PlanningDesk
Your Land. Your Plan.
Our Process.
Whether you're adding a deck, opening a café, or developing a mixed-use block — we have the map, the form, and the answer.
1,240+
Active Permits
14
Zoning Districts
Mar 18
Next Hearing
98%
On-Time Review
One neighborhood. Every decision starts here.
"In 1987, Elm Street was zoned industrial. By 1995, after three public hearings and one comprehensive plan amendment, it became the mixed-use corridor that now holds the farmer's market, the credit union, and the coffee shop where this department holds its community office hours."
Zoning is the grammar of how a town speaks to itself about the future. It sets the rules for what can be built where — and more importantly, it creates the process through which those rules can change when a community decides they should. Every rezoning petition, every variance hearing, every conditional use permit is a conversation between a property and its neighbors, mediated by staff who know the ordinance and respect the people it serves.
For Homeowners
Setback questions, accessory dwelling units, fence height, home-based business — we have the answer before you pull a permit.
For Developers
Site plan review, rezoning petitions, PUD applications — clear timelines, predictable process, and staff who have read your plans.
For Business Owners
Conditional use permits, signage approvals, change of use — before your lease clock runs out, we will tell you exactly what you need.
Transparent Process
Every application that comes through this door gets a written determination within 10 business days. Every public hearing is noticed 15 days in advance, posted at the property, and published in the legal notices. Every decision is recorded, appealable, and available for inspection at the front counter.
We don't make zoning decisions in back rooms. We make them in public, on the record, with every affected neighbor given the opportunity to speak.
10 days
Average review turnaround
Equitable Growth
The comprehensive plan is not a document for developers. It's the community's written agreement about what kind of town it wants to be in twenty years. We administer it on behalf of every resident — the family that has lived on the same block for three generations and the family that moved in last spring.
Equitable growth means affordable housing gets the same rigorous, respectful review as luxury development. It means our fee schedule doesn't price small businesses out of the process.
34%
Affordable units in approved projects (2025)
Environmental Stewardship
The tree canopy map lives on the same server as the zoning map. Before any site plan clears this desk, the environmental review checklist has been completed — floodplain, wetland buffers, tree preservation, stormwater management.
We require it not because the ordinance demands it but because the creek at the south end of town has been here longer than the zoning code, and it will be here after the next comprehensive plan update.
2,800 acres
Protected green space under review
Public Participation
The best zoning decisions happen when the people who live near a proposed development are in the room when it's discussed. We host pre-application neighborhood meetings for major projects. We translate public notices into the three languages most spoken in this community. We hold Saturday morning office hours twice a month at the public library.
Participation is not a checkbox. It is the whole point.
3 languages
Public notices translated
Three doors. One department.
Most visitors need one of these three things. Here's exactly what each involves.
From application to approval — no guesswork.
Bring your site plan, your contractor's license, and your property address. We will tell you which permit type applies, which inspections are required, and what the fee will be before you leave the counter. Most residential permits are issued same-day if documentation is complete.
- New construction & additions
- Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
- Commercial tenant improvements
- Sign permits & awnings
Building Permits
When the standard doesn't fit your lot.
Nonconforming lots, unusual topography, historic structures — sometimes the standard setback doesn't account for your specific situation. Variance applications are reviewed by the Board of Zoning Appeals. We'll walk you through the four findings required, help you prepare your case, and schedule your hearing within 45 days of a complete application.
- Area variances (setbacks, height, lot coverage)
- Use variances (limited circumstances)
- Special exceptions by right
- Appeals of administrative decisions
Variances & Special Exceptions
Change the map. Change the future.
Rezoning petitions require a public hearing before the Planning Commission and a second hearing before City Council. The process takes 90–120 days from complete application. Staff will review your petition for consistency with the comprehensive plan, prepare a written analysis, and present findings at both hearings. You will know exactly where you stand before the vote.
- Map amendments (rezoning)
- Text amendments to the zoning ordinance
- Comprehensive plan amendments
- Planned Unit Developments (PUDs)
Rezoning & Comprehensive Plan
The work, on record.
2025 annual figures. Every number is a neighbor who walked through our door.
0+
Permits Issued (2025)
0%
On-Time Review Rate
0
Public Hearings Held
0
Zoning Districts Mapped
0 ac
Protected Green Space
0
Languages for Public Notices
Upcoming on the docket.
All hearings are open to the public. You have the right to speak. Sign-up sheets are available 30 minutes before each meeting.
TUE
18
MAR 2026
Planning Commission
6:30 PM · Council Chambers, Room 204
R-1 → MU-2
1402 Elm Street
Side setback reduction
847 Birchwood Ave
Outdoor seating expansion
33 Market Square
MON
24
MAR 2026
Board of Zoning Appeals
7:00 PM · City Hall, Room 110
Administrative decision appeal
2210 Ridgeline Dr
Home daycare facility
519 Oak Hollow Rd
TUE
1
APR 2026
Planning Commission
6:30 PM · Council Chambers, Room 204
Phase 3 site plan
Riverview Commons Development
Future Land Use Map amendment
South Corridor Study Area
Can't attend in person? Meeting agendas, staff reports, and recorded sessions are posted 72 hours before each hearing.
The form you need
is already waiting.
By now you know what zoning does, why it matters to your property, and which process applies to your situation. The counter is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Or start online — the permit portal is available 24 hours a day.
Department of Planning & Zoning
120 Civic Center Drive, Suite 310
Counter Hours
Mon–Fri · 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Planning Hotline
(555) 740-2200