The City of Gainesville has a Design Review Committee (DRC) whose purpose is to review commercial project plans.  This review is in addition to the normal plan review process conducted by the Building Official and the Fire Marshal, which is an in-depth Technical Codes review. 

The DRC is composed of the City Manager, the Building Official, The Community Services Director, the Fire Chief, the Fire Marshal, the Director of Public Services, the Chief of Police and the Registered Sanitarian for projects involving food or related services.

The following issues will be addressed at DRC meetings:

1. Site plan of the project.
2. Storm water drainage plan and calculations.
3. Location and size of water and sewer lines.
4. Fire hydrants and fire lanes.
5. Streets and sidewalks.
6. Zoning and subdivision issues.
7. Floodplain and sign code issues.
8. Electrical service and site lighting.
9. Development Corridor issues.
10. Landscaping and dumpster locations.
11. TXDOT Approach Permits.
12. Historical, archeological or wetlands impact.
13. TCEQ Permits.
14. Health Code or ADA issues.
15. Tree Preservation Ordinance
16. Any miscellaneous related issues.

The Codes and Regulations that most frequently apply to both DRC review and Technical Plan review are as follows:

1. 2003 International Building Code, with local amendments, as adopted by the City Council and State Law.
2. 2000 International Fire, Plumbing, Gas, and Mechanical Codes with local Amendments adopted by the City Council.
3. 2006 International Energy Conservation Code with local Amendments, as adopted by the City Council and by State Law.
4. 2005 National Electric Code with local Amendments as adopted by the City Council and State Law.
5. 2000 International Residential Code with local Amendments as adopted by the City Council and State Law.
6. The City of Gainesville Code of Ordinances.
7. The City of Gainesville Zoning Ordinance with Amendments.
8. The City of Gainesville Subdivision Ordinance.
9. The City of Gainesville Storm Water Drainage Ordinance as administered by Public Works.
10. The North Central Texas Council of Governments Standards for Public Works Construction.
11. The City of Gainesville Landscaping Ordinance.
12. The City of Gainesville Floodplain Ordinance.
13. The City of Gainesville Nuisance Ordinance.
14. The I-35 Development Corridor Regulations.
15. The Grand Avenue Development Corridor Regulations.
16. The West U.S. Highway 82 Development Corridor Regulations.
17. Main Street Committee or Historical Committee if needed.
18. Airport Board Approval if needed.
19. The City of Gainesville Health Code.
20. The City of Gainesville 2006 Sign Code.
21. TXDOT approach permit regulations.
22. Texas Department of Architectural Barriers Handicapped Requirements.

DRC Meetings shall be scheduled on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 9 AM. They shall be held in the Emergency Operations Center at the Public Safety Building at 201 Santa Fe Street. When a DRC meeting is scheduled, the project design package should be substantially complete with any of the following that apply to your project:

1. Site plan showing all existing and proposed structures, entrances and exits to property, fire lanes, dumpster locations, sign locations and parking, along with sufficient dimensions to clarify site details.

2. Landscape plan and site lighting.

3. Drainage plan and calculations in accordance with the Public Works Ordinance.
   
   
4. Water and sewer line locations and profiles.  Also fire hydrant locations.

5. Details for any streets or sidewalks.

6. Plats for any utility easements.

7. TXDOT approach permit.

8. Floodplain map and flood study.

9. TCEQ permit or application for permit.

For larger projects, a “preliminary” DRC meeting  will be scheduled for the purpose of establishing contact with the City Staff.  This would be for the purpose of giving you as much correct information at the start of your project as possible.  The final DRC would be scheduled at a later date for final review by the Staff.  Projects that require Planning and Zoning Approval will be scheduled to appear before the Commission at the next possible meeting.  After Planning and Zoning approval, projects that require City Council approval will then be scheduled to appear before the Council.

The following additional information is provided for your information concerning these review processes:

1. All commercial projects now require a DRC meeting. There is a fee for this service that is charged in accordance with the current City of Gainesville Fee Schedule. The project will only be charged one fee even if there is more than one meeting for your project.  The current fee is $300.00. The fee shall be added to your building permit fees.

2. No building permits will be issued until Public Works has approved the storm water drainage plan and calculations.  If Public Works sends the project’s storm water plan to their consulting engineer for review, a fee for that service will be added to your building permit. The current fee for this is $200.00.

3. If you are building in the I-35,  the Grand Avenue or West Highway 82 Development Corridors, your plans must be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.  There is a fee for the Planning and Zoning Review which is payable at the time of the submittal of the application for their review. The current fee for this is $375.00.

4. If a Zoning change request or a Subdivision Plat is required, there is a fee for these services that is payable at the time of the submittal of an application for these services.  The current fee for a rezoning request is $500.00, and the fee for both preliminary and final subdivision plats is $800.00 each.

5. There is a Plan Review Fee for the Technical Code review done by the Fire Marshal and the Building Official which is included on the building permit.  The fee for it is one half of the Building Permit fees.  In the event that the plans for the Fire Sprinkler System or other complicated plan review is done by a third party, the fees for the third party review are to be paid to the third party in accordance with their company policy.

6. All commercial plans are required to be done by an Architect, Engineer or Design Professional licensed to practice in the State of Texas.

7. A copy of the project plans must be submitted to the Texas Architectural Barriers Commission in Austin within five days of when they are sealed by the design professional.  A copy of the Texas Architectural Barriers (TAB) confirmation letter from Austin is to be submitted with your plans.

8. A copy of the energy code calculations is to be submitted with your project plans.

9. An approved copy of any required floodplain study is required to be submitted with the project plans. The current application fee for a Floodplain Plan Review is $175.00, and does not include any engineering or other fees.

10. A copy of any TXDOT approach permits is to be submitted with the project plans.

11. Fire sprinkler and fire alarm plans are to be submitted to the Fire Marshal for review and will be on separate permits issued by the Building Inspection Department after approval is received.  The current fee for a fire sprinkler permit is $50.00 plus  $1.00 per sprinkler head.  The current alarm system fee is $25.00.

12. The City of Gainesville has exclusive solid waste disposal rights.  All construction debris is to be disposed of in dumpsters obtained from the Sanitation Department.  It is generally unlawful to dispose of waste by burying or burning, as TCEQ or Fire Department regulations apply.

13. Stated fees are subject to change by the City Council as needed.

14. An asbestos survey is required for any commercial demolition or remodeling projects prior to the issuance of a permit.

DRC meetings will be scheduled by the Director of Community Services, the Building Official or the Fire Marshal.  To schedule, please call or come by to see one of us at:

Community Services Director (Vacant) 214 E. Main Street Gainesville, TX 76240

Roy Lewis Building Official 214 E. Main Street Gainesville, TX 76240

Jody Henry Fire Marshal 201 Santa Fe Gainesville, TX 76240

No building or site work permits will be issued without the necessary approvals from Public Works, other Commissions or the City Council when required.  When the Building Permit is issued, it will be a combination permit that covers building, plumbing, electric and mechanical work.  The permit fee is based on the square footage of the building(s) under roof plus an administration fee. All contractors are required to register with the City.  The basic building permit fee is $150.00 plus .18 cents per square foot under roof.  The Contractor Registration Fee for registering the first time is $187.50.

No permits are issued for building in new subdivisions until street and infrastructure improvements are made and approved by the City Utility Inspector, and the final plat is filed.

A Certificate of Occupancy is required at the end of the project.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with these issues.