🏛️ MVM CIVICS 101 — Planning Commission
What Does the Planning Commission Do?
The short answer
The Planning Commission reviews certain plans for using and developing land in Moreno Valley.
The Commission checks whether a proposed project follows the City’s plans, zoning rules, building and design rules, environmental requirements and other laws.
Depending on the type of project, the Commission may:
- Approve it
- Approve it with conditions
- Deny it
- Make a recommendation to the City Council
The Planning Commission does not choose what business a private property owner or developer should propose.
Who serves on the Planning Commission?
Moreno Valley’s Planning Commission has seven members.
Planning Commissioners are appointed, not elected. The Mayor reviews applicants and makes appointments, which must be approved by the City Council.
Commissioners must live in Moreno Valley and cannot be City employees. They serve four-year terms and receive pay set by the City Council.
What does the Planning Commission do?
The Planning Commission:
- Reviews certain development projects
- Holds public hearings
- Reviews staff reports
- Listens to public comments
- Applies the City’s plans and rules
- Reviews environmental information
- Approves, denies or adds conditions to certain projects
- Makes recommendations to the City Council
- Hears some appeals of staff decisions
- Keeps a public record of its actions
The Commission’s role depends on the type of application it is reviewing.
Where does a development proposal come from?
A development proposal usually begins with a property owner, developer or other person who has permission to apply.
The applicant decides what project to propose and submits an application to the City.
The basic process is:
Property owner or developer prepares a proposal → Applicant submits it to the City → City staff reviews it → A public hearing is held, when required → The proper City official, Planning Commission or City Council takes action
The applicant may need to provide more information or change the plans during staff review.
The Planning Commission enters the process after a proposal has been submitted. It does not begin by choosing which private business should go on the property.
Does the Planning Commission decide what business Moreno Valley “needs”?
Not when it is reviewing a development application.
Commissioners review the project that the applicant submitted. They do not replace it with a different private business they would rather see on the property.
The Commission cannot deny a project simply because commissioners would prefer another business. That other business may not own the property, may not have applied and may have no interest in opening there.
The basic difference is:
The applicant chooses what to propose. The Commission decides whether that proposal meets the requirements for approval.
If zoning allows a business, must the Commission approve it?
No.
Zoning rules say what kinds of businesses may be allowed on a property. But some businesses need more review than others.
Some projects can be approved by City staff if they follow all the rules. The applicant may still need planning, building, fire or other permits.
Other projects must go to the Planning Commission for a public hearing.
If a project needs a Conditional Use Permit, the property owner may ask for approval—but approval is not guaranteed.
The Planning Commission reviews the project and decides whether it meets the requirements for approval.
What is a Conditional Use Permit?
Some types of businesses may be allowed in an area only after the City takes a closer look at the specific project and location.
That approval is called a Conditional Use Permit, or CUP.
A CUP review may look at:
- Nearby homes and businesses
- Traffic and driveway access
- Parking
- Noise
- Hours of operation
- Lighting
- Landscaping, walls and fences
- Public health and safety
- Other possible effects on the area
The Commission may require changes or operating rules before approving the project.
What are “required findings”?
Required findings are questions the Commission must be able to answer before approving certain projects.
For example:
- Does the project agree with the General Plan?
- Does it follow the City’s zoning and development rules?
- With any required conditions, can it operate without harming public health or safety?
- With any required conditions, can it operate without causing serious harm to nearby property?
The General Plan is the City’s long-term guide for growth and land use.
Different types of applications may have different required findings.
The Commission must base its decision on the rules and the information presented. Commissioners cannot approve or deny a project only because they like or dislike the proposed business.
What does “approve with conditions” mean?
The Commission may require changes or operating rules as part of an approval.
For example, the Commission may set requirements for:
- Walls, fences or screens
- Landscaping
- Street improvements
- Driveways and traffic
- Signs
- Hours of operation
- Project deadlines
- Protection of nearby properties
- Environmental measures
The applicant must follow these conditions.
The conditions must be related to the project and allowed by law. The Commission cannot add unrelated requirements simply because it wants to.
What does City staff do before the hearing?
The Planning Division and other City departments review the application before it reaches the Planning Commission.
Staff may:
- Check whether the application is complete
- Review the plans
- Identify the rules that apply
- Ask for studies or more information
- Review possible environmental effects
- Send the plans to other departments and agencies
- Identify problems that need to be fixed
- Prepare proposed conditions
- Write a staff report
- Recommend approval or denial
The applicant may change the project several times during this review.
Is the staff recommendation the Commission’s decision?
No.
City staff reviews the project and makes a recommendation.
The Planning Commission reviews the staff report, the application, public comments and other information presented at the hearing. The commissioners then make their own decision or recommendation.
The Commission may:
- Agree with staff
- Change the proposed conditions
- Ask for more information
- delay the decision to another meeting
- Reach a different decision that is supported by the rules and facts
Staff recommends → Planning Commission decides or recommends
What happens at a public hearing?
The City gives public notice before hearings when notice is required by law.
At the hearing:
- City staff explains the project and its review
- Commissioners ask questions
- The applicant may speak
- Members of the public may speak
- The Commission discusses the project
- The Commission votes
Public comments may provide useful facts or raise concerns that relate to the City’s rules.
However, a public hearing is not simply a popularity vote. The Commission must follow the law and base its decision on the facts and required findings.
Does the Planning Commission make every development decision?
No.
Some applications may be approved by City staff.
The Planning Commission decides certain applications that require a public hearing and closer review.
For other matters, the Commission makes a recommendation and the City Council makes the final decision. These may include:
- Changes to the General Plan
- Zoning changes
- Development agreements
The City Council may also review certain Planning Commission decisions after an appeal.
Who makes the decision depends on the type of application and the law that applies to it.
Can a Planning Commission decision be appealed?
Some Planning Commission decisions may be appealed to the City Council.
An appeal asks the City Council to review the decision.
Appeals must follow the City’s rules and deadlines. The deadline may be short.
In some cases, the City Council may also choose to review a Planning Commission decision even when no one files an appeal.
The rules can differ by application, so anyone considering an appeal should check the project notice, staff report and Municipal Code.
What is CEQA?
CEQA stands for the California Environmental Quality Act.
CEQA is a state law. It requires the City to look at the possible environmental effects of certain projects before making a decision.
The review may look at effects on:
- Air quality
- Traffic
- Noise
- Water
- Plants and animals
- Other parts of the environment
Depending on the project, the City may find that:
- No further environmental review is required
- The project will not cause serious environmental harm
- Changes are needed to reduce possible harm
- A detailed Environmental Impact Report is required
CEQA does not tell an applicant what business to propose. It requires the City to study and consider possible environmental effects.
Can commissioners vote based on personal preference?
Commissioners may have personal opinions, but their official decisions must follow the law.
Their votes must be supported by the City’s rules and the facts presented during the review.
A commissioner should not use the hearing to choose a different private business for the property.
The main question is not:
“Would I rather have something else?”
The main question is:
“Does this project meet the requirements for approval?”
The key point
The Planning Commission does not choose a different business it would rather see built on private property.
The property owner or developer chooses what project to propose. City staff reviews the application. The Planning Commission then checks the project against the City’s plans, rules, environmental requirements and required findings.
Depending on the type of application, the Commission may approve the project, approve it with conditions, deny it or make a recommendation to the City Council.
Official Sources
- Moreno Valley Planning Division
- Moreno Valley Development Approval Process
- Moreno Valley Municipal Code: Planning Commission
- Moreno Valley Municipal Code: Permits and Approvals
- Moreno Valley General Plan
- Moreno Valley Current Development Projects
About MVM Civics 101
MVM Civics 101 explains how Moreno Valley local government works in plain language. It is intended to explain governmental roles and processes—not to support or oppose any candidate, official, project or political position.
This article provides general educational information based on official records and authoritative sources. It is not legal advice. Moreno Valley Matters® is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Moreno Valley.
If you identify a possible factual error, please send us the specific statement and an authoritative source supporting the correction. Documented errors will be corrected transparently.
Last reviewed: September 1, 2026