Citygate conducted a comprehensive performance review of the Community Development Department for Modesto. Citygate assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department’s activities, particularly those in the Building and Development Services and Planning Divisions that relate to the review and approval of land use development and building permits. We evaluated the use of performance measures in the Department, and examined the methodology used to determine the cost of services provided by the Department. In key functional areas, we also surveyed and compared the Department to comparable agencies where benchmarking and the identification of best practices were helpful. As part of its review, Citygate conducted separate surveys of Building customers and Planning Department customers. Citygate focused on the dynamics of rapid growth that can cause the workload of a community development department to increase dramatically, thereby challenging the existing departmental resources, management systems, and service levels.