The City’s new Tenant Improvement Fast Tracking Program (TIPP-FAST) is designed to streamline the review of tenant improvement (TI) projects. The program is part of the City’s 2020-21 meta goal for economic stability, recovery and resiliency. Initially designed to assist business and property owners with timely reopening and needed modifications to business operations in response to COVID-19, the TIPP-FAST program is available to all qualifying TI projects. A City staff team including representatives from Building, Planning, Utilities, Fire, Engineering, and Public Works is ready to assist with implementation of this program.
The City has proactively implemented this program to support economic recovery as the County continues to reopen various business sectors. The City wants to ensure that new businesses getting ready to open can do so, as quickly and safely as possible. By assigning these TI permits to staff as a priority, and making the processing timeframe just one week, the City will play an important role in economic development benefitting the whole community.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made tenanting commercial space more difficult. We appreciate the efforts made by the City of San Luis Obispo to fast track the permit process for new businesses in the City,” said Matt Quaglino, owner of Quaglino Properties. “We used TIPP-FAST to replace Pete’s Coffee on Higuera with the new Teazzers World Tea Market, and with a one-week turnaround on the plan check, that project is moving forward on time.”
What projects qualify for TIPP-FAST?
Nearly all tenant improvement projects within existing buildings that do not include structural modifications or changes in use that require infrastructure capacity review will qualify. A qualified tenant improvement project is one that already has all of its entitlements for the building and the proposed use (i.e. no additional planning approvals are required). Projects located within the Flood Zone may also qualify but will need to show compliance with the Floodplain Management Regulations. The TIPP-FAST submittal requires a typical complete set of plans with all design work shown. Learn more about submittal requirements here.
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