Planning Commission review.
Riverside Municipal Code § 18.150.110
in effect18.150.110 - Planning Commission review.
A. Referrals to the Planning Commission from the Community & Economic Development Director or City Surveyor.
1. An application for a parcel map, lot line adjustment, lot consolidation, lot merger/unmerger, parcel map waiver, certificate of compliance or time extension referred to the Planning Commission by the Community & Economic Development Director or City Surveyor shall be reviewed and acted upon by the Planning Commission acting in the capacity of Community & Economic Development Director or City Surveyor within 60 days following the filing of the completed application with the Planning Division or Public Works Department in accordance with the following procedure:
a. Notice. Notice of the date, time, place and purpose of the public meeting before the Planning Commission shall be given by mailing a notice, not less than ten days prior to the date of such hearing, to the owner of the subject property or to said owner's duly authorized agent and to the project applicant, and to each affected agency, and to all owners of real property as shown on the latest equalized assessment roll abutting the real property which is the subject of the hearing. Real property shall be considered abutting the subject property for the purpose of requiring notice if only separated by a public right-of-way and, except for such public right-of-way, the real properties would be abutting.
b. Review. At the time set for hearing, the Planning Commission shall receive a written report from the Community & Economic Development Director and/or City Surveyor setting forth the facts and circumstances of the case. The applicant and any other interested party shall have an opportunity to present testimony orally and/or in writing. The Planning Commission may conditionally approve or deny the application. For lot line adjustments or lot consolidations the Planning Commission may conditionally approve the application provided it finds that the parcels are contiguous, no additional parcels will be created, the resulting parcels comply with all applicable requirements of Title 19 of this Code unless in conjunction therewith modifications are approved pursuant to Chapter 18.230 Modifications, and the proposed adjustment or consolidation and the resulting parcels comply with applicable requirements as to area, improvement and design, floodwater drainage control, appropriate improved public roads, sanitary disposal facilities, water supply availability, environmental protection, and other requirements of this title unless in conjunction therewith modifications are approved pursuant to Chapter 18.230 Modifications.
c. Conditions. The Planning Commission may impose conditions on the application. However, the City Planning Commission can only impose such conditions to its conditional approval of the lot line adjustment or to its conditional approval of the lot consolidation as may be necessary to conform to the City's Zoning and building regulations including those regulations applicable to the issuance of a building permit as set forth in Section 13.16.060, to require the prepayment of real property taxes prior to the approval of the lot line adjustment, or to facilitate the relocation of existing utilities, infrastructure or easements. No tentative map, parcel map, or final map shall be required as a condition of the approval of a lot line adjustment or a lot consolidation.
d. Effective date; appeal. The decision of the Planning Commission to conditionally approve or deny an application shall be final and effective ten days following its decision unless the applicant or any other interested person files a notice of appeal to the City Council within this time in accordance with the procedures as hereinafter set forth. An appeal shall stay the decision of the Planning Commission until final action by the City Council.
B. Tentative tract, vesting and reversion to acreage maps.
1. The Planning Commission shall consider tentative tract and tentative vesting maps, the accompanying drawings and statements, and the report and recommendations of the Subdivision Committee on the proposed subdivision within 50 days of the filing of a complete application for the map and shall approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the map and shall report its action in writing to the subdivider. Failure to act within said 50 days shall be deemed approval of the tentative map insofar as it complies with other applicable requirements of this title, Title 19, and other applicable provisions of the Municipal Code (California Government Code Section 66452.1 and 66452.4).
2. The Planning Commission action shall be based on conformity of the tentative tract or tentative vesting map with this title, with other applicable Codes, Title 19, the quality of the design of the subdivision, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods and the natural environment. The Planning Commission shall not approve a map unless it has found that the proposed subdivision, together with the provisions for its design and improvement, is consistent with the General Plan.
3. The Planning Commission shall deny approval of the tentative tract or tentative vesting map if it makes any of the following findings:
a. That the proposed map is not consistent with applicable General and Specific Plans as specified in Section 65451;
b. That the design or improvement of the proposed subdivision is not consistent with applicable General and Specific Plans.
c. That the site is not physically suitable for the type of development;
d. That the site is not physically suitable for the proposed density of development;
e. That the design of the subdivision or the proposed improvements are likely to cause substantial environmental damage or substantially and avoidably injure fish or wildlife or their habitat;
f. That the design of the subdivision or type of improvements is likely to cause serious public health problems.
g. That the design of the subdivision or the type of improvements will conflict with easements, acquired by the public at large, for access through or use of, property within the proposed subdivision. In this connection, the governing body may approve a map if it finds that alternate easements, for access or for use will be provided, and that these will be substantially equivalent to ones previously acquired by the public. This subsection shall apply only to easements of record or to easements established by judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction and no authority is hereby granted to a legislative body to determine that the public at large has acquired easements for access through or use of property within the proposed subdivision.
If the map is disapproved by the Planning Commission, the subdivider shall be furnished with the statement of the reasons for such disapproval. If the map is conditionally approved, the subdivider shall be furnished with a complete statement of the conditions of approval.
(Ord. 7459 § 54, 2019; Ord. 7341 §7, 2016; Ord. 6968 §1, 2007)
Source: City of Riverside, California, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ca/riverside/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_TIT18SU_ARTIVREFIAPPR_CH18.150GEAPPRPR_18.150.110PLCOREFetched: 11/1/2026