Community Development Director (CDD) actions are minor administrative actions specified in a variety of sections of the Zoning Ordinance or broader Municipal code. For example, the following proposals require CDD action:
The above list is meant to be illustrative, not comprehensive. Please consult the regulations for your specific location (see Public GIS and Zoning Ordinance links to the right) to confirm whether a CDD action may be required.
Prospective applicants should reach out to PlanningDept@menlopark.gov to initiate the CDD action submittal process. Staff will confirm that the proposed use requires a CDD action and work with the applicant to submit all required documents. See the application submittal guidelines(PDF, 460KB) for more information about typical requirements. As part of the intake process, staff will schedule a meeting with the applicant to review the proposal and coordinate next steps.
The applicant will also be asked to create an account on the online permit center, if they don't already have one. At the conclusion of this phase, staff will create a record in the City's online permit center and invoice any required fees.
As specified on the fees and payments page, the applicant submits payment online for all invoiced fees. Fee amounts are specified in the master fee schedule, and fees should only be paid on the official City online permit center. Review of the proposal is paused while fee payment is pending.
Following fee payment, a Planning Division staff member will be assigned to oversee the proposal, and they will commence detailed review. Within 30 days, staff will confirm whether the application is complete/consistent and thus ready for action, or whether corrections/augmentations are required. In the latter case, a letter specifying all questions or issues will be issued, and the application will go into "pending resubmittal" status. Once the applicant resubmits via the online permit center, the staff review cycle will start again. Note that multiple rounds of review could be required before a proposal is ready for action.
Once the application has been deemed complete/consistent, the assigned Planning Division staff member will work with the CDD to finalize the formal action, which will include the required findings and any conditions of approval.
Depending on the request type, the CDD action may or may not include an explicit appeal period.
Although they are generally administrative in nature, Community Development Director actions (CDD actions) are distinct from administrative permits, which have unique procedures/findings.