Planning Division

March 19, 2020

Please note that public counter hours for the Community Development Department are currently suspended during the County Shelter at Home Order in light of the coronavirus. However, in order to provide the public with continuity of service while protecting both you and our employees, the Department remains open for business and inspections on the following schedule:  

Limited staffing will be available Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 8am -noon to receive new applications and perform inspections.  You can also contact staff by phone, email, and regular mail, though please excuse any delays in response. In addition, more information on the City’s response to the COVID-19 virus can be found on our website at www.morrobayca.gov/covid19. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all work through this public health crisis.


 The City of Morro Bay Planning Division is implementing the following revised Zoning Inquiry, Application, and Submittal procedures to protect the health and safety of the public and City employees:  

New Applications and Resubmittals:

  • Applicant to coordinate application drop off date and time with Planning Division.  garias@morrobayca.gov or ph: (805) 772-6264.
  • Submittal will be processed, and applicant will be notified of permit fees due
  • Collect fee via credit card by phone or slide check under Community Development Department door
  • Applications will be routed to applicable departments (no change in process)
  • Email comments will be provided by commenting departments to applicant (no change in process)
  • Applicant to coordinate resubmittal package with Planning staff via email.  
  • Once application is deemed complete, planning staff will notify the applicant of pending noticing date and timeline for permit issuance or Planning Commission scheduled date
  • Approved plans/documents will be emailed as pdf file with hardcopy to be mailed (no change in process)

Zoning Inquiries:


  • Counter questions for zoning inquiries or general planning questions will be responded to via phone or email. Ph: (805) 772-6261

Goals


Our goal is to provide the community with direction and guidance to achieve the goals and objectives set forth in the General Plan and Local Coastal Plan.

Objective


Our objective is to create and facilitate an effective partnership with the residents and businesses in the community by providing an open and transparent planning process with an emphasis on citizen involvement and participation that results in a fair, objective, predictable, and accountable planning process.

Guiding Principle


A guiding principle is that all new and remodeled development fit in to the small town scale of the community while preserving and strengthening the unique small coastal town image and character of Morro Bay. A continuing emphasis will be to promote and encourage sustainable development practices involving all aspects of green building techniques and materials, low impact development, and energy efficient development.

Services & Links