It is the most persistent complaint of developers and corporations looking to build or expand in Massachusetts: Permitting takes too long, regulatory hurdles are too onerous and ultimately, prohibitively expensive. For decades, the rap has been that too many communities and municipalities within the commonwealth are not “business friendly.”

There is an answer for cities and towns that are looking for economic development in the face of private sector skepticism: After one full year as a Chapter 43D: Expedited Permitting community, Framingham is seeing increased enthusiasm from property owners, developers and builders, with new construction and redevelopment projects helping to create more jobs and drive additional tax revenue. In addition to these very real benefits, expedited permitting has also helped the town become more efficient overall in its permitting process. Furthermore, expedited permitting has demonstrated that the town is willing to take creative, substantive steps to attract and retain businesses.

In recent years, Framingham has come to understand the importance of working with the business community to encourage new investment. With assistance from the Metrowest Chamber of Commerce and Northeastern University’s Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy, the town completed the Economic Development Self-Assessment (EDSAT) in 2012. The EDSAT helped town leaders and the business community to better understand the areas the town does well and where the town can improve. One clear opportunity the EDSAT identified was the need to improve the timeliness and consistency of the town’s permitting process.

In 2013, in an effort to change a dated perception about Framingham as a non-business-friendly community, the planning board, in cooperation with the board of selectmen, sought and received approval from Town Meeting to become an expedited permitting community. As part of this process, the town gained landowner support for creating priority development sites near exits 12 and 13 on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Once the landowners opted into the program, Town Meeting voted to petition the commonwealth to become a Chapter 43D community, and the state granted that designation in the fall of 2013.

The Massachusetts legislature created Chapter 43D in 2006 to respond to concerns that lengthy permitting times were cutting into positive development opportunities in the Bay State. The statute sets a 180-day ceiling on the review and decisions on permit applications and prioritizes new investment in these districts for state assistance, through MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants, brownfields remediation, and other quasi-public financing opportunities.

Success In Framingham

So what have we seen after one year? We have seen that, in Framingham, Chapter 43D is a success.

First, Framingham has revised its permitting review process to achieve dramatic drops in permitting times. In Framingham’s Chapter 43D expedited permitting priority development site districts, the permitting of projects is far less than the 180-day maximum requirement. The new approach facilitated expedited permitting on projects related to the town’s largest employers, including The TJX Cos. and Genzyme. The TJX Cos. had purchased the land next to its headquarters, which included an old concrete batch plant, in order to expand. It was able to use the expedited permitting process for that project. Similarly, the new approach was used for Genzyme’s expansion, which was an $80-million investment on that company’s part. A third rapid permitting decision will also enable a major renovation and expansion at 15 Pleasant Street Connector, owned by Normandy Real Estate.

The expedited timetable under the statute, and the town’s underlying permitting process, has helped accelerate permitting for all projects, in and outside of the town’s priority development site districts. Having a blueprint and an administrative infrastructure for speedy approvals, and making it clear that is a priority, has helped to make permitting more efficient – and deliver clear and timely answers to business decision-makers.

Since Framingham has received the Chapter 43D designation, more than 1,200 construction jobs have been created by projects planned for the town. Even more importantly, more than 1,300 full- or part-time jobs are being created by projects that include rehabilitating a warehouse to become R&D space, construction of a new bank and expanding a five-story office building.

There is no doubt that the town’s ability to expedite its permitting across the board can be traced to designation as a Chapter 43D community. It has helped change facts on the ground and throughout the business community by improving permitting times and demonstrating the town’s focus on being a business-friendly community.

Arthur Robert is the community and economic development director for the town of Framingham. Michael Gatlin is the chair of the town of Framingham’s Economic Development and Industrial Corp.