The Planning Division serves as staff to the City Planning Board and is responsible for the preparation of the Board’s meeting agendas and minutes, as well as the processing and review of applications to the Board for approval of Subdivisions, Site Plans, and Conditional Use Permits. The Planning Division conducts research, prepares reports and presentations on the City’s Master Plan which is adopted and amended by the Planning Board. The Division also prepares reports and presentations on amendments to the Board’s Subdivision and Site Plan Review Regulations, and administers the Public Capital Facilities Impact Fee Ordinance on behalf of the Planning Board which hears any appeals under this ordinance.

The Planning Division also provides staff support to the Conservation Commission, the Heritage Commission, and the Design Review Committee, and is responsible for the preparation of meeting agendas and minutes for each, as well as the processing of any applications to the same. The Conservation Commission reviews and makes recommendations on all State Dredge and Fill Applications within the City, as well as all Conditional Use Permit Applications that relate to wetlands, floodplains, shorelands, and bluffs. The Planning Division also assists the Commission in the planning, acquisition, and management of open space, as well as the management of the Commission’s Forestry, Trails, and Street Tree Programs.

The Heritage Commission is the regulatory body for any proposed construction within the City’s Historic District, and also is empowered on a Citywide basis under the Demolition Delay Ordinance. The Planning Division provides assistance to the Commission on the former, while Code Division provides assistance under the latter ordinance.

The Design Review Committee is an advisory committee comprised of local architects, landscape architects, and historic preservation professionals who were convened by the Planning Board to provide recommendations on design and aesthetic issues of applications pursuant to the provisions for Architectural Design Review as found in the City’s Zoning Ordinance.