Staff Hearing Officer - May 1, 2024

The main goal of the Staff Hearing Officer SHO program, which was created in 2006, is to improve and simplify the discretionary planning process for projects that are generally non-controversial and do not involve major land use policy considerations. The benefits include freeing up Planning Commission time to spend on projects with broader community and policy issues. It also enables staff to put their resources into the larger projects, while streamlining the smaller, less complex ones.
General Functions
The Staff Hearing Officer reviews projects which involve Modifications, Performance Standard Permits, Development Plan approvals 1,000-3,000 sq. ft., lot line adjustments, select Coastal Development Permits, minor amendments to conditions of approval, and adoption of Negative Declarations for SHO eligible projects. The SHO’s purview also includes time extensions for tentative subdivision maps, commercial condominiums, new commercial condominiums 3,000 sq. ft., select minor subdivisions, and residential condominium conversion 4 units or less.