The four big picture steps of the development process are below.

Step 1 - Future Land Use and Zoning
Step 2 - Site Plans and Subdivisions
Step 3 - Environmental
Step 4 - Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy

The actual development process is more involved than these steps. Think of the four steps as a broad overview of how development occurs. You'll have a chance to get into the details later using the tools on our website. The issues highlighted below are fundamental to understanding the steps of the development process.

The development process moves from broad to specific approvals.

• Step 1 is the Future Land Use Map and Zoning Map. They serve different purposes, but both identify the allowable land uses for all parcels in the City. Step 1 is when the allowable land use is decided.
• Step 2 includes either a site plan or a subdivision, which show how development will be arranged on the site and how it will meet various standards. The focus is on what's happening on the outside of a building
• Step 3 is a detailed environmental review. It sometimes occurs simultaneously with step 2. This review focuses on the protection of environmental resources and the provision of key infrastructure.
• Step 4 is the building permit, which focuses on the construction of the building.

Each step builds on the prior steps. To be effective in providing comments on a project, you need to know your concerns and get involved at the right step. For example, if you don't think a gas station should be located at a particular intersection, speaking about the project at the site plan stage may provide input on how the gas station is arranged on the site, but will not change whether the gas station is allowed on the site. That determination was made at the previous land use stage. Decisions about land use occur at step 1 with the future land use map and zoning map.

Electronic plan review is one of the key tools that allows us to respond quickly to citizen questions about development applications. In the pre-digital past, developers submitted applications by delivering bulky rolled plan sets with their applications. Before we converted our permitting process to a fully digital platform, anyone who wanted to see a particular page from the plan set would need to visit Growth Management to view the document. Today, everything is reviewed digitally, which means that all records are readily available as PDF files that can be easily emailed. That includes both the developer’s application and staff’s comments as the review process moves forward. The electronic plan review process isn’t just for building permits. It includes all the approvals associated with site plans and subdivisions, plus the environmental reviews. In fact, each approval explained in the video “Permitting from Start to Finish” is submitted, reviewed, and issued electronically. Also, the next two buttons provide a flowchart of the residential and commercial building permit process and explain our expedited permitting procedures.

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It is a digital mapping tool that allows different maps of the same area to be layered on top of each other. This provides a powerful tool to analyze data. We use GIS to put a variety of development information at your fingertips.

The map at the top shows all applications that are currently under review. There are a few things to remember about this map. First, you can get the detailed plans for each project by clicking on the colored circle. Second, the color of the circles matches the color on the public notice signs. In fact, scanning the QR code on the public notice signs will also take you to this map. Third, you can zoom in and out by using the plus or minus symbol at the top left corner.

The map at the bottom provides a wide range of information for each parcel in the City. A list of the available data is shown on the left side of the screen after you click on this image. Perhaps the most useful information is the future land use map and zoning designations. You can get that information by selecting the corresponding boxes in the left-hand column, and then entering your address in the search box at the top left corner.

We work to make the zoning code readable for the average user. However, we live in a complicated world, and the zoning code must establish ground rules for development projects that can be quite involved. Our video library series strives to make the zoning code more accessible to non-planners. Each video takes a specific topic and breaks it down to its key points. So far, our videos cover topics ranging from the development process to tree protection standards and from student housing to a profile of our department. A great place to start is the video “Permitting from Start to Finish”. It follows a project through the development process with a discussion of each step along the way.

There are a wide range of specific, individual issues that are documented in the Zoning Spotlight series. For example, so far we’ve posted issues that describe the zoning standards associated with food trucks, accessory dwelling units, site plans and subdivisions, signs and community housing. More issues are on the way!

We’re working on a series of handbooks that focus on big picture issues. For example, the image on the right is the cover of the Zoning Handbook. The complete zoning code is several hundred pages in length. The Zoning Handbook explores many of the fundamental concepts in the Zoning Code in a user-friendly format designed for non-planners. Future issues are also planned for the environmental management code in Chapter 5 of the TLDC, as well as a Citizen Handbook and a Small Business Handbook.

The Tallahassee Land Development Code (TLDC) contains all development regulations adopted by the City Commission. That includes definitions (chapter 1), environmental management (chapter 5), flood protection (chapter 6), signs (chapter 7), subdivisions and site plans (chapter 9), and zoning (chapter 10).

The Zoning Code focuses on the details of how a project must develop today. Its emphasis is on the specific standards that new development must meet, like parking, landscaping, setbacks, height, and many others. In contrast, the Comprehensive Plan focuses on how the City is going to evolve into tomorrow. To be exact, the Comprehensive Plan takes a 20 year look into the future. It identifies what land area will be allowed to develop with urban uses in that time frame, and it documents how the City will provide needed infrastructure. The Comprehensive Plan includes a Future Land Use Map (FLUM), a portion of which is shown at the right. The entire Comprehensive Plan is available online.

In 1995, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County joined in the creation of the Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System. This Numbering System is a cooperative approach that provides for the improved delivery of emergency services, thus enhancing the overall quality of life, health, safety and welfare of citizens. Developers seeking approval for new street names can contact Leon County’s Development Support and Environmental Management Department at 850-606-1370. For assistance with addressing questions or concerns in the City, please contact addressing@talgov.com or call 850-891-7001 Option 4.