Chesterfield County’s Community Development division, which includes Planning & Zoning, operated on an aging mainframe system for years. When Kuzhal Sundar joined the Planning Department as Information Manager in 2001, efforts were already underway to modernize building inspection systems.
The county initially worked with Computronix, but due to the complexity and high costs, only 30% of Planning’s applications were migrated. As a workaround, Chesterfield developed an in-house solution, CDIS, to handle zoning applications online. However, this resulted in a fragmented system, limiting collaboration and increasing maintenance costs.
After nearly a decade of working with multiple disconnected platforms, Chesterfield sought a comprehensive solution. In 2019, the county selected Accela to consolidate its systems and streamline community development processes.
A Digital Transformation with Accela
The transition to Accela was timely, but unforeseen challenges arose when the COVID-19 pandemic forced government offices to close. At that point, Chesterfield was still operating entirely on paper-based processes. To maintain continuity, the county swiftly developed an interim module, eReview, allowing online document submissions via the Accela Citizen Access portal. The success of eReview was so profound that it remains in use today with continuous enhancements.
Additionally, Chesterfield integrated DigEplan to improve digital plan reviews. Automated workflows within Accela now notify departments and applicants of task updates, and staff comments are compiled into a single review document, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
The results were transformative. Today, 95% of documents are processed electronically, leading to significant efficiency gains.
“Accela helped us identify bottlenecks in our processes. That was very helpful for us, the leadership, and the developers to know where things were getting stuck and to begin to figure out how to correct it. We could look at every step along the way,” said Kuzhal Sundar.
The shift to Accela improved efficiency and enhanced the citizen experience. With improved transparency, staff can now publish critical data, such as housing pipeline statistics, directly on the county’s website, reducing the number of inquiries about ongoing projects. Additionally, faster processing times have led to quicker application turnarounds, benefiting staff and the public.
An Enterprise-Wide Approach for Success
Today, five departments operate within a unified Accela system: Community Development, Building Inspections, Environmental Engineering, Planning, and Utilities. This centralized approach allows for both department-specific functions and seamless cross-departmental collaboration. Through the Accela Citizen Access (ACA) portal, citizens and businesses can easily access essential services, including:
- Building inspections
- Compliance, zoning, and code enforcement concerns
- Environmental project applications
- Variance requests, historical preservation, and site plans
- Utility service connections
Accela has improved interdepartmental cooperation by streamlining workflows. For example, Environmental Engineering plays a role in land management when new septic systems are needed for building projects. Similarly, during building permit application reviews, departments like Fire, Environmental Engineering, and Planning can all provide input within a shared record, ensuring thorough and efficient evaluations.
“Everything we do has some aspect of cross-departmental collaboration and anything that we can automate, we like to automate,” said Kuzhal Sundar.
Looking Ahead
As Chesterfield County continues to evolve, the focus remains on delivering a seamless and efficient experience for its citizens. By leveraging Accela’s capabilities and fostering cross-departmental collaboration, the county is well-positioned for sustained innovation and service improvements.
Through this digital transformation, Chesterfield County has modernized its community development operations and set a strong foundation for future growth, ensuring that government services remain accessible, efficient, and transparent for all citizens.
