Development Permits - Planning
Visit the Land Development page to learn about Development Permits for Drinking Water, Environmental Protection, and Hillside Development.
Form and Character + Farm Home Plate
Development Permits (DPs) bring Official Community Plan policies to life when staff evaluate current development proposals. The Planning Department is responsible for the following DPs:
- Farm home plates on agricultural land
- Form and character of development (commercial, Downtown, industrial, mixed use, and residential)
Activities that require a DP
Contact Planning staff to confirm if a DP is required. Please note, more than one type of DP may be required, including DPs processed by the Land Development team.
Activities that may require a DP include:
- Adding to or changing an existing building or structure
- Constructing a new building or structure
- Changing the land (e.g., paving, changing parking or loading areas, removing landscaped areas)
- Subdivision
Refer to the the Development Permit Areas (below) for more details, including activities where a DP is not required.
Development Permit Areas (DPAs)
The 2050 Official Community Plan sets the Development Permit Areas (DPAs) where DPs may be required.
Most DPAs apply to the entire city and depend on the type of development activity. The Design Guidelines (linked below) specify the areas for each type of DP:
- Farm Home Plate (DPA 4) applies to housing on valley floor farmland within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) for properties with 2 hectares or more.
- Downtown (DPA 6) applies to commercial, industrial, mixed use, and residential development in the Downtown Development Permit Area.
- Mixed Use (DPA 7) applies to developments with a mixture of commercial and residential units.
- Residential (DPA 8) applies to coach houses/ garden suites, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), townhouses, and apartments.
- Commercial (DPA 9) applies to commercial development.
- Industrial (DPA 10) applies to industrial development.