Frequently Asked Questions

Planning & Development Review recommends a Pre-Application meeting prior to submitting an application and plans. Several department staff members are present at these meetings to answer any questions and explain the review process and items required for the application.

There is no fee associated with a Pre-Application meeting.

The application form provides an explanation of the approval process for each application. The site development order approvals are based on the percentage of deviations from the Land Development Code requirements. Additional information is available in Article 2 of the City’s Land Development Code. For more information see municode.com. 

An application is considered abated if there has been no activity for six (6) consecutive months and shall constitute an abated application fee for re-submittal.

An application is considered abandoned when no activity occurs for twelve (12) consecutive months and shall constitute a new application and application fee for re-submittal.

The current application fees can be found by going into the Development Services web page and clicking on Application Fees or you may go to www.municode.com. The application fee is also listed on the bottom of the first page of a majority of the applications.

Once the application is submitted, Planning & Development Review Staff will perform a sufficiency review to verify all information required has been provided. This review takes two (2) days. Once sufficient, Staff will start the compliance review. The first compliance review cycle will take twenty-eight (28) days. The applicant will receive comments on the 28th day. The number of compliance reviews depends upon the completeness of the plans. The second compliance review cycle will take twenty-one (21) days. The third and each review after that will take fourteen (14) days for each review. Staff recommends that the applicant/developer schedule a progress meeting before preparing for a resubmittal to discuss staff comments. The progress meetings will assist in reducing the number of resubmittals. If there is a third compliance review, the applicant will pay half of the fee.

It all depends upon how compliant the plans are when received. The sooner the plans are submitted fully compliant, the shorter the period. The amount of time also depends upon the approval process and whether approval can take place at the staff level, or whether it must go to the City Council. The (SDO) process will take approximately three to four months, but it may take longer depending upon the compliance of the plans and the approval process.

Each reviewer’s name is listed above their portion of the comments to make it simple for an applicant to determine who made which comments.