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Baltimore, MD—The Baltimore City Council’s Committee on Housing and Economic Development, chaired by Councilmember James Torrence, will hold an oversight hearing on permitting reform on Tuesday March 11, 2025. The Committee meeting will begin at 4:30 PM.

Baltimore City’s current permitting process is inefficient, understaffed and difficult for residents and builders to navigate. This has created a crisis leading to significant cost overruns and preventing homeowners and business founders from realizing their projects on time, or at all.

Last week, the City of Baltimore announced the BMore F.A.S.T. program, designed to address the systemic challenges in the City’s permitting process and implement badly needed reforms. The Committee hearing will explore the potential of BMore F.A.S.T. to unlock our permitting process, as well as: 

  • Identifying how quickly BMore F.A.S.T. can meet the promise of its name and produce tangible improvements in development approval processes.
  • The specific pressure points and barriers that are currently causing delays in development approvals and unnecessarily increasing costs, as well as potential solutions, such as expediting the Baltimore City Fire Department’s plan review and inspection processes.   
  • Operational challenges that need to be resolved to ensure the City’s new E-Permits system can fully leverage its capabilities. 

About the Hearing: 

Who: Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen, the Baltimore City Council’s Committee on Housing and Economic Development, members of the Department of Housing and Community Development, members of the Baltimore City Fire Department, invited witnesses (list below)
What: An informational hearing to discuss reforming Baltimore City’s permitting process.  
When: Tuesday March 11th, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Where: Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday Street, City Council Chambers 

 A livestream of the hearing will be provided on CharmTV. 

 

Invited Witnesses: 

Justin Williams
Deputy Mayor for Community & Economic Development
City of Baltimore 

Alice Kennedy
Commissioner
Department of Housing & Community Development
City of Baltimore 

James W. Wallace
Chief of Fire Department
Baltimore City Fire Department
City of Baltimore