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Commercial Development Process Summary

When a commercial development comes forward, a variety of processes must be completed depending on the type of project and the zoning of the property. Certain commercial projects need to be approved through public hearing by the Planning Commission and City Council prior to the building permit approval. Other projects need only City Council approval of the building permit before construction may begin.

The first step in determining which process you will need to follow for your project is to determine the zoning of the property of the project.

If the property is zoned as a Planned District, and you are adding on to the building or otherwise changing the site, your project will need to be presented to the Planning Commission as a Site Plan Revision. The request would be forwarded from the Planning Commission to the City Council for final approval. The building permit for the actual construction is submitted as a separate request. This process takes a minimum of approximately 6 weeks from beginning to end.

If the project property is not zoned as a Planned District and you are a) remodeling anything other than the interior of an existing building or b) adding to or changing the exterior facade of an existing building or c) building a new building, you will need to present the project as a building permit to the City Council for approval. This process takes a minimum of 24 days from beginning to end.

If the project property is not zoned as a Planned District and you are a) remodeling only the interior of an existing building, your project does not need City Council approval, but a building permit is still required. This process for review and approval takes on average a minimum of 2 weeks from beginning to end.