Construction Plans for Site Development
This process is sometimes known as the Civil Plan Review or the 10-Set Review. It is a technical review of the horizontal construction aspects of development projects.
NOTE: Major utility construction (all utilities, 1000 feet or more in length) must go through this process, but the process is somewhat different. See the Major Utility Construction web page for details.
All numbered attachments are from the Land Development Procedures Manual this documents are currently available through the public records request process.
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AFFECTED PROJECTS
Construction Plans for Site Development need to be submitted for the following types of projects:
New Construction
Includes construction of new commercial or industrial buildings and new communication tower installations.
Substantial Improvement
A substantial improvement is any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement of a commercial or industrial structure, improving the square footage of the facility by greater than fifty percent of the square footage of the structure prior to the start of construction, or the cost of which exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure prior to the start of construction. The reason for this is that any proposed development that meets this improvement threshold must bring the entire site up to current landscape code per City Ordinance Section 656.1209. Submitting construction plans for site development will verify that this will be accomplished.
Road Construction
Subdivision
This includes any subdivision of land into three or more parcels. Even though the subdivision ordinance exempts certain subdivisions from the platting requirement, they must still be submitted for site development review. See city ordinance Section 654.106(nn).
Major Utility Construction
This is defined as any buried utility greater than 1000 feet in length being placed within the city right of way.
Restricted Drainage Basin Impacts
This includes any commercial or industrial project within a Restricted Drainage Basin.
New Driveway Construction in Conjunction with Building Construction
This includes commercial or industrial building additions.
Parking or Vehicle Use Areas (VUA) - commercial or industrial projects that include new parking or VUAs or changes to the layout of existing parking or VUAs. This does not include restriping of existing parking areas, changes to sites strictly to bring it up to the current standards of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or parking areas serving homes within residential subdivisions.
Converting Use - certain projects that require a "Converting Use" Permit from the Building Inspection Division
Converting the use of a site from residential to commercial or industrial uses triggers various requirements and requires this review.
- The site must meet the zoning code for the new use. This includes the need for minimum off-street parking spaces, off-street loading spaces, off-street bicycle parking, and the current landscape and tree protection regulations.
- The site must meet the current Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.
- The site must meet the minimum fire protection standards including site access and fire hydrant location.
- The site must meet any drainage pre/post development discharge and treatment requirements. This is seldom an issue with converting a site's use unless it includes a building addition or increase in paved areas.
- Converting use from either commercial or industrial to residential does not need this review.
- Converting use from either commercial or industrial to either commercial or industrial needs this review only if the change would require site changes involving any of the other triggers in this list (e.g., parking/VUA changes).
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SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
Precursors
- For projects zoned PUD or Planned Unit Development, the PUD Verification process must be completed through the Planning and Development Department, Current Planning Division before submittal of the construction plans. For questions on how to submit for PUD Verification, contact the Current Planning Division.
- Preliminary Sketch Plan or Site Plan Review process, if required for the development, must be completed before submittal of the construction plans. To find out what project types require Preliminary Sketch Plan Review, see Sec 656.404 of the Zoning Code.
Concurrency and City Development Number
The developer will need to obtain a City Development Number (CDN) for the project. All projects that are submitted to Development Services for review must have a valid CDN throughout the review process. The CDN is issued by the:
Concurrency and Mobility Management System Office
214 N. Hogan St., Second Floor
Jacksonville, Florida 32202.
(904) 255-8330
Review Stages
- Preliminary - This is the first submittal of the construction plans. The plans and associated documents will be routed to all review agencies affected by the proposed development.
- Final - Any submittal subsequent to the preliminary review but prior to initial plan approval is called a final review. The plans and associated documents will be routed any review agencies that either disapproved the previous submittal or approved it as noted. The final submittal process will repeat until the plans are approved.
- Revision - Any submittal after the initial approval of the plans is called a revision. The plans and associated documents will be routed to any review agencies affected by the proposed revision.
NOTE: The only items that need to be submitted with a revision are:
- Ten sets of only the revised sheets from the plans
- A couple of copies of any additional needed documentation (drainage calculations, PUD Verification, etc.)
- A transmittal letter (Attachment No. 40 available upon request) that clearly notes the revisions being made
Required Documentation
The following documents, where applicable, need to be included in the preliminary construction plan package:
- Ten sets of plans (Plan Requirements).
- Two sets of drainage calculations signed and sealed on the cover sheet by the Registered Professional.
- Review fees are listed on the Planning and Development Department main page.
- A completed standard transmittal letter (Attachment No. 40).
- A completed copy of Submittal Checklist for Construction Plans (Attachment No. 25).
- An original signed copy of the Recreation "Open Space" Acknowledgment form if applicable.
- This form is required for any subdivision with 25 or more lots or any multiple-family development (Apartments, Condos, etc.) with 100 or more units. It must be signed by either the developer or an authorized agent. The signature must be witnessed and notarized. If an authorized agent signs the form, an original signed and notarized copy of the Agent Authorization Form must also be provided.
- If the property is zoned PUD, a PUD Verification of Substaintial Compliance letter is required, from the Current Planning Division.
- A subdivision/roadway inspection letter from the developer if applicable. This is required only for roadway or subdivision developments. If the developer wishes to use private engineer for inspection services, use Attachment No. 6B. For city inspection, use Attachment No. 6A.
- A digital subdivision file (a.k.a. "911" Disk) if applicable. This is required only for roadway or subdivision developments. See Attachment No. 29.
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PLAN REQUIREMENTS
(Return to Required Documents)
Size
Plans must be either 24"x36" prints or, if legible, 11"x17" prints.
Standard Cover Page
With the exception of revision submissions, the plans must have the latest City Standard Cover Page as the first sheet.
Signature and Seal
Though the Land Development Procedures Manual states that two sets of the plans need to be signed and sealed on each page, this is superseded by the more restrictive requirement of the Building Inspection Division. At a minimum, the construction plans for site development need to be signed and sealed on the cover page by any and all registered professions designing the project. Plus any landscape, tree removal, tree protection, tree mitigation, or irrigation sheets need to be signed and sealed by a Landscape Architect.
NOTE: any sets that are to be used for obtaining Building or Site Work permits will eventually need to be signed and sealed on each page. This may involve up to five sets of plans. This can be done after the plans are approved, but if any sets submitted for review are signed and sealed on each page, please write either S.S. or ALL in the lower right hand corner of the cover page so that we can keep these separate for return to the customer.
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WHERE TO SUBMIT
All construction plans for site development submissions need to be submitted to:
Development Services Review Group
214 N. Hogan St., Second Floor
Jacksonville, Florida 32202.
(904) 255-8310
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TIME FRAMES
It is our desire to complete first reviews within 28 working days and each subsequent review within 14 working days. If the plans are received during the morning hours, tracking begins on the same day. If the plans are received during the afternoon, tracking begins the next working day.
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ONLINE TRACKING
At any time, the progress of the review can be checked online through our online tracking system. Here you can find which agencies have completed their reviews and any review comments they have entered. Enter the City Development Number into the fields provided. The second field requires three digits, so make sure to use leading zeros where needed:
City Development Number 1234.56 would be entered as [1234].[056]. City Development Number 9876 would be entered as [9876].[000].
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ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Water and Sewer Review
JEA requires a separate review on most projects. Contact JEA at (904)665-6000 for additional information.
Downtown Projects
Projects within the downtown area require additional review by the Downtown Investment Authority. Visit the DIA website for maps, to determine if your project requires this approval. This review will need to be done prior to the approval of the construction plans.
Building and Site Work Permit Submissions
- Building Permit - This can be submitted for review after the second submittal of construction plans for site development. The permit submittal will be approved for review only. The permits will not be fully approved until the construction plans for site development have been approved, but this will allow review of the construction plans for site development and the building plans concurrently.
- Site Work Permit - This can be submitted after the second submittal of construction plans for site development provided any and all erosion control comments and landscape comments have been adequately addressed. See Building Inspection Division's bulletin G-08-03.
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