Irvine Earns Awards for Robust Web-Based City Management
Irvine received two awards from the Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence from the League of California Cities at its Annual Conference and Expo September 22–24 in Sacramento, California.
This award-winning evacuation map kept residents informed during last year’s Silverado fire.
The awards acknowledged Irvine’s wildfire preparedness efforts. The first award put a spotlight on Irvine’s updated all-hazard evacuation map. The second recognized IrvineREADY!, the City’s web-based platform that allows planning, building, and engineering applications to be submitted online.
Irvine’s updated all-hazard evacuation map includes 116 evacuation zones for at-risk communities along the wildland open space. The evacuation map has proven crucial in helping residents manage ongoing wildfire risks, particularly with evacuations during the 2020 Silverado Fire.
Irvine’s web-based digital permit submission form allowed the city to continue operating at full speed during COVID-19.
IrvineREADY! provides residents and businesses with the opportunity to digitally submit and process planning and building applications, engineering review, and permits. In March 2020, Irvine migrated 100% of its permit and entitlement process online thanks in part to IrvineREADY!, ensuring the business continuity while keeping city staff, customers, and the design community safe during COVID-19. Nearly 3,000 customers have sought zoning approvals or building permits for 8,000 projects since IrvineREADY! launched, and more than $1.1 billion of new development and reinvestment have been processed through the system.
“I’m incredibly proud of the innovation displayed by both our Public Safety Department and Community Development Department in order to receive these prestigious Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence,” says Mayor Farrah Khan. “The city is proud to provide life-saving measures for residents during challenging times, and will continue to seek to improve the quality of life in Irvine, ensure efficient and effective delivery of services, and implement innovative solutions for our residents.”
Irvine was one of eleven cities to receive a Helen Putnam Award for Excellence. Established in 1982, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program recognizes outstanding achievements by California's 482 cities and seeks to recognize and promote the outstanding efforts and innovative solutions by city governments. Award recipients have made unique contributions to community residents and businesses that have resulted in lower costs or more effective delivery of services. For more information about awards, visit cityofirvine.org/awards.