The primary purpose of the Department of Community Development is to provide guidance and coordination for all land planning and development activities throughout the city and its sphere of influence. The Department provides staffing to the City's Planning Commission, Design Review Board and Zoning administrator, and coordinates project review by the City's Staff Review Committee.

The Department is composed of two Divisions, Planning and Building. The Planning Division provides current and advance planning needs, while the Building Division includes building plan check, inspection, and code enforcement.

PLANNING DIVISION

The Planning Division's current planning staff provides short range developmental planning functions, such as coordinating project review with other departments and public agencies, and processing requests for information from the public at the counter and over the phone. The current planning staff administers the provisions of the City's General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Old Towne Design Standards, Southwest Redevelopment Design Guidelines, and various planned community texts. The current planning staff provides primary staffing to the Planning Commission, Design Review Board, Zoning Administrator, and Staff Review Committee. They also provide staff to the Plaza Design Collaborative and Orange Park Acres Planning Committee.

The Planning Division's advance planning staff provides long range land planning and zoning administrator services. Their responsibilities include maintaining the City's General Plan, providing inter-agency coordination of major development projects relative to transportation and air quality, and annexation coordination related to both the unincorporated islands as well as the City's 18,000 acre unincorporated sphere of influence.

BUILDING DIVISION

The Building Division's staff provides public counter information and on-site inspection related to construction of new buildings, tenant improvements, or building rehabilitation. The Code Enforcement staff is responsible for the enforcement of the Municipal Code, Zoning Ordinance and Housing Codes on private property. Code Enforcement staff does not enforce vehicle code or penal code regulations.