In an effort to guide future growth, a number of local towns are redoing their building codes, streamlining development processes and using technology to make applications more efficient.

Apex has launched an electronic plan review system, which allows developers to file their applications online and track changes and updates. Morrisville and Fuquay-Varina are trying to amend development laws to make it easier to build mixed-use communities.

For developers, this means a smoother path from site plan submission to construction approval, and for property owners, these code changes could mean improved appearance and changes to property uses, town planning officials said.

Towns had to move quickly during the housing and commercial boom years ago. Now during the economic lull, they are taking the time to make revisions to ensure growth and redevelopment reflects their vision.

Developer Terry Poythress, of Poythress Homes Inc., works on projects in Apex and Morrisville. He said the towns' efforts to improve the development process were a good thing. One of the biggest issues he faces is inconsistency with requirements.

"I think it's a move in the right direction," Poythress said of the changes. "It sounds like they are beginning to listen to developers."

Apex has already started its initiative to improve customer service. Nine months ago, the town informally surveyed members of the building community for feedback, according to Apex spokeswoman Stacie Galloway.

Forty-one percent said the town's development review time was faster than other municipalities and 28 percent said Apex was slower, according to the online survey results.

The next step is a development workshop Thursday to answer construction contractors' questions about the new electronic plan review and talk about issues facing the development community.

"We thought an open house-style workshop for the development community would be a great way to give folks the opportunity to meet with us in a low-key kind of environment, not tied to any specific project," Apex Planning Director Dianne Khin wrote in a statement.

Future improvements planned for the development process include a dedicated page on the town's website where all development-related documents and links can be found, according to the town.

Morrisville hired Clarion Associates, which has worked with Raleigh and Cary, to review their codes and application procedures to look for improvement areas.

Recommendations included streamlining the application procedures, which builders view as unnecessarily cumbersome, said Matt Goebel, with Clarion Associates.

"A lot of people talked about the 'Morrisville premium.' It is more expensive to bring a project through to completion in Morrisville because of the level of uncertainty overall in the process. It's kind of an eye-raising comment but we did hear it a number of times," he told the council at a recent meeting.

He recommended offering developers two separate review tracks for projects, including one that would allow smaller, less complex projects to move through quicker. Other recommendations included allowing staff to give slight variances, requiring public hearings only for major developments and establishing new activity center districts.

Morrisville is working to put its land-use plan into law. With a tight budget, the town is deciding whether to pay to an outside consultant to write the ordinance or save money by giving it to the staff, which could take longer.

Morrisville Councilman Steve Diehl said he would like to see the work done sooner rather than later.

"I would hope, this would be something we could work on right away," he said. "This is our economic development, this is the immediate income stream for the town. I think we have to have Morrisville seen as the best town to go to for development."

As area town's populations increase, Morrisville and Fuquay-Varina are putting emphasis on live-work-play developments.

Under current rules, developers must decide whether they want to have homes or businesses on their property, but the new codes would make it easier to have mixed uses, such as shops with apartments overhead.

"The importance of mixed use is multi-fold," said Morrisville Planning Director Ben Hitchings. "It allows people to have a chance to go to an office job and walk across the street to go eat lunch instead of drive. It helps to reduce traffic impact. The largest issue in Morrisville is traffic congestion."

Fuquay-Varina is also looking at its codes, which were created in 1965, said Fuquay-Varina Planning Director Mike Sorenson.

Revising the code is important for the town to grow and move forward, he said.

Fuquay-Varina received a $15,000 grant through the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to create new development rules, including ones to promote mixed-use development. It will cost the town about $150,000 to hire a consultant to complete the new code.

"Developers want something that is simple to use, simple to read and easy to find." Sorenson said.