Assisting the community with land use and development.

The Planning Division provides a range of responsive services for the citizens of Coos Bay and the development community for matters pertaining to land development and community planning. The division is the primary source for public information on development in the City. Although not all development activity necessarily requires direct involvement with the planning staff and support services, they can usually guide inquiries and questions to the right person or entity. The Planning Division is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to answer your questions at the Front Office counter.  To meet with a Planner outside of this time, please call or email to schedule an appointment. To reach the Planning Division, call 541-269-8918 or email permits@coosbayor.gov.

The Planning Division implements the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Development Code. The Comprehensive Plan identifies the community's land use vision. The Development Code implements the community vision by identifying the regulatory side of land use and development activity. For example, information on where to build or add on to structures to ensure compliance with zoning, property setbacks, lot coverage, parking, and other regulations. This helps the City develop in a coordinated and organized manner that benefits not only individual property owners but adds to our community’s vitality. The Development Code is available online as Title 17 of the Coos Bay Municipal Code.

The Planning Division is responsible for project management on land use applications that propose new or modified development in the City. This includes conducting pre-application conferences, the intake of proposed development applications, providing public notification and information on proposed development projects, reviewing projects for compliance with the adopted Development Code, making decisions or recommendations on those projects (depending on their level of review), and scheduling and conducting public hearings. Ultimately, the purpose is to guide each project through the approval process in a timely manner when all development requirements are satisfied.

The City of Coos Bay is also a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program since areas within the City have been subject to periodic flooding. Coos Bay has adopted land use control measures to reduce flood hazards and assure that city residents will continue to benefit from the national program.