Guidelines for Building a New Facility in Lake County
Building a new facility in any location requires close collaboration with the local community.
Lake County and its municipalities pride themselves on being responsive to the business community and working with companies to approve projects as expeditiously as possible. Experience has shown, however, that projects move through the approval process fastest when there is early and continuous communication between the company and the local officials.
Companies working with Lake County Partners to expand or relocate to the area will find that our expertise helps to facilitate conversations with the local community and keep the project on schedule by foreseeing and addressing potential obstacles.
Initial Contact with the Local Community
The first step in building a new facility is to determine whether a project fits into a local community’s zoning and comprehensive plan. It is critical to include the community’s planning/building staff or officials at this early juncture. Local planning/building professionals will need to determine if your proposed project meets the guidelines laid out in their local zoning ordinance and comprehensive land use plan.
During this phase you will have the opportunity to discuss your conceptual plan and ideas. Staff will help you understand the following:
- Which uses are permitted on your selected site;
- Site planning concerns that may affect the layout and dimensions of your facility;
- Natural resource restraints that may affect siting or limit your ability to develop your site; and
- The overall feasibility of your project, from a planning standpoint.
Pre-Application Conference
At this stage, you will want to sit down with the planning/building staff to discuss your development proposal in greater detail. Staff will help you understand local zoning and permitting requirements, learn what zoning administration actions may be necessary to undertake your project and provide information regarding the development process and the documents needed to submit a complete application.
File Completed Application
The third step in the development process is to submit a completed application and necessary documentation to the planning/building department. Please be sure to follow instructions carefully – most governmental planning bodies will only accept applications if the file is 100% complete:
- All information requested in the application must be complete and accurate.
- All required drawings, architectural renderings and supporting documents must be submitted with the correct number of sets.
- Filing/application fee is paid.
When all of these requirements are met, the planning/building staff will set up a hearing date, inform you (applicant) of the hearing date and begin the administrative processing of the application.
Staff Review/Development Review
At this stage, staff members meet from various departments that may include Planning, Transportation, Health, Stormwater Management, Natural Resources, Parks, Police, Fire, and Public Safety. This gives staff members the opportunity to comment on the application and make suggestions/recommendations regarding the application. This process allows the applicant to gain some perspective on the proposed project and, more importantly, to work directly with the professionals tasked to provide assistance in regards to development.
Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals
After the applicant has made any recommended changes to the application, the applicant or the applicant’s representative is invited to present the application to the Plan Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals (if zoning changes are necessary). The Commission or Board members will comment and ask questions about the proposal and will receive comment from the general public. Planning/building staff will be on hand to assist with the presentation and to provide technical information and zoning ordinance interpretations for the Commission or Board.
After all testimony, the Commission/Board will make a recommendation on the application. Recommendations may include approval, approval with conditions or denial. The final recommendation is forwarded to the Village Board/City Council/County Board for final action.
Village Board/City Council/County Board
Again, the applicant will be allowed to present his/her application for consideration. The Village Board/City Council/County Board will comment and ask questions of the applicant and also provide for testimony from the general public.
Like the Plan Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals, the Village Board/City Council/County Board will make a recommendation on the application. At this stage the elected officials can accept the recommendation forwarded to them from the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals, or make another recommendation based on the strength of the presentation. Again, the recommendation will most likely be approval, approval with conditions or denial.
Zoning Certificate and Building Permit
The last step in the approval process is to obtain a zoning certificate and building permit. The zoning certificate ensures that the “use” of the property matches the Zoning Ordinance’s permitted uses for that zoning district. The applicant must also submit construction and engineering plans for review. Once approved, the local government will issue a building permit so that construction can begin.
For planning, building and zoning information for specific communities in Lake County click here.
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