By Scott Sherman

The city of San Diego recently announced the launch of a new online tool called “OpenCounter.” The new web portal can be found on the website business.sandiego.gov and changes what was once a daunting permitting process to a simplified process showing business owners where they can locate a business, and what permits they will need to open. Running a business is hard enough and this online tool makes it easier for small business owners to succeed.

The new site offers residents a customized guide for a wide range of business uses. The website streamlines the city’s zoning and land-use permitting process into a simple series of questions for the business owner to answer.

By moving the process online, innovators and entrepreneurs can access information 24 hours a day instead of scheduling time to call during business hours or spending time at a bureaucratic office.

San Diego is the latest city to use the OpenCounter platform. OpenCounter helps municipalities coordinate internal workflows and provide better service to the citizens that they serve. For more information about the new business-friendly portal, please visit the new website at business.sandiego.gov.

Our city’s strong economy, diverse population, great educational institutions, unsurpassed quality of life, and world-renowned location makes it the ideal place to start, locate, and expand a business. This new business portal is a great step to begin the journey of business ownership.

—Councilmember Scott Sherman represents the neighborhoods of Mission Valley, Allied Gardens, Grantville, San Carlos and Del Cerro on the San Diego City Council. Reach him at scottsherman@sandiego.gov or 619-236-6677.