DEVELOPMENT REVIEW

Minor Plat & Final Plat Review Processes

The Development Review System has been established to ensure development requests are processed with a minimum amount of delay, and applicants are kept advised as to the status of their project by providing a line of communication to the various County staff members who are involved in reviewing the plans.

All development requests are submitted to the Development Review Division located on the Second Floor of the Seminole County Services Building, 1101 East First Street, Sanford, FL 32771. If the application and plans are complete, and allowing for sufficient review time, the project will be scheduled for the next available Development Review Committee (DRC) staff meeting. This is typically the third or fourth Wednesday following the date of submission. The County requires a minimum of three weeks to review the initial submittal. Note: Projects consisting of four residential lots or less, or two non-residential lots or less are minor plats and are subject to a similar review process as final plats, but the submittal requirements are different. Please see the Minor Plat application for details. Not all plats are required to be formally reviewed by the Development Review Committee. The County’s assigned project manager will coordinate with the applicant to determine if a formal meeting is necessary.

The Development Review meeting is attended by staff from several County Departments and Divisions that have the responsibility for reviewing development proposals. This may include representatives from the Planning Division, Development Review, Health Department, School Board, the Sheriff's Office, Public Works, Building & Fire Prevention, and Environmental Services. Staff comments pertaining to each project will be available to applicants at least one day prior to the meeting. These comments are faxed to the applicant and/or consultants listed on the project’s application.

At the DRC meeting, each project is assigned a time slot on the agenda, and the applicant is allotted time to review the staff comments and ask any questions they may have. Although this meeting is not intended to be a work session, staff will be available to provide guidance to the applicant as to what changes, if any, will be needed to bring the project into compliance with all County codes. At the conclusion of each project review, the applicant is advised that (1) the project has received DRC approval, and the application will be scheduled for the next available Board of County Commissioners meeting, or (2) the project was not approved in which case the project should be resubmitted for staff review only, no formal DRC meeting required.

Projects which need to be resubmitted may be submitted at any time and the staff will complete their review within ten (10) working days. In order to assure accurate tracking of plans, all submittals or resubmittals must be submitted through the Development Review Division.

Once a plat application has been found acceptable after review by staff, it is scheduled for the next available Board of County Commissioners meeting. The Board of County Commissioners usually meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month. Plats are placed on the consent agenda which is normally considered in the morning session by the Commission.

After the County Commission approves the plat, staff will obtain the Chairman’s signature and schedule an appointment to meet the applicant at the County Courthouse to record the plat and any ancillary documents. All recording fees are paid by the applicant.

REVIEW BY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AND/OR BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Preliminary Subdivision Plans (PSP) require approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission and/or the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) after staff has reviewed and approved the submittal. A PSP that does not include any variances or waivers must be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. If waivers or variances are requested, then the BCC must also review the PSP.

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) regularly meets on the first Wednesday of every month, except holidays at 7:00 p.m or as soon thereafter. To schedule a PSP for a P&Z meeting, staff must approve the submittal at least two weeks prior to the target meeting date. This time is in addition to the DRC review times and the time required for review of any revised plans submitted subsequent to the DRC meeting. If there are no variances or waivers, the P&Z may approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions a PSP in a public meeting forum. The PSP is considered a technical review matter and is not subject to public hearing requirements.

If waivers or variances are requested with the PSP or if the applicant wishes to appeal the decision of the P&Z, the application for preliminary subdivision approval is scheduled for a BCC meeting agenda. The Board of County Commissioners typically meets the second and fourth Tuesday of every month during the morning session, except holidays. The PSP typically is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of the same month that the P&Z reviewed the request.

The Board of County Commissioners will review the PSP at a public meeting and approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the submittal. The PSP is considered a technical review matter and is not subject to public hearing requirements. If the PSP is approved, the applicant/developer’s next step is to apply for Final Subdivision/Final Plat approval.

The approval of the PSP will expire if the Final Subdivision Plat application is not submitted within two years of PSP approval. An extension of the PSP may be granted by the Planning and Zoning Commission upon written request by the applicant, prior to the expiration date, showing cause for the extension.

Information regarding the status of any project in the Development Review Process may be obtained by calling our office at (407) 665-7331. Telephone extensions of County staff reviewing the plans are provided at the end of the staff comments. Those individual staff members may be contacted regarding questions about any comment they made.