New features now available in Portland’s electronic plan review system

News Article
Woman looks at building plans on a computer screen while on the phone.
The City of Portland upgraded its ProjectDox platform for electronic review of development plans, providing easier ways for customers to upload documents and respond to comments.
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The Bureau of Development Services is taking another step in its efforts to improve electronic plan review services through the upgrade of its ProjectDox software. As of Monday, May 17, the program provides many features that make the system more intuitive and efficient. This will help streamline the review and issuance of various types of permits.

This software upgrade provides customers with easier ways to upload files and plans, respond to comments from City permit technicians and plan reviewers, and provide updates. All comments on a permit’s plans are available in one place to better track progress towards a permit’s issuance. Newly integrated step-by-step instructions and training videos provide easy-to-follow customer guidance.

“This upgrade is an important step in our efforts to continuously improve the systems we use to interact with our customers,” said Rebecca Esau, director of the Bureau of Development Services. “The City of Portland will continue to improve the electronic plan review system as an option many customers find convenient and efficient, saving paper, reducing printing costs, and eliminating the travel and time required to drop off and pick up paper plans.”

“ProjectDox has always worked very smoothly for our projects,” said Libby Holah, principal of Holah Design + Architecture LLC. “Having the ability to submit, receive feedback on, and update our plans at any time enables us to manage projects more quickly and more efficiently. It saves us time, money and paper.”

“Making it easier to submit and update plans electronically helps us better serve our clients,” said Suzannah Stanley, land use planner and senior associate at Mackenzie, an architecture and engineering design services firm. “We appreciate the City of Portland’s continued efforts to enhance the online plan review process and look forward to using the updated service.”

Regular users of ProjectDox, upon their first login to the upgraded system, will need to clear their internet browser’s cache to enable the upgrade to work properly. More information on how to do this is available here.

You can learn more about how to submit plans electronically and the plan review process here. Updated videos on how to use ProjectDox are available here.