Development Review Information

A Kick-Off Meeting is optional, but provides an opportunity for the customer and the City to work together to establish an open dialogue in the initial planning stages of a development project and gain a common understanding for the vision of the project. 

Every Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., the DRC staff will be available for a Kick-Off meeting. Please return the Kick-Off Meeting Submittal Form(PDF, 274KB)  by 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday for a meeting on Friday of the same week.

A Sketch Plan Pre-Application(PDF, 152KB) is the first step in the process of the subdivision of land and must occur every time a property owner wants to subdivide or consolidate land within the City of Ames subdivision jurisdiction, which is all of the area within the City, as well as two miles beyond the corporate limits. 

The development application, plans, required documents and fee are submitted to the Planning Department and are assigned to a Planner who will act as the project lead for the project. Planning applications are available online by following this link: Planning Applications. If you need assistance with an application, please contact the Planning office at 515-239-5400.

After receiving the application documents, the application is reviewed in detail by the assigned planner to ensure it is complete. A Completeness Letter is sent to the applicant confirming that the application is complete or if other information is needed.

Preliminary Comments are provided to the applicant listing revisions or additions needed to make the plans consistent with City codes, standards and policies. 

The Customer Meeting involves DRC staff and the customer's team to discuss the preliminary comments, resolve any issues, and if needed, help identify alternative ways of making the project work.

Final Comments are then documented and provided to the customer. 

Based on the Final Comments provided by staff, revised submittal documents may be required. If no changes are needed, the application will move on to Step 6.

After DRC has reviewed the following items, they are forwarded to a Board, Commission or City Council for further review and approval.