The City of Jackson, Department of Planning and Development promotes economic development by helping new and existing companies and creating employment opportunities for the city residents. Its planning functions include neighborhood and historic preservation planning and transit services. The department is also responsible for providing long-range planning efforts for land use, transportation and neighborhood stability. The City of Jackson, Department of Planning and Development issues building permits and licenses, provides development incentives, landscaping and buffering, site plan and subdivision review, and street and alley closing services. It offers various online applications for business licenses, conditional lien amnesty and compliance agreements. The department has a neighborhood planning division that helps and supports existing neighborhood associations, facilitates communication between residents and city departments and provides useful information to neighborhoods.