It’s the return of the QR codes at City Hall.
The planning department has decided it will put the doohickies on development application signs. Where the city wasn’t expecting to embrace QR codes in 2012, it now looks like staff have found some immediate benefits. You just have to scan the code with a QR code reader on your smartphone and your Internet browser will open with all the details.
Fair to say I haven’t been a big cheerleader for QR codes, but I see how slapping them on development signs could be useful. There is so much information attached to a development application and the blurb on the sign only gives a snapshot of what’s going on. The web addresses for applications are pretty cryptic, so if you want immediate details on a development and you can’t wait to get home, this is a simple way.
If you take the example from the sign above, you’ll see this Richcraft development at 2084 Montreal Rd. has over a dozen reports. Usually the planning rationale has a sketch of the development, something people are always curious about.
There are some very large PDFs, so user beware: You just might blow your monthly data plan reading a couple development applications.
Other city officials have come onboard in recent months, including deputy city manager 