Take out your tape measure and size up another piece of the recession: Job losses are on the horizon at the city's Department of Planning and Development.
Large, complex multi-use developments -- the shopping centers and mid-rise buildings that go a long way toward paying the department's bills -- are no longer showing up at the land-use permit desk, says department spokesperson Brian Stevens.
The city pared DPD's staff at the beginning of the year, cutting or leaving empty 42 positions; 410 positions remain. Last month it saw 30 percent less revenue from permit fees than was projected. Fees comprise 85 percent of the budget.
"It's clear that we're going to see an even bigger slowdown than we anticipated," says Stevens.
The staff cuts will be announced the week of Feb. 9.