How Do I Submit a Site Plan?

PROCEDURES FOR ENGINEERED COMPREHENSIVE SITE PLAN REVIEW

Last updated: January 24, 2023

PREREQUISITES FOR SITE PLAN REVIEW

Prior to submitting a site plan for review, the following prerequisites must be completed. Coordinate with the relevant department for each submission. If desired, appropriate review staff will meet with the plan designer/owner to discuss the plan. Such a meeting is not intended for technical review of the plans. It will, however, allow for a brief review of the plans or interpretation of City standards.

Determination of Need for a Traffic Impact Analysis

Public Works (540-434-5928 / traffic@harrisonburgva.gov)

Any development requiring a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) shall complete the TIA process before proceeding with the site plan submission process. Improvements called for in the approved TIA shall be shown on the final plans. Refer to the City Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) and the separate TIA procedures, both available on the City’s website. Upon completion of this process Public Works staff will provide the applicant with a statement of TIA approval, or written confirmation that a TIA is not needed. This documentation is then to be provided with the formal plan submission.

Preliminary Fire Chief’s Review

Community Development (540-432-7700 / siteplanreview@harrisonburgva.gov)

A pre-submission review of the plans by the Fire Chief is required. This review may be accomplished by submitting preliminary plans to the Department of Community Development, in sufficient detail to show the general layout of proposed facilities, including buildings, parking areas, entrances, travelways and the water system. Fire flow information is also required. A copy of the Fire Chief’s pre-submission application/checklist is attached. Approval by the Fire Chief is prerequisite to final plan submission. The purpose of this review is to allow the general fire protection scheme to be reviewed before the review of the final plans. Preliminary Fire Chief’s Review submittals should be sent via email to siteplanreview@harrisonburgva.gov.

Preliminary Engineering Report

Public Utilities (540-434-9959 / email) 

An approved Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) is required for each development that includes a building requiring fire protection, prior to proceeding with the site plan submission process. The PER shall address the capacity in both the water and sanitary sewer systems. Information on the PER requirements can be found in Section 4.3 of the City DCSM. Upon completion of this process Public Utilities staff will provide the applicant with a statement of PER approval. This documentation is then to be provided with the formal plan submission.

FINAL PLAN SUBMITTAL

Final plans will be accepted for review upon receipt of the following items. Note that all items except payment are to be provided in electronic form (PDF): 

1. Completed Application for Site Plan Review [125KB] and Completed Fee Form [18KB];
2. Applicable review fees (site plan, E&S, SWM); 
3. Sealed and signed plans at appropriate scale (as needed for final printing); 
4. Calculations and water/sewer report as applicable (see DCSM Appendix C [350KB]);
5. Water Service calculations (See DCSM 4-27A & 4-27B);
6. Certified checklist [173KB](see DCSM Appendix B – note that checklist’s call for printed copies is N/A); 
7. Completion of fire protection review from Fire Chief and evidence of compliance with review comments; 
8. Acceptance of the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) by Public Utilities (where applicable) and evidence of acceptance by letter from Public Utilities (see DCSM).
9. Accepted Determination of Need for TIA form (when TIA is needed) or TIA acceptance letter (when TIA is required and completed), as applicable. 

Submittal Process

1. Notify Community Development of the intent to submit final plans for review via email to siteplanreview@harrisonburgva.gov.
2. Community Development staff will create a unique folder in MS Teams for the proposed submittal and respond with the link.
3. Upload all submittal documents to the assigned Teams folder. 

Procedures

1. Within 8 days of the date the plans are accepted for review, the City will complete a cursory review of the plans in order to identify significant problems or plan deficiencies which will warrant an Acceptance Withheld (AW) designation. If such problems exist, the City will determine whether review of the plans must be terminated, or that review can continue. The plan designer will be notified at that time of the plan status. If staff has agreed that plan review can proceed, the choice to terminate or proceed with review becomes the decision of the plan designer. Continuance of review would allow the designer to obtain comments on other aspects of the plans. Also, it should be noted that acceptance of plans could still be withheld (AW) at the end of 18 days, even though the cursory review did not identify significant deficiencies. 
2. City staff will strive to complete the comprehensive review within 21 calendar days of the date the plans are accepted for review. However, review time may be delayed when plan review load is heavy. Applicants are encouraged to check with the City Engineer’s office to inquire on recent review times before committing to a construction schedule. Review comments from the City staff will be detailed in a letter and referenced to the plan at the appropriate location. The letter will be addressed to the plan designer and copied to the owner or developer as appropriate. 
3. Plans which are designated upon completion of review as “Acceptance Withheld (AW)” will be placed on the same schedule upon resubmission as are new plans and will be subjected to resubmission fees. Plan substitutions made after the original submission will also be processed as a new submission. 
4. Plans which are designated upon completion of review as “Accepted Upon Minor Revision (AR)” will be reviewed and comments made available within five working days of resubmission. Review of such resubmitted plans will typically be accomplished by the City Engineer’s Office. Other staff members will be consulted, if necessary, and may be available for direct communication with applicant to resolve final comments. Again, such review may be delayed during times of heavy load. 
5. Plans submitted solely for review of erosion control and stormwater management will be subject to the above policies. 
6. Letters of transmittal will indicate specific requirements for resubmission and/or permitting, depending on plan status.  Note that permit issuance may be subject to other requirements beyond plan approval, including but not necessarily limited to, bonding, easement dedications, BMP Maintenance Agreement, Stormwater General Permit registration statement, stormwater management permitting fee, pre-construction meeting.
7. Once the stormwater management plan has been accepted the registration statement for coverage under the Stormwater General Permit shall be submitted to Community Development along with the Stormwater Management Permit Fee.  Community Development personnel will input the required information into the DEQ Stormwater Management Database.  Once the registration statement is certified by the City, DEQ will issue a permit coverage letter by e-mail or by U.S. Mail (as requested by the operator).
8. The above policies will be exercised for all site plans required under Section 1.3.1 of the City Design and Construction Standards Manual.