Adopted Budget (Final Document)

Planning

206.5120

Division Description The Current Planning program is responsible for the realization of the City's land use goals and policies through the administration of regulatory and discretionary land use entitlements (e.g., Planning permits). The Current Planning Division includes two Senior Planners, one Associate Planners, one Assistant Planner, one Planning Technician and one Municipal Services Assistant (MSA). The work of the current planning program also utilizes limited support by outside contract planning services that provide expedited service. Current Planning activities include reviewing proposed plans for compliance with the zoning section of the Municipal Code, Specific Plans, the General Plan, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and implementation of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. Current Planning staff also provide public information (counter) service and perform process improvements to service delivery. The most common land use permit processes administered by this division include Zoning Amendments, Development Agreements, Subdivisions, Site and Architectural Review, Use Permits, Sign Permits, and Tree Removal permits. The current Planning Team works closely with the Building Division and Land Development Engineering to review Building Permit applications and the construction of projects for consistency with Planning permits. With the passage of recent legislation (SB 330) suspending the City’s Residential Growth Control System (RDCS), effective January 1, 2020, the Division has continued to refine the reconfigured permitting process for housing applications to comply with new State laws. FY 2020-21 and 2021-22 Accomplishments  Continued to implement permit processing for SB330 including utilizing objective criteria established at the end of 2019  Created new guidance documents for both SB330 and SB35 application processing  Completed update to Development Services Fees making current fee schedule more accurate to achieve greater cost recovery and held development workshop  Completed review of permit applications and processes and developed new applications and handouts to streamline and ease the customer experience  Continued to create opportunities for internal coordination on plan review across divisions and departments  Continued to provide all planning services and functions in a virtual environment  Continued to create and improve resources for public information regarding development activity in the City  Processed 250 planning applications in FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 (to date)

276 DEVELOPMENT SERVICES