With expertise in one or more of the City's major land development processes – permitting, land use entitlements, public improvements, and inspection - DPMs facilitate the applicant and City staff working together as a team to ensure projects are processed in a coordinated and timely manner, in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.

Proactively engaging in project issue resolution early in the review process, coordinating project schedule components, and facilitating communication between the review team and customers supports efficiency, transparency, and predictability in the development review process.

What Your DPM Will Do 

  • Serve as your single point of contact - someone who will communicate with you throughout the process and to whom you can reach out for assistance.
  • Connect you with appropriate City staff to answer your questions and help you understand City requirements.
  • Provide a clear "road map" through required reviews and City processes.
  • Highlight significant issues and assist in resolving code conflicts early in the process.

  • Ensure timely and predictable reviews to keep your project on schedule.

  • Develop and monitor a project schedule to maintain progress.
  • Guide your project to a decision point (public hearing, redesign, or permit approval).

What Your DPM Cannot Do  

  • Your DPM cannot serve as your project designer, act as an advocate for your project, make technical decisions on your behalf, change City codes or regulations, or always provide the answer you want.

Project Management Services - Ministerial 

A ministerial permit, also known as a “by right” permit, is granted based on the determination that the proposed project complies with established standards and criteria set forth by local and state law. The Development Services Director, City Engineer, or his/her designees arrive at these determinations objectively. A ministerial permit does not include discretionary review, i.e., it is not open to personal interpretation or preference. Additionally, such projects do not require environmental analysis (CEQA) or public hearings. 

A DPM may be assigned to complex ministerial permit projects that include multi-disciplinary Preliminary Reviews, and certain types of Building Permits, Grading Permits, Right-of-Way Permits and Mapping Actions, or when an applicant requests a customized review or approval process, including the following programs: 

Project Management Services - Discretionary

A DPM will be assigned following a project application for the following types of discretionary land use entitlements and related approvals: 

Development Project Manager Role - FAQs

Development Project Manager: Keeping Your Project Review Timely, Predictable and Cost-effective
The Development Project Manager (DPM) is one of the key features of the City of San Diego's development-review processing system. Not an advocate for your project, but someone you can always contact in the City to find out your review's progress, to ensure disputes between codes and regulations are settled, and to keep your project on a predictable review schedule. Up-front in the project review, the DPM will give you a "road map" of all the reviews you'll need and will stay engaged through the process to ensure your project gets to a decision point, public hearing, or permit action. 

 

What is the role of the DPM?  

The DPM ensures timely reviews, a predictable review process, and a decision point for your project, whether it be a public hearing, redesign or construction permit issuance. The DPM does this by facilitating communication amongst the review team and developing and monitoring a schedule for both staff reviews and you, the customer.

In addition, the DPM serves as your single point of contact - you can call the DPM at any time. You can still call any member of your review team directly - they'll still have to answer questions concerning plan review on specific items such as Uniform Building Code, environmental, zoning or public improvement requirements - but the DPM is always there to handle complex issues and the comprehensive review. 

How do I know if my project is eligible for a DPM?

After the project application is submitted, DSD staff will assign a DPM to all requests for preliminary reviews and discretionary permits. DSD may assign to a request for a ministerial permit. Typically, an applicant must request this service prior to project submittal: 

Will the DPM make sure I can build my project?

No, but he or she will make sure you get to a clear decision point. The DPM is not an advocate for your project, and cannot design it for you. He or she will make sure you fully understand what City requirements are. For example, your property may not be able to handle the project you've proposed, due to environmental, hillside slope, fire regulations, height limits or other regulations. The DPM will make sure you understand this in a timely fashion. He or she will also ensure that issues are identified early in the process, so we can suggest ways to modify your project to comply with regulations. 

 Does this mean I can't call my plan checker individually?

The customer can contact the reviewers directly for information about or a clarification of an individual reviewer's comments. Each specialist, from plumbing and mechanical to grading and environmental, is a member of the project review team. The DPM needs to be included in any discussions that involve multiple technical disciplines or are resolving conflicting project-design issues, such as when a redesign of a portion of the project is needed or involves competing code requirements.

 What do I do if I don't agree with a DPM's decision?

The DPM doesn't make technical decisions; rather, he or she ensures that the code specialists work out an interpretation that provides you with a viable option. It's then up to you to decide whether to proceed. If an issue arises with your project with which you don't agree, the DPM is your contact to get the problem resolved. DSD offers Project Issue Resolution Conferences and Second Opinion Guarantee should conflicts arise. Just notify the DPM, and he or she will take up your concerns with the appropriate staff level, up to and including the Development Services Director. The DPM, however, will coordinate issue resolution to ensure that you get to a decision point. 

Who's the DPM working for, me or the City?

Remember, the DPM is there to ensure your project review proceeds in a timely and predictable fashion. We can't always give you the answer you want – the City's codes and regulations don't allow everything. So, the answer may be, "No, you can't build that, and here’s the reason why..." so you are informed and can evaluate options as to what you can build.

 What types of projects are managed?

DPMs assist with multi-disciplinary Preliminary Reviews, Discretionary Permits, and certain types of Building Permits, Grading Permits, Right-of-Way Permits and Mapping Actions.   

 What special programs are managed by DPMs?

Tailored permit processing programs have been established for the following: 

What types of Building Permits are managed?

DPMs are assigned to manage the following types of Building Permit projects:  

  1. Affordable Housing Permit Now 

  2. Complete Communities Now 

  3. Life Science Industry Accelerator 

  4. Small Business and Restaurant Assistance 

  5. City Capital Improvement Projects
  6. Outside Government Agency Projects
  7. Tall Building Peer Review Process
  8. Factory Built Housing
  9. Partial Permits
  10. Phased Projects

What types of Grading Permits, Right-of-Way Permits, and Mapping Actions are managed?

DPMs are assigned to manage the following types of projects:   

  1. Affordable Housing Permit Now 

  2. Complete Communities Now 

  3. Life Science Industry Accelerator 

  4. Small Business and Restaurant Assistance 

  5. City Initiated Mapping Actions 

  6. Outside Government Agency Projects 

  7. Projects Implementing a Discretionary Permit 

  8. Wireless Communication Facilities 

Are there fees for project management?

Project management for ministerial applications is charged hourly in accordance with Information Bulletin 501 and Information Bulletin 502. Project management for discretionary applications is included within the required plan review fees/deposit account requirements in accordance with Information Bulletin 503.