Apply for Site Plan Review

No site plan meetings will be held on Wednesday, August 28 

Most development projects in Kalamazoo are required to undergo a site plan review and approval process. This makes sure that proposed developments, land uses, or activities meet our community standards. No permits for construction or site preparation can be awarded prior to site plan approval.

All projects require site plan review, except:

  • Development or expansion of a one-family or two-family dwelling unit.
  • Placement of a dwelling unit in an approved mobile home park.
  • Internal construction or change in the floor area of a structure that does not increase gross floor area, increase the intensity of use or affect parking requirements on a site that meets all development and site design standards of this Ordinance.
  • Grading, excavation, filling, soil removal, creation of ponds or clearing of trees within an area of less than 1/2 acre in size.
  • Temporary Uses
  • Expansion or new structures up to and including 250 square feet in area.

Site plans are reviewed by the Site Plan Review Committee, which includes City staff representing planning, utilities, building inspection, and the Fire Marshall. Submitted site plans are also available for public review and comment.

Site plan review typically takes between four and six weeks, but it can vary if revisions are needed, or other issues come up.

Submit Site Plan

Step 1.Review the Zoning Code

Before starting the Site Plan Review process, review the Zoning Code for the district that your property is in. You can look up property details online using GIS Mapping. If you have questions or are not sure if your project would require Site Plan Review, please contact us for help. 

Review Zoning Code

Step 2.Pre-Application Meeting

The Pre-Application Meeting is the first step in Site Plan Review. In this meeting you will learn about the review process, and we will let you know what forms and permits you will need to submit for your project. We'll also let you know if review from other boards or commissions will be needed (such as Historic District Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals). This information will help you prepare your site plan for formal review.  

Schedule a Pre-Application Meeting

Only complete applications with a scaled site plan will be scheduled. Meetings are usually scheduled within two weeks of submitting a complete application. We will provide you with a review summary within three business days of your Pre-Application Meeting. 

Step 3.Prepare your plans

The Site Plan Review Checklist will guide the development of plans and documentation. It should also be the cover page for your site plan submittal. Our team will let you know what you will need to submit with your site plan during the Pre-Application Meeting, but please let us know if it is unclear or you have any questions. The same checklist is used for review regardless of the project size, so some items on the checklist may not apply to your site plan or project. If that is the case just mark those items as Not Applicable or NA.  

Digital submission of the application, plans, & the checklist are required in PDF format. If the submittal is complete, a Site Plan Review Committee meeting will be scheduled. Most cases are scheduled for review three weeks after submittal. This allows time for notify neighborhood associations, receive comments on the plan, and share those comments with the applicant before the formal review. Large projects may require additional time before review.  

If you do not have the ability to provide a digital copy of the application or plans, you can bring a physical copy to the Community Planning & Economic Development Office and our team will digitize it for you. 

Step 4.Payment of Fees

The fee for site plan review can be found on the CPED fee schedule . Payment is due after the full site plan has been accepted and processed by our team. Our team will provide an invoice with the total fees due (fees are also provided in pre-site plan summary). Payment may be made by check, by phone, or online. To pay online you can search by the PZE Process Number. We will provide a PZE Process Number for online payments and it will be on the invoice. 

View CPED Fee Schedule(PDF, 132KB)

Make a Payment Online

Step 5.Site Plan Review Committee meeting

The Site Plan Review Committee will provide comments to you in advance of the meeting. Plan revisions based upon these comments are not required before the meeting, but are intended to ensure a productive discussion.

Site Plan Review Committee meetings are typically held on Wednesday mornings at the Community Planning & Economic Development Offices located at 245 N Rose Street, Suite 100. Right now, all site plan review meetings are being held virtually.

Step 6.Site plan revisions

If revisions are needed to your site plan, a summary will be sent to guide you. If revised plans are submitted within one month they will be reviewed within five business days. If they are submitted later than one month, review of the revised plans will take ten business days. 

Step 7.Final site plan

When your site plan is approved, you will receive a letter of approval and signed plans. No permits for construction or site preparation will be awarded prior to site plan approval. Full site plan review typically takes between four and six weeks, but it can vary if revisions are needed or other issues come up.

1. Overview

Are you planning to develop a property in the City of Kalamazoo? Other than a few exceptions, development projects in Kalamazoo are required to undergo site plan review and approval process. This ensures that a proposed development, land use, or activity meets the standards of the zoning ordinance and any applicable state or federal statutes. No permits for construction or site preparation will be awarded prior to site plan approval.

Site plans are reviewed by the Site Plan Review Committee, which includes City staff representing planning, utilities, building inspection, and the Fire Marshall.  

Submitted site plans are also available for public review and comment. You can find a list of current site plans here. 

2. Does my project require site plan review?

All projects require site plan review, except:

  • The development or expansion of a one-family or two-family dwelling unit.
  • Placement of a dwelling unit in an approved mobile home park.
  • The internal construction or change in the floor area of a structure that does not increase gross floor area, increase the intensity of use or affect parking requirements on a site that meets all development and site design standards of this Ordinance.
  • Grading, excavation, filling, soil removal, creation of ponds or clearing of trees within an area of less than 1/2 acre in size.
  • Temporary Uses
  • Expansion or new structures up to and including 250 square feet in area.

3. Pre-Application Meeting

The Pre-Application Meeting is the first step in Site Plan Review. During this meeting you can learn about the review process, ask questions about the process or your project, find out if review from other boards or commissions will be necessary (such as Historic District Commission or Downtown Design Review), and finalized your submittal. 

To schedule a Pre-Application Meeting, please submit the Pre-Application Questionnaire with any supporting documentation to siteplan@kalamazoocity.org. Only completed applications with a scaled site plan will be scheduled.    

4. Prepare your plans

Use the Site Plan Review Checklist to guide the development of plans and documentation and use it as the cover page for your site plan. Feel free to contact City staff via email or phone if you are unclear on what is required for your project or have any questions. Incomplete submittals will not be scheduled for review so make sure you provide all information for your project. 

Digital submission of the application, plans, & the checklist are required in a PDF format. Please also submit one set of reduced plans (11”x17”). Fees are due at the time of submittal.

If the submittal is complete, a Site Plan Review Committee meeting will be scheduled (a sample timeline can be found here). Most cases are scheduled for review 3 weeks after a complete submittal.  

5. Site Plan Review Committee meeting

Site plans are reviewed by a staff committee representing planning, building inspections, utilities, and the Fire Marshall. For most projects, the time between submittal of a complete application to a Site Plan Review Committee Meeting is three weeks. Large projects may require additional time (this can be determined during the Pre-Application Meeting).

Comments from the Committee’s review will be provided to you in advance of the Site Plan Review Committee meeting. Plan revisions based upon these comments are not required before the meeting, but are intended to ensure a productive discussion and meeting.

Site Plan Review Committee meetings are currently being held virtually. Instructions will be provided when review is scheduled. 

6. Site plan revisions

If revisions are needed to your site plan, a summary will be sent to guide you. If revised plans are submitted within one month they will be reviewed within five business days. If they are submitted later than one month, review of the revised plans will take ten business days. 

7. Final site plan

Approval of the site plan will be provided in a letter of approval and signed plans. No permits for construction or site preparation will be awarded prior to site plan approval.