In an effort that began in early 2015, the City of Rocklin has continued to investigate methods to increase transparency and expedite public notification in the planning process.

The City already provides more than twice the amount of public notification required by the State of California, and now the City has added an additional tool for the public to see development applications as quickly as possible.

The California Government Code typically requires that general law cities comply with only two of the following three methods for public notification of development applications:

1. Place a public notice in the newspaper of location circulation.
2. Place public notice signage at the site of the development application.
3. Mail a public notice to all property owners (per tax rolls) within 300 feet of the site of the development application. The City of Rocklin completes all of the notifications methods generally required by the California Government Code. The City also exceeds the notification requirement by providing the following:
4. Post public notice of each project on the city website when it is scheduled for a Planning Commission hearing.
5. Post a public notice at the City Hall public information board.
6. Post additional and enlarged signs at a proposed development site as appropriate to increase visibility.

“The City’s latest method of public notification allows community members to see project information at the earliest possible time in the development application process,” stated Marc Mondell, the City’s Director of Economic and Community Development. “The City Planning Department now makes available the development applications when they are received and referred to other agencies such as schools and public safety for review.”

Community members may view all new development applications by navigating to the Planning Department page on the City’s website and selecting “Current Applications” or by clicking here.

In addition to using the six methods above to notify the public, the Planning Department makes available to the community the staff report prepared for the Planning Commission and/or City Council at the time a project is noticed for public hearing. This allows the community to see the Planning Department’s analysis and recommendation at the same time it is provided to the Commission and/or City Council.

For more information about the planning process, contact the City of Rocklin Planning Department at (916) 625-5160 or follow this link.