Site development review is intended to promote orderly, attractive and harmonious development and the stability of land values and investments and the general welfare, by preventing the establishment of uses or the erection or maintenance of structures having unsightly, undesirable or obnoxious qualities which are not properly related to their sites, surroundings and traffic circulation in the vicinity, or which would not meet the specific intent clauses or performance standard requirement of the zoning title.

The Director, upon receipt of an application for site development review, shall make such investigations as are necessary to determine whether or not the proposed use or structure conforms or may be conditioned to conform fully to the regulations for the district as herein set forth.

Such investigations shall include reports, upon referral, to other departments of the City, and any other public agency or district concerned.

If, in the opinion of the Director, the proposed use may cause the emission of dangerous or objectionable noise, odors, lights, dust, smoke or vibrations, the Director, with the consent of the applicant, may refer the application for investigation and report to one or more expert consultant(s) who shall report in writing to the Director and a copy of such report shall be furnished to the applicant. The applicant shall be required to pay the fee for services of the consultant(s).

At the conclusion of such investigation, the Director shall prepare a report thereon which shall be submitted to the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission shall hold a public hearing for any application for a site development review permit. Notice of the public hearing shall be given pursuant to Section 18.52.082.

Applications to modify any site development review approval or any condition of approval shall be subject to the same procedures and regulations as those applicable to the original application.

In the event a site development review application is approved on property previously affected by a site development review approval, the previous approval and its conditions shall be null and void.

A site development review approval shall be valid for one year following the date on which the application became effective. The approval shall become null and void unless prior to the expiration of the year a building permit is issued by the Building Department and construction is commenced and diligently pursued toward completion on the site which was the subject of the site development review application or a certificate of occupancy is issued by the Building Department for the site or structure which was the subject of the site development review application. The phrase "construction is commenced" shall be defined for the purposes of this provision to mean the progress of actual building activity on the site in accordance with a valid building permit to a point such that the first inspection under the Uniform Building Code has been completed, including, but not necessarily limited to, the inspection of installed footings, reinforced steel, utility, plumbing, and electrical conduits and/or services and all other work or activity customarily and typically inspected prior to the first pouring of foundation concrete. Completion of only site preparation activities such as site clearance, grading or excavation without commencement of actual building activity shall not constitute commencement of construction.

In the case where site development review approval was granted either concurrently with, or subsequently consistent with, an approved residential tentative map, the site development review approval shall be valid through the duration of the tentative map, as specified by Section 66452.6 of the California State Subdivision Map Act.

Following the denial of a site development review application, no application for the same or substantially the same project on the same or substantially the same site shall be filed within one year from the date of denial of the application.