About
To provide an effective and efficient service and to be of assistance to the citizens of Imperial County in understanding and carrying out the Regulations of the County and applicable State and Federal Laws as they relate to Land Use and Development.
To implement health and safety regulations for the equal protection and benefit of all residents and visitors.
The Planning & Development Services Department has a number of responsibilities. These include the long-range planning handled by the Land Use Planning Division and Code Enforcement handled by the Building Inspection Division. All of which are supported by an excellent administrative and accounting staff.
The past five years have seen an extremely significant pace in the development of the housing sector in the Imperial County, not only in the unincorporated areas but also in the various Cities. We have an up-to-date General Plan with optional elements such as the Geothermal/Alternative Energy and Transmission Element, which supports different types of industry.
In 2009, the Parks & Recreation Division was transferred to our department and prior to a Parks & Recreation Element and a Parks & Recreation Commission was created to guide development of the Parks & Recreation Programs.
In recent years, we have seen significant interest in renewable energy development and are currently working with the Imperial Irrigation District and developers on a strategy to modify the General Plan to support desirable renewable energy projects such as geothermal, solar, wind, biomass, etc... The County also approved a major industrial area within the County known as the Mesquite Lake. We are currently working on plans in a partnership with the City of Imperial to develop the necessary infrastructure. Between the Mesquite Lake Industrial Park and the Gateway Industrial Park, the County has vast opportunities for industrial and some commercial development.
Organization
The Planning & Development Services Department is comprised of two divisions: the Planning Division and the Building Division.
The Planning Division oversees zoning, land use entitlements, and land use violations.
The Building Division oversees construction permitting, mobile home parks and code violations.
These two divisions are supported by staff in the Administrative and Accounting Divisions. The structure and staff can be seen in our Organizational Chart.