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location that is evaluated by the potential bakery owner, involving iterative discussions <br /> between the prospective bakery owner and Planning staff. OpenCounter will create a <br /> one-stop, digitized tool for an individual seeking to locate a bakery (or any other <br /> business). Once the individual registers and inputs the parameters of his/her business <br /> (e.g., size, number of employees, hours of operation, etc.) s/he will be able to identify all <br /> of the locations in the City where that land use/business is permitted "by right" or <br /> conditionally permitted. <br /> OpenCounter would save business owners the time and expense of having to travel to <br /> the City's Permit Center to navigate paper or digital copies of zoning regulations. It <br /> would also allow staff to work with applicants on refining their site/business plans to <br /> better conform to zoning and community standards, instead of simply identifying <br /> appropriate locations for businesses. <br /> In addition, OpenCounter will generate useful economic development and planning data <br /> that can be used by the City to make existing policies more effective and responsive to <br /> development trends (e.g., a trend showing a desire to open up bakeries in a specific <br /> location could prompt the City to change the development regulations in that area to <br /> encourage the relocation and expansion of more complementary businesses). The <br /> program also collects information about which shopping centers/areas of the City have <br /> the most permitting activity, what kinds of businesses are being created (and the <br /> numbers of jobs being created) and the average cost and time frames for a particular <br /> entitlement process, which are valuable for the evaluation and expansion of economic <br /> development strategies. <br /> OpenCounter's web-based system will be configured using City ordinance criteria and <br /> will provide a user-friendly interface to work through an online questionnaire to <br /> determine appropriate zoning requirements. A video demonstration of the design and <br /> flow of OpenCounter can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/opencounter/pleasanton. In <br /> addition, periodic updates to the software will be undertaken to ensure that it <br /> incorporates zoning ordinance amendments. OpenCounter will also be integrated with <br /> the City's existing permitting software, Accela, to allow for data transfer between the two <br /> systems. <br /> Staff has researched other alternatives to OpenCounter and believes that OpenCounter <br /> offers the most effective and user-friendly platform for helping the public navigate <br /> zoning information, and that also integrates well with the City's existing permitting <br /> software. OpenCounter has been deployed successfully in cities across the United <br /> States, including Boston, MA; Indianapolis, IN; Denten, TX; Salinas, CA; Fremont, CA; <br /> Los Gatos, CA; Seaside, CA; Pacific Grove, CA; Truckee, CA; and Santa Cruz, CA. <br /> Pleasanton staff contacted staff at some of these cities who indicated their communities <br /> benefited from launching OpenCounter by making it easier for business owners to <br /> navigate zoning and permitting rules. <br /> Page 3 of 4 <br />