Pre-submittal meetings

The Planning and Development Department offers two different pre-submittal meeting options for individuals/firms who are interested in development in Spartanburg County. See these options below and contact staff to schedule.

Collaborative Development Review Meetings


The Planning and Development Department offers Collaborative Development Review Meetings for prospective developers to receive guidance from applicable review agencies. 

These meetings are a vital function in the development review process as the first point of contact prior to the formal submittal and are designed to review Sketch Plans and explain the County’s development review process by assisting applicants in the successful navigation of procedures and regulations. Each meeting will bring together relevant review agencies and County staff in a collaborative effort to provide review and comments including, Zoning, Subdivision, Floodplain Management, Storm Water, Roads, Architectural Design Standards, Signage, Landscape, Open Space, Land Development Management, Right-of-Way Encroachment, Building and Fire Codes, water service, and sewer service. 

During the Collaborative Development Review meeting, the applicant and review agencies will identify design concerns and other applicable ordinance requirements. Provided that all applicable Sketch Plan requirements (see below) are correctly shown on the proposed plan, a Letter of Reasonable Assurance will be provided to the applicant that Planning and Zoning requirements can be met. If the plan presented does not address all required Sketch Plan items, then a letter with contingencies will be provided to the applicant. The Letter of Reasonable Assurance provided will only address Planning and Zoning requirements, however all review comments will be included with the letter following the meeting.  All applicable agency approvals and requirements must be met prior to formal approval. This meeting is offered at the beginning of the process to give the developer assurance that engineering designs may be started with reasonable assurance that no new planning/zoning requirements will be added unless the Sketch Plan changes.

Meeting times will be available weekly in the Planning and Development Department, and there is no fee for this meeting. 

A Sketch Plan is a layout and design that includes all information required to confirm that the Plan will meet the requirements of the Performance Zoning Ordinance, the Unified Land Management Ordinance, and/or Subdivision Regulations, whichever is applicable. 


After a Collaborative Development Review Meeting, the applicant will be given correspondence regarding the status of the presented design and layout that includes comments from the attending departments/agencies.  Once the Sketch Plan meets the requirements of the zoning and land development ordinances, the applicant will be given reasonable assurance that, barring any changes to the design and layout, the County will approve the resulting Site Plan or Preliminary Plat.  Additionally, any of the above items not addressed on the Sketch Plan will result in contingencies added to the letter provided to the applicant.

A complete submittal for this meeting includes the following:

  • CDRM Request Form
  • Digital Sketch Plan or Preliminary Plat *Plans can be emailed to Development Staff and paper copies should be dropped off for review.
  • CDRM Calendar

 To schedule a Collaborative Development Review Meeting submit a completed CDRM Request Form, 1 paper copy of the Sketch Plan, and 1 digital copy to the Planning and Development Department. 

Pre-Application Meetings


The Planning and Development Department offers informal pre-application meetings to give guidance in the application of Spartanburg County Subdivision and Zoning Ordinances upon request. Planning Staff will work with citizens in person, conduct virtual meetings, or conduct conference calls to ensure we meet the needs of the public. Pre-Application Meetings are especially helpful for applicants who may not be far enough into the design process to attend Collaborative Development Review Meetings.

Comments made by staff at a pre-application meeting are made solely for preliminary informational purposes, providing guidance and shall not be construed as an approval, denial, or agreement to approve. Failure of staff to identify any required permits or procedures at a pre-application conference shall not relieve the applicant of any such requirements nor constitute waiver of the requirement by the decision-making body.

Applicants who utilize the pre-application process are also encouraged to schedule and attend a Collaborative Development Review Meeting once they have completed a Sketch Plan or concept plan for their project.  

All applicants are encouraged to contact Planning Staff to discuss what pre-submittal meeting option will work best for their project.