§ 4.04. Processing of preliminary plat.

A.

The director of public works shall collect all required application fees as specified by city ordinance upon receipt of the preliminary plat submittal. City staff and the city engineer shall check the preliminary plat as to its conformity with city design criteria, comprehensive master plan, and submittal requirements.

B.

The city engineer shall return the preliminary plat, within two weeks of receipt, to the director of public works with suggested modifications, additions or alterations to the streets, drainage, water and sanitary sewer improvements. The city manager shall make the city engineer and city staff suggestions available to the planning and zoning commission and the city council.

C.

A preliminary plat shall be considered filed for processing when all required elements have been submitted to the city staff. The preliminary plat and the comments, suggestions and recommendations of the city staff shall be presented to the planning and zoning commission within 30 days of their acceptance by the city staff. The comments of the city staff shall advise the planning and zoning commission of the staff determination of whether the preliminary plat, as submitted, is in compliance or non-compliance with the regulations, requirements, design criteria and development standards of the city. The planning and zoning commission shall disapprove the preliminary plat if it is non-compliant with city regulations. The planning and zoning commission shall consider approval of the preliminary plat if it is compliant with city regulations. The planning and zoning commission may grant conditional approval to a preliminary plat if the elements of non-compliance are minor and the developer/applicant agrees to correct the points of non-compliance and bring them into conformity with city requirements prior to submission of a final plat. If the planning and zoning commission disapproves a proposed preliminary plat, it will state the basis upon which disapproval is made.

D.

It is to be understood that recommending approval of the preliminary plat by the planning and zoning commission does not constitute official acceptance of the proposed subdivision by the city. There shall be no work done in the field on the proposed subdivision until the final plat has been approved (preliminary site grading will be considered on a case by case basis, but only after submittal, approval and installation of an erosion control plan).

E.

After recommending approval of a preliminary plat by the planning and zoning commission, the same shall be forwarded to the city council for consideration and approval or disapproval. The preliminary plat expires 12 months after city council approval, unless a final plat for the property, consistent in all respects with the approved preliminary plat, has been submitted for approval.

If the subdivision is to be constructed in phases, the preliminary plat will remain valid as long as no more than two years time passes between approval of the final plat for a phase and the submittal of the final plat for approval of the subsequent phase and each phase incorporates at least 25 percent (by lot count) of the approved preliminary plat. The preliminary plat may also be extended with city council approval by filing a written request prior to the plat's expiration.