MILESTONE 1 - PLANNING DEPARTMENT SUBMISSION
A typical Planning or Community Development Department will review your project for conformance to city General Plans and Specific plans, which look at allowable site uses, environmental impacts (such as noise, shading, traffic impact or pollution), density and other urban planning issues.

At the scale of the individual project site, this translates to possible lot line adjustments or lot mergers, response to natural or manmade existing site features (like slopes or easements), proposed building height limits, and side, front and rear yard setbacks.
|
Frequently cities have Design Review Boards (sometimes called Architectural Review Boards) who review building design for conformance to published design guidelines. They may review the building design informally, or as part of a public hearing process.

Since these agencies are generally concerned with larger issues of urban density, scale and land use, and not with the finer points of Building Code compliance, we encourage our clients to submit their Schematic Design Documents, along with the required application fee, for Planning Review. We can assist with the application process and tailor our Document package accordingly.