To assist in providing a definite plan of development for the City, and to guide, control and regulate the future growth of the City in accordance with the City's General Plan.

To protect the established character of the City and the social and economic stability of agriculture, residential, commercial, industrial, historical and other resource areas within the City which assures the orderly and beneficial development of such areas.

Commission Decisions. Any Councilmember may call up an action or decision of the Commission within the allowed appeal period by written request to the City Clerk. The request must state the reason for calling up the Commission action or decision. The City Clerk shall schedule the item at the next possible Council meeting. The Council shall decide by majority vote of those present if it intends to set a public hearing to consider the call up request.

Administrative Decisions.

Every application, appeal, or any other request for City action under this title shall be accompanied by a fee, or a deposit estimated to cover all the City's costs in connection therewith, which shall be established by the cost recovery fee policy and/or the City Council approved fee schedule, both of which may be amended by the Council from time to time. No application, appeal, or any other request for City action under this title shall be considered filed without payment of the established fee or deposit. Any fee or deposit required by this title shall be collected and deposited with the Planning and Building Department at the time of submittal of an application. Every application shall be submitted with any necessary agreement for payment of processing of fees, which may be required by the cost recovery fee policy. Refund of fees, if warranted, shall be in accordance with the cost recovery fee policy.

The City shall prescribe various application, agreement, and appeal forms and all applications and appeals shall be made on such forms.

A lot, for the purposes of applying the provisions of this title, shall be a parcel or unit of land which has been created under the provisions of the Subdivision Map Act, or CMC Title 16, or any law regulating the division of land.

All lots of a subdivision recorded in the office of the County Recorder and all lot sizes approved by the Planning Commission pursuant to the approval of a record of survey, whether recorded or not, shall retain their approved form and dimension unless subsequent subdivision, lot merger, or lot line adjustment is approved by the City and recorded with the County Recorder.

Two or more contiguous parcels or units of land held by the same owner, where any one of such contiguous parcels does not conform to standards for minimum parcel size and at least one of such nonconforming contiguous parcels is not developed with a building for which a building permit has been issued, shall be merged pursuant to CMC Title 16.

Any lot of record existing prior to May 3, 1957, shall be considered a legal building site.

Where a lot or a property under separate ownership is an existing lot of record created prior to the applicability of the Subdivision Map Act or any local ordinances and without privilege of other legal documents, it may continue to be considered as an individual lot for the purposes of applying the provisions of the zone in which said lot is located; provided, that a certificate of compliance is recorded with the County Recorder.

In interpreting and applying the provisions of this title, unless otherwise stated, the regulations shall be held to be the minimum requirements for the promotion and protection of the public safety, health and general welfare.

It is not intended that this title shall interfere with or abrogate or annul any easement, covenants, or other agreements now in effect; where the ordinance codified in this title imposes greater restrictions than are imposed or required by other ordinances, rules or regulations, or by easements, covenants or agreements, the provisions of this title shall apply.