The Planning Department and "creative design"

"The applicants worked in good faith, met all the requirements toward securing a permit and developed an exceptionally creative design," said David Alumbaugh, manager of the Planning Department's city design group. "They failed in not waiting until a permit was formally issued."

The Planning Department's "design group" okayed the above atrocity, because, you understand, it's "exceptionally creative." That's one way of putting it.
  

The Design Group also okayed this...
 

and this...


and this...

and this.