Residents' Role in Development Review#
Welcome to the Residents' Role in Development Review page!#
The City of Fort Collins is committed to supporting you in understanding new development projects happening our community.
Learn how to stay informed about new development projects and how your feedback will be used.
Looking for more ways to get involved? Find opportunities related to Planning and Development here.
Why Development Review?#
As cities and towns grow and change, local governments make sure these changes meet the needs of the community. These needs can include:
- safety and welfare of residents
- high-quality, consistent design
- protection of environmental resources
- public roads, sewers, streetlights and other infrastructure
Learn about the process and how to plug in:#
The Development Review Process#
* Timeline is for an "average" project. Depending on the project, it could take 2-4 months or up to 5-10 years.
The Building Review Process#
*Timeline is for an "average" project. Depending on the project, this could take 1 month or up to several years.
The Development Review Process and the Building Review Process#
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Someone has an idea about building something new on land they own or would like to buy.
They can talk to City departments all at once during a Conceptual Design Review meeting.
During this meeting they will learn if their idea might work.
The person with the idea might need to have a meeting with neighbors too.
*About half of the project ideas in this phase will not move forward.
Our Promises to Residents:
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We will keep you informed when we have Conceptual Design Review meetings.
- Email newsletter, This Week in Development Review.
- Application summaries posted on our webpage.
- We will keep you informed and listen to your concerns if there is a Neighborhood Meeting.
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We will keep you informed when we have Conceptual Design Review meetings.
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Someone decides they will build something new on land they own or would like to buy. They send their plans to the City and pay their fees. The person or team who are hoping to build something new are called Applicants.
City staff check the plans to see if they meet all the City's rules.
City staff returns the plans with a list of changes that need to be made in order to follow the City's rules.
The Applicant fixes the plans.
This happens again and again until the plan meets all the rules.
Our Promises to Residents:
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We will keep you informed when someone applies to do a project.
- Email newsletter, This Week in Development Review.
- Plan summaries posted on our webpage.
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We will keep you informed when someone applies to do a project.
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When a project meets all the city’s rules, it can be approved.
Projects making smaller changes may be approved by the Director of the Community Development and Neighborhood Services Department.
Projects making larger changes may be approved by an Administrative Hearing Officer.
Projects making the largest changes allowed under the Land Use Code may be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Our Promises to Residents:
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We will keep you informed when a project has been approved by the Director of the Community Development and Neighborhood Services Department.
- Letters will be mailed to neighboring property owners when a decision has been made.
- Decisions posted on our webpage.
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We will keep you informed and listen to your concerns when a project is being considered by an Administrative Hearing Officer or by the Planning and Zoning Commission. We will keep you informed if a project is approved by either of these.
- Letters will be mailed to neighboring property owners prior to a hearing.
- You may attend a hearing and speak to the decisionmaker. You may also email, mail, or drop off your written comments prior to the hearing.
- You may watch a recording of the hearing.
- Letters will be mailed to neighboring property owners when a decision has been made.
- Hearing information and decisions will be posted on our webpage and in the This Week in Development Review newsletter.
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We will keep you informed when a project has been approved by the Director of the Community Development and Neighborhood Services Department.
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If a new land use has been approved, the project plans will need to meet more rules for very technical details. These are things like the type of concrete used to build sidewalks, or the height of curbs and gutters around driveways.
City staff will check the plans and return edits to the applicant. This will happen again and again until the plan meets all the rules.
There is no public participation in this phase. It is strictly an interaction finalizing technical drawings and plans between the City and a private property owner.
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When the final plans have been approved, they will be filed and recorded with Larimer County and/or with the City.
There is no public participation in this phase. When the final plans have been filed and recorded, they will be public records which are available for anyone to find.
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Now things like roads or sidewalks may be built. Street trees may be planted. Erosion and sediment controls may be put in.
There is no public participation in this phase.
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![Arrow pointing right with a symbol indicating a cycle, indicating a cycle of building permit review.]()
Building plans will be checked for safety to make sure they meet all the City’s rules.
You may check on the status of any building permit.
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While the project is being built, the City will inspect it to make sure it is being built according to the plans and codes.
After the project is built and has passed all of its final inspections, the project will get a Certificate of Occupancy. This means the project is ready for people to start using it.
There is no public participation in this phase.
Residents' Toolbox#
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The Proposals Page contains a complete list of all development proposals that are currently being reviewed by City staff, as well as information on upcoming events where the public can engage:
- Conceptual/Preliminary Design Reviews
- Neighborhood Meetings
- Development Proposals currently under review
- Hearings and Decisions
- Minor Amendments
To search for development proposals currently being reviewed and to learn more about them, scroll to the "Development Proposals Under Review" section and search by address, name, project number, sign number or keyword. Each proposal entry includes a brief description, a link to the public records archive to view documents related to the submittal, and staff and applicant contact information.
*The Proposals page only includes proposals from the current year.
For information on proposals from previous years, visit: https://www.fcgov.com/developmentreview/proposals/archive#amendments-heading -
All documents submitted by applicants for a development proposal and responses from City staff are public documents. They can be found in the City's Public Records Archive. These documents often include:
- Site plans
- Transportation Impact Studies
- Utilities Plans
- A narrative about the project from the applicants
- And much more...
Hint- when searching in the Archive, using the project's name or address may not work. The best way to search is by clicking "Project Number Search" and using the alpha-numerical project number. You can find these numbers in mailings sent by the City or on the Proposals page.
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If you find that this website doesn't fully answer your questions or give you the tools you need, City staff is always available to help.
The first person to reach out to is the Neighborhood Development Liaison. This person is the public face of Development Review, and exists to support members of the public throughout the process by hosting neighborhood meetings, sharing important information, providing customer service and collecting public input.
This Week in Development Review Newsletter#
Click the Newsletters button at the top of this page to subscribe to our This Week in Development Review email newsletter
Don't miss out on upcoming events! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly information on development that may impact you.
Every week, there are new proposals going through the Development Review process at the City of Fort Collins, and every week the City hosts events for residents to get involved in them. The TWIDR email newsletter was created to help any member of the public learn more about Development Review and stay in the loop about what's going on in their City.