§ 17.60.040. Application Preparation and Filing

The preparation and filing of applications for land use permits, amendments (e.g., General Plan and Zoning Map), and other matters pertaining to this Zoning Code shall comply with the following requirements.

A.

Standard procedures. The standard procedures contained in this Section apply to all applications for discretionary permits required under this Zoning Code and under Municipal Code Title 16 (Subdivision Ordinance).

B.

Compliance with procedures. All permits shall be processed in compliance with the standard procedure, except as otherwise provided by this Zoning Code, or State or Federal law.

C.

Predevelopment plan review.  

1.

Purpose. The purposes of a predevelopment plan review are to:

a.

Achieve better projects through early consultation between City staff and applicants;

b.

Coordinate reviews of projects among City staff and City departments;

c.

Familiarize applicants for the projects with the regulations and procedures that apply to the projects;

d.

Avoid significant investment in the design of a project without preliminary directions from City staff;

e.

Identify issues that may arise during review of the projects (e.g., conformance with any applicable design guidelines, conformance with the goals, policies, and objectives of the General Plan and the purpose and intent of any applicable specific plan, environmental requirements and possible recommended mitigation measures, possible recommended conditions of approval, requirements for public improvements, and possible concerns from adjoining neighborhoods);

f.

Provide opportunities for discussion about the projects and an exchange of information on potential issues between City staff and the applicants for the projects; and

g.

Inform the Council and the public of proposed development projects defined in the administrative guidelines to be of communitywide significance, by presenting the predevelopment plan review report at a Council meeting. This presentation shall only be for the purpose of informing the Council and the public of a proposed project, and not for the purpose of discussing the merits of the proposed project.

2.

Applicability.  

a.

Mandatory review. A predevelopment plan review shall be required for projects subject to one or more of the following approvals:

(1)

Master Plans or amendments to Master Plans;

(2)

Multi-family projects consisting of ten or more dwelling units;

(3)

New residential structures in the Hillside Development (HD) overlay districts that are located on lots with an average slope greater than 15 percent, and require a Hillside Development Permit in compliance with Section 17.61.050;

(4)

Projects involving new construction of more than 25,000 square feet of nonresidential gross floor area;

(5)

Projects that are located within the boundaries of a specific plan, if the review is required by the Director;

(6)

Projects that are defined in the administrative guidelines to be of communitywide significance;

(7)

Street vacations;

(8)

Subdivisions of land into five or more lots; and

(9)

Subdivisions of land in the Hillside Development (HD) overlay districts.

b.

Optional review. The preapplication conference shall be conducted if requested by an applicant for a project that would require a discretionary land use entitlement or a Zoning Map amendment.

3.

Procedures.  

a.

Scheduling. A predevelopment plan review shall be conducted before deeming an application complete, in compliance with Section 17.60.060 (Initial Application Review), below. However, the Director may authorize subsequent phases of a predevelopment plan review to be conducted after the application is deemed complete.

b.

Meeting. The predevelopment plan review shall be conducted at a meeting in which the applicant for a project is invited and the applicable/responsible City department staff is in attendance.

c.

Applicable/responsible staff. The City Manager, or designee, shall determine which City departments shall participate. The Director shall designate the staff person(s) to be responsible for scheduling and conducting the predevelopment plan review.

d.

Disclaimer. Neither the predevelopment plan review nor information or pertinent policies provided by the City Departments shall be construed as a City recommendation for approval or disapproval of the application/project.

e.

Written report. A written report containing the results of the predevelopment plan review and the staff comments on the project shall be provided to the applicant. For projects that are defined in the administrative guidelines to be of communitywide significance, the written report shall also be presented to the Council.

4.

Administrative guidelines. The City Manager, or designee, shall issue administrative guidelines for implementation of the predevelopment plan review process.

D.

Application contents and fee. The Director shall establish in writing the submittal requirements for permit applications required by this Zoning Code. All applications shall include the following submittal materials, as well as any additional materials identified by the Director:

1.

A signed application form;

2.

The application fee, if required, in compliance with the Council's Fee Resolution;

3.

A completed environmental assessment form if the project is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), unless the form has been submitted with a previous application for the project; and

4.

Where the application requires mailed a public notice in compliance with Chapter 17.76 (Public Hearings), a map showing the location and street address of the project and all lots within the required notice-mailing radius for the permit, and a mailing list, keyed to the map, containing the names and addresses of the record owners of each lot, as shown on the County's latest equalized property tax assessment roll, in compliance with Chapter 17.76 (Public Hearings).

E.

Eligibility, filing. All land use permit and other applications required by this Zoning Code shall be filed with the Department. Applications may be made by:

1.

The owner of the subject property; or

2.

Any authorized agent or representative, with the written consent of the property owner.

F.

Filing date. The filing date of an application shall be the date on which the Department receives the last submission, map, plan, or other material required as a part of that application by Subsection A., in compliance with Section 17.60.060 (Initial Application Review) and deemed complete by the Director.

G.

Revised materials. Whenever an applicant desires/needs to file revised materials, the materials shall be submitted at least 10 days before a public hearing on the application. However, the Director may choose to accept revised materials after that time, upon determining that there is sufficient time to review them before the hearing date. In addition, the applicable review authority may continue an application until the next available meeting date in order to adequately evaluate materials received after the date of receipt of the application package.

(Ord. 7160 § 52, 2009)