DSW Secures HVAC TI Permits Without Schedule Impact Despite Management Turnover

Permit Place recently completed permit expediting services for DSW on behalf of Lennox NAS in San Jose, CA. The project involved a tenant improvement (TI) HVAC replacement in a busy shopping center location, requiring close coordination with the City of San José Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement for plan check approval.

This HVAC replacement was part of a broader Lennox program, which meant that maintaining consistency, documentation standards, and schedule expectations across multiple sites was critical.

Permit Place was engaged to manage the local permitting process, navigate the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), and keep the client informed through every stage of submittal and resubmittal.

Challenges

The primary challenge on this project involved maintaining continuity during periods of internal team transition on the client side. As project leadership changed during the planning and pre-submittal phases, additional coordination was required to ensure requirements, scope details, and jurisdictional expectations remained clearly understood and consistently applied.

Maintaining momentum through these transitions required careful documentation, clear communication, and disciplined tracking to prevent misalignment or rework once plans were ready for formal review.

Solutions and Strategies

To maintain momentum amid evolving project team dynamics, Permit Place relied on its structured Due Diligence process to establish clarity and continuity early. By documenting AHJ requirements, submittal standards, and review expectations upfront, our team ensured the permitting process remained stable even as internal roles shifted.

Key actions included:

• Documenting AHJ requirements and submittal standards early, enabling seamless onboarding of new stakeholders without revisiting foundational permitting questions
• Providing consistent status updates and tracking review comments from the City of San Jose Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement to align resubmittals with client readiness
• Designating a single point of contact for Lennox and DSW to streamline communication, reduce duplication, and maintain accurate, up-to-date information throughout the permitting process

This disciplined approach allowed the project to progress predictably despite changes behind the scenes.

Project Wins

Permit Place successfully guided the DSW HVAC tenant improvement through plan check approval and permit issuance without any added jurisdictional delays, despite internal staffing transitions on the client side.

By absorbing the coordination load and maintaining continuity throughout the process, our team preserved consistency across the broader Lennox program and ensured this shopping center TI moved forward efficiently once plans were finalized. The project highlights how structured Due Diligence, proactive communication, and disciplined application planning enable Permit Place to support national, multi-site programs, even when internal project teams evolve midstream.