Chapter 17.116 — PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW (PAR) PROCEDURES

Prior History: Former Ch. 17.120 A-1 Light Agriculture Zone, compiled of RCC Ch. 17.120; Ord. 18 § 2, 2008; Ord. 87 § 2, 2014; repealed by Ord. 247, 1/15/2025.

Pre-application review (PAR) is a required procedure for all development proposals identified below. The purpose of PAR is to:

• A. Advise a prospective applicant of current City standards and requirements;

• B. Assess whether a prospective applicant's development proposal is consistent with the Wildomar General Plan, Title 17, and other current City standards and requirements before a formal application is actually filed and fees are paid;

• C. Shorten the length of time required to process a formal development proposal once it has been accepted for processing;

• D. Encourage development proposal designs which are sensitive to environmental and developmental constraints, and which lessen the need for subsequent costly and time consuming redesigns;

• E. Provide a written record of staff's assessment of a development proposal in the form of a PAR staff review comment letter;

• F. Limit requests for special studies to those identified in the PAR letter. (Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)

Development proposals which are subject to a PAR application are noted below.

Table 17.120.020-1: Development Proposal Types

General Plan Amendments and Zone Changes Specific Plans and Amendments to Specific Plans Development Agreements Conditional Use Permits (for all development types) Major Development Review Permits (all development types) Revised Permits (all types) Tentative Parcel Maps (all types) Tentative Tract Maps (all types) Vesting Maps (all types)

(Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)

• A. Every PAR application shall be made in writing to the Community Development Director on the forms provided by the Planning Department. The application shall be accompanied by the filing fee set forth in Chapter 3.44 (Fees) of the Wildomar Municipal Code. All primary exhibits or maps submitted with an application must be clearly drawn and legible.

• B. The amount of information which an applicant must submit with a PAR application increases with the complexity of the development proposal. The information required under subsections C and D of this section is considered to be the minimum required, and the Community Development Director may require additional information if the information submitted does not adequately define the proposal.

• C. All PAR applications submitted by an applicant shall submit a PAR site plan packet containing the following information:

  1. Name, address and telephone number of the applicant;

  2. Name, address and telephone number of the land owner;

  3. Name, address and telephone number of the map or exhibit preparer;

  4. Assessor's parcel number(s) and, if available, the property's address;

  5. Scale of the site plan exhibit (i.e., number of feet per inch). The exhibit must use an engineer's scale (i.e., one inch equals 10 feet or an even multiple of 10 feet). An architect's scale is only acceptable for floor plans, elevations and landscaping plans;

  6. North arrow;

  7. Title of the exhibit (e.g., "Development Review," "Tract Map No.," etc.);

  8. Proposed improvement schedule (i.e., Schedule "A," "B," "C," etc.) as noted in Title 16 where applicable;

  9. Overall dimensions and approximate total net and gross acreage of the property;

  10. Project boundary lines;

  11. Existing and proposed Zoning and land use of property as well as existing Zoning and land use of surrounding property;

  12. Location and dimensions of existing and proposed ingress and egress, and methods of vehicular circulation,

  13. Identify waste disposal system proposed (i.e., subsurface septic system or sewer);

  14. Location and dimensions of existing dwellings, buildings or other structures, labeled as existing, and indicating whether they will remain or be removed;

  15. Setback dimensions of existing structures and paved areas that are to remain;

  16. Vicinity map inset showing the site's relationship to major highways, access roads, and cities. Paved roads both existing and proposed must be labeled or shown by heavy dark lines. Streets, alleys, and rights-of-way providing legal access to the property must be indicated. A north arrow for the vicinity map inset is also required.

  17. FEMA mapped floodplains and floodways including zone designations, when applicable;

  18. For land divisions:

  - a. Proposed lot lines and approximate lot dimensions, or 
  
  - b. Proposed boundary lines and approximate dimensions for each lot or space in the case of mobilehomes or recreational vehicles.
  

• D. The exact dimensions of each lot, space or site are unnecessary. For example, although there may be some variation in size and/or shape, if most lots are expected to be a 60-foot wide and 100-foot deep rectangle, then all lots may be represented this way on the PAR site plan exhibit;

  1. If the project is within a specific plan, the specific plan planning area number and the land use designation of the subject property and all surrounding property;

  2. For condominiums, mobilehome parks, or recreational vehicle parks:

     • a. Number each condominium, mobilehome, or recreational vehicle space and indicate the total number of each type of unit, lot or space,

     • b. Delineate common areas, open space, and recreational areas. For each area, give its dimensions, acreage, any proposed uses, and the name of the proposed owner(s) or entity(ies) who will maintain it.

• E. The exact dimensions of each lot, space or site are unnecessary. For example, although there may be some variation in size and/or shape, if most lots are expected to be a 60-foot wide and 100-foot deep rectangle, then all lots may be represented this way on the PAR exhibit;

  1. As required by Title 16, a restricted single-family residential subdivision (i.e., R-2 zone), shall provide the following: building footprints, floor plan assignments, proposed setbacks, pad elevations, street grades, and all cut and fill slopes in excess of one foot in vertical height.

• (Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)

Once the Community Development Director determines that a PAR application is submitted and complete, the Community Development Director shall:

• A. Distribute the PAR application packet to city departments, applicable outside agencies and affected special districts for review and comment;

• B. Conduct an internal PAR review meeting to discuss the development proposal after the City departments, applicable outside agencies and affected special districts have had two weeks to review the proposal.

• C. Within four weeks after the PAR application is submitted and reviewed, the planning department shall prepare a PAR staff review comment letter for the applicant.

• (Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)

• A. The PAR letter shall contain staff review comments on the applicant's development proposal but shall not constitute or be considered approval or denial of the development proposal. Although the content of the PAR letter will depend on the type of proposal, its proposed location, the background information provided by the applicant, and other factors, the letter shall generally provide the applicant with the following types of information:

  1. Any applications which must be filed to process the proposal as well as any timing requirements associated with filing such applications. Applications which may be required include, but are not limited to, the following: General Plan amendments, specific plans, change of zone, tract maps, and parcel maps;

  2. Any special technical studies (including CEQA studies) which must be filed to process the proposal as well as any timing requirements associated with filing such special studies. Special studies which may be required include, but are not limited to, the following: fiscal impact, service and infrastructure impact, private debt burden, biological, archeological, paleontological, geological, flood, traffic, slope stability and noise studies;

  3. Any special plans which must be filed to process the proposal. Special plans which may be required include, but are not limited to, the following: conceptual grading plans, detailed grading plans, stormwater pollution prevention plans, dust control plans, and area development plans;

  4. Compliance with the City's single-family/multi-family residential, and commercial design standards and guidelines;

  5. Current application processing fees.

  6. Any major environmental issues associated with the proposal, including the possible need for an MND or EIR subject to the anticipated environmental assessment;

  7. Any major design considerations associated with the proposal (e.g., internal drainage design or limitations on density);

  8. The availability of water, sewer, and fire flow rate;

  9. The changes that staff will require before making an approval recommendation, or a statement that an approval recommendation will not be made given the proposal's present configuration;

• B. No issues other than those identified in the PAR letter shall be raised by staff during processing of the development proposal, unless the formal proposal introduces a new site plan or use type. The PAR letter shall be valid for one year from the date thereof.

• C. Where the Community Development Director subsequently determines, however, that conditions have changed or that the existing information does not fully address all significant

concerns, staff may require an additional study or studies not specified in the PAR letter. Similarly, City and special district policies may change during the letter's one-year life, and policy recommendations, which were valid when the letter was issued, may or may not be valid when the development proposal is filed and processed. In such cases, the development application will be subject to City and special district policies in effect at the time of filing or hearing, whichever is appropriate. State and federal policies and laws unknown or not effective at the time of PAR may also affect the subsequent application.

• D. Notwithstanding the above, the PAR letter shall not in any manner whatsoever bind the appropriate hearing officer or approval authority and shall not preclude such hearing officer or approval authority from requiring additional information or studies or from making additional recommendations in the course of the decision-making process.

• (Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)

The PAR letter shall apply to the formal development proposal described in the PAR application. Substantial revisions to the proposal after issuance of the PAR letter which do not conform to the comments of the letter shall invalidate the letter. To process a substantially revised proposal, a new PAR application and a new application fee will be required of the applicant. For the purposes of this section, the Community Development Director shall determine whether or not revisions made are substantial.

(Ord. 247, 1/15/2025)