City Planning staff are available to discuss your project no matter how far you are in your process. We are happy to meet with citizens or developers exploring options for their property or to guide you through the development review process. 

The following requests will require application to and review by the Plan Board: subdividing or consolidating property, rezonings, honorary street designations, right-of-way vacations, or planned development overlays. 

Below are the steps in the Plan Board process.

1. PRE-APPLICATION MEETING

Prior to applying to the City Plan Board or to discuss your project concept to better understand existing City plans, Zoning rules and regulations, you are encouraged to contact the Planning Department. Contact the Plan Board Secretary at 937-333-2005 to schedule a pre-application meeting. 

Come to the meeting with rough sketches, preliminary site plans, or examples of your development idea. Planning staff will review applicable zoning and design regulations, explain the City Plan Board review process, and answer any questions you have about the process. The Planner may recommend changes to help projects better align with City plans and Zoning regulations. In addition, staff may provide an early view of the policy or position that the City may recommend when your application is heard by the City Plan Board.

2. APPLICATION

Complete the appropriate application, including all required attachments, any additional information requested by the staff planner, and submit to the Planning Division along with the application fee. Remember to follow the application instructions carefully and submit all of the requested information. If any of the information is missing, your Plan Board hearing date will be delayed. Once the complete application is received, you will be placed on the agenda for the next available hearing.  Plan Board hearings are scheduled to be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. Once submitted, all information becomes public record.

View and download City Plan Board applications.

For application deadlines and fees, download the pdf deadline document.

3. PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

Plan Board applicants are encouraged to solicit input and/or support from the community when appropriate. Applicants may connect with adjacent property owners and with neighborhood leaders to gather comments and feedback from those potentially affected by the development or project. In addition, for rezonings, honorary street designations, and planned development overlays City staff will forward a copy of the completed application to the appropriate Priority Land Use Board for their review and comment. Priority Land Use Boards provide recommendations and comments to the Plan Board for their consideration. Applicants are required to attend the next available Priority Land Use Board meeting. You can view the various Land Use areas across the City and identify within which area your project is located on this map.

Twenty days prior to the Plan Board hearing, City staff will send a public notice to property owners within a 250-foot radius of the subject property, along with the local neighborhood association, and other community stakeholders. The hearing notice provides the dates for both the Plan Board hearing and the Priority Land Use Board meeting. It also informs them of their right to review the request and to provide comments about the application at the hearing or in writing.

To find the contact information for neighborhood association presidents, visit our Community Engagement webpage.

4. TECHNICAL REVIEW

A staff planner will be assigned to conduct a detailed analysis of the application, and develop a report which outlines any concerns and recommendations for the application. This process includes a review of applicable plans and policies, a site visit, and a thorough examination of the submitted site plan and related materials. This review will often include follow-up conversations with the applicant and requests for clarifying information. If outstanding questions are not answered in a timely fashion, the public hearing may be delayed. The staff’s final report is submitted to the members of the City Plan Board prior to the scheduled hearing. 

Right-of-way vacations, subdivisions, and consolidations are sent to all applicable public utilities and city departments for review and comment.

5. CITY PLAN BOARD PUBLIC HEARING

Cases that require public hearings include rezonings, honorary street designations, and planned development overlays. Right-of-way vacations, subdivisions, and consolidations require Board review and approval but do not include public comments.

The City Plan Board will conduct the hearing and review the application. At the hearing, the Department of Planning and Community Development staff will present the staff report, which concludes with their recommendations. Applicants will be given an opportunity to speak to the City Plan Board and provide any additional information that is appropriate. Any person wishing to comment on the case requiring a public hearing will also be permitted to address the City Plan Board regarding the application.

The City Plan Board will formally act upon the application, by either approving or denying. In some situations the City Plan Board may add conditions for approval, or continue the hearing until additional information may be provided. All decisions by the City Plan Board are made public.

Dates for all Plan Board meetings for the coming year can be found on this downloadable calendar.

6. DECISION 

The week following the City Plan Board public hearing, the Secretary of the City Plan Board will send the decision order to the applicant. Each type of Plan Board case follows a different process upon approval or denial by the Board.

• General Development Plans = Decisions by the City Plan Board are final. If the Board denies an application, a judicial review may be sought. An appeal must be filed within thirty (30) days following the date of the written decision by the Plan Board.
• Zoning Map Amendments and Planned Developments = Must subsequently be approved by the City Commission by ordinance. If the Board recommends disapproval of the PD or amendment, the applicant may, within twenty (20) days following the date the Plan Board’s written recommendation is issued, notify the Secretary to the City Plan Board and Clerk of the City Commission in writing, that the applicant desires a public hearing before the City Commission.

If the Board denies any of the following types of applications, consult with the staff Planner for options or next steps.

• Honorary Designations = Must subsequently be approved by the City Commission by resolution. 
• Right-of-way Vacations = A petition from adjacent property owners must be submitted to the City Commission Clerk prior to submitting for approval to the Board of Revisions and the City Commission by ordinance.
• Subdivisions and Lot Consolidations = Must subsequently be recorded with the County.