Wait times for residential permit approval have fallen by 88%, according to data shared by the city’s planning and development department Wednesday. The median wait time for approval of new commercial construction permits fell from 276 days to 189 days. The updated statistics were part of a briefing the Dallas City Council received on strategies the department has implemented since forming last summer. Kimberly Tolbert combined the planning and development departments under one roof last June as part of a 100-day action plan implemented after she assumed the interim city manager role last May. District 11 City Councilmember Jaynie Schultz said the results have been positive for the city and contractors working with the city. “It’s a transformative experience for everybody,” Schultz said. District 1 City Councilmember Chad West described the permitting office as “the heart and engine” of the city. “The permitting office and the zoning department should be the major leagues of baseball for the city,” West said. “And, I feel like part of that major league team is sitting up here today and I would not have said that a few years ago.” In 2022, builders and contractors told NBC 5 they would often wait months to receive approval for permits related to demolition, new construction or building modifications. “The merger of the departments, clearly we’re seeing some results from that,” Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis said.