Oakland, CA (press release) – The City of Oakland is proud to announce its latest digital service simply called Planning and Building Documents. The digital inbox allows users to upload large files that would otherwise be too big to send via email. This new digital service is accessible via the City’s OAK APPS portal. To access the application the resident must be an existing OAK APPS user or can become a user by registering as either an individual or commercial resident. Users can upload information like site plans, photos, videos, and any document needed for planning and building projects, follow-up with code enforcement, and application processing.
“This is a big step for the City as we move to digitize more of our customer and community services”, notes the City’s Chief Information Officer, Andrew Peterson. “The ability to access and submit information without having to come to City offices in person can prove easier and more efficient for our community of users. This is just one of the steps the City is taking to improve the efficiency of building permitting process.”
Planning and Building Department Director, Bill Gilchrist noted the impact this new service has on his department, “This is a big step forward for us as many of our regular clients often have several large documents to submit at once. This new digital service allows them to do so at their convenience. It also gives our staff the ability to track and respond to submissions with greater ease. We’re encouraging all of our clients to use this new service.”
In addition to the new Planning and Building Documents digital inbox service, the City is excited to highlight a suite of ongoing efforts to digitize systems and services for public access. These include:
Open Disclosure – the Ethics Commission California Public Records Act (CPRA) app. Access Oak Apps page here: https://apps.oaklandca.gov/
Website launch – the City’s Digital Service Team launched Oaklandca.gov in April. The team continues to scale digital service-delivery and user-focused design across the entire City. Visit https://www.oaklandca.gov/ and see what’s new.