The department will remain open for business, Zunguze said Wednesday, but over the next 90 days, managers will begin to develop clear planning standards and ensure that developers and residents who come for services know what they need to do and what the department itself is required to do.

The shake-up comes during a time when residents' frustration over Planning Department behavior has reached a crisis point.

Continuing frustrations include monster homes and garages, as well as a lack of consistency on policing new projects.

Residents also have claimed - to no avail - that the department has approved changes to historical neighborhoods without due process.

A city-commissioned performance audit and widespread discontent among members of community councils spurred Zunguze's move.

Citygate, an independent auditor, interviewed staff members, city council members, boards and commissions, community councils and the mayor.

Auditors found widespread discontent within the department and noted some projects are approved without public hearings.

Planners know the changes need to be made, said deputy director Mary DeLaMare-Schaefer.

"We have a very savvy community that considers their neighborhoods dear to their hearts," she said.

Zunguze said the reorganization will include staffing changes. Planning staffers learned of the impending shake-up Wednesday.

Community councils and historic preservation commissioners have been pushing for change for years.

"The way things are couched in staff reports give developers what they want," argues Polly Hart, chairwoman of the Capitol Hill Community Council.

Hart said residents often are denied relevant information and are not always notified before administrative decisions are rendered.

The confusion has led to an avalanche of appeals.

Mayoral hopefuls Ralph Becker and Dave Buhler have acknowledged problems in the Planning Department, which Becker said is in "shambles."

For months, community activists from the Avenues to Central City to Harvard-Yale have peppered planners with complaints about an uneven process.

"It's been going for years, and it's been getting worse," said Esther Hunter, who sits on the Historic Landmarks Commission as well as the East Central Community Council.

To fight back, 18 of the city's 21 community councils have formed a coalition to help ensure orderly development.

And now, Hunter said, she is encouraged by the probe.

"I've never seen anything like this done before in the city," she said. "It's the right thing at the right time."

Zunguze emphasizes that the city's planning process should be predictable, include clear regulations and provide fair treatment for all permit seekers. Changes will be implemented gradually over the next three months, he said.

DeLaMare-Schaefer notes that staff teams that will analyze how the office works, and how well, and report back to managers during the 90-day review.

A number of mayoral appointees in the planning realm, including Zunguze and DeLaMare-Schaefer, could lose their jobs when Mayor Rocky Anderson leaves office.

"In part I do think it's an attempt for people to keep jobs," Hart said. "But a lot of the problem stems from people who are going to have to be accused of insubordination before they are fired."

To get things started, Zunguze has asked the City Council for $1.6 million for software to give the public online access to what may be planned or proposed.

"For us, it's needed and it's needed now," he said.

"We don't want to have a new administration come in and not see some good steps in the right direction."

djensen@sltrib.com

phenetz@sltrib.com