Visalia Municipal Code Ch. 12.04 Adoption of Specific Plans

A. The planning commission shall hold a public hearing on any specific plan, or amendment to any specific plan, and submit their findings and recommendation to city council.

B. City council shall reject or adopt by resolution the specific plan, or specific plan amendment, by a majority vote. (Prior code § 7197.0)

Nothing in this chapter applies to the adoption or amendment of any ordinance by the legislative body, except ordinances expressly adopting or amending a specific plan initiated pursuant to this chapter. (Prior code § 7197.1)

The city council may determine and establish administrative rules and procedures for the application and enforcement of specific plans and regulations, and may assign or delegate such administrative functions, powers and duties to the planning or other agency as may be necessary or desirable. (Prior code § 7197.2)

The city council may create boards of review, appeal, and adjustment, in connection with any portion of the specific plan. (Prior code § 7197.3)

No street shall be improved and no sewers or connections or other improvements shall be laid or authorized in any street within any territory for which there is an adopted specific street or highway plan until the matter has been referred to the planning commission for a report as to conformity with such specific street or highway plan unless one of the following conditions applies:

A. The street has been accepted, opened or has otherwise received the legal status of a public street prior to the adoption of the plan;

B. It corresponds with streets shown on the plan;

C. It corresponds with streets shown on a subdivision map or record of survey approved by the legislative body;

D. It corresponds with streets shown on a subdivision map previously approved by the planning commission;

E. It is a local residential street not shown on the specific plan and is approved by the site plan review staff.

(Ord. 2024-07 § 3 (part), 2024: Prior code § 7197.4)

No street shall be improved, no sewers or connections or other improvements shall be laid or public building or works, including school buildings, constructed within any territory for which the Council has adopted a specific plan regulating the development of the use of open-space land and landscaping until a finding has been made that the open space and landscaping are in substantial compliance with the adopted specific plan. (Prior code § 7197.5)

The cost of all public improvements of specific benefit to the area for which there is an adopted specific plan may be distributed among all properties in the plan area based on benefit. City council shall assess the cost of improvements to each property, based on the benefit to that property. The assessment process shall include public hearing affording each property owner affected an opportunity to be heard. The public hearing process may be waived on any parcel where the property owner has voluntarily agreed to the assessment. This agreement shall be recorded and run with the property ownership. The parcel assessment may be collected at the time of building permit issuance and may replace other existing fees where the same improvements are paid for through a new collection method. (Prior code § 7197.6)