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If you have questions about School Facilities Planning Division (SFPD) plan approval, or you need assistance completing any of these tasks, please contact the SFPD.
The new construction grant program provides State funds for new school construction on a 50 percent State/50 percent local cost-sharing basis.
- Perform Environmental Review, if necessary
- Prepare Preliminary Plans
- Prepare Required Forms
- Submit Plans and Forms
- Receive Preliminary Approval
- Prepare and Submit Final Plans and ER Documents
- Receive SFPD Plan Approval
The State wants to ensure that construction, no less than site selection, will not expose students and staff to hazardous materials. The procedure for making sure your construction is safe is the same as that described in the Site Approval process.
Specifically, before accepting construction bids or beginning construction, and before the SFPD will issue a final plan approval for new construction, your district must contract with a qualified environmental assessor to conduct a Phase 1 Environmental Assessment (Phase 1) of the proposed site.
Your district may submit its Phase 1 before submitting the rest of the documents required for final approval of construction plans. In fact, the SFPD encourages submittal of the Phase 1 as soon as possible. However, the agency will provide preliminary plan reviews without a Phase 1.
Your district does not need a Phase 1 in the following circumstances:
- Your district already completed a Phase 1 or Preliminary Endangerment Assessment (PEA).
New Phase 1 work is not required if, within the last five years, your district has obtained either of the following items relating to the site of the proposed new construction project:
- A Phase 1 or PEA for which the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has issued a "No Action" or "No Further Action" letter, or has certified that all response actions have been completed
- An SFPD-issued final site or plan approval letter that included an SFPD review of your district's Phase 1 indicating that the site was safe, and conditions have not changed that would affect the DTSC determination or the SFPD approval
- The project involves only minor additions.
Minor additions at existing sites that are eligible for a Statutory or Categorical Exemption under CEQA and CEQA Guidelines are not subject to Phase 1 and the DTSC determinations. Your district must submit a signed SFPD Form 4.07B, and indicate that the new construction project is a categorical/statutory exemption under CEQA.
- This is a modernization project.
Modernization projects including replacement areas and/or new areas required by the Americans with Disabilities Act or State handicap access requirements do not require a Phase 1 or the DTSC determination.
The SFPD encourages your school district to submit preliminary drawings for review before your district prepares working drawings. Submitting preliminary plans may help expose problems or issues early in the design process and allow resolution with less time, cost, and effort.
For new construction projects, your district must submit SFPD Form 4.07 along with preliminary plans for the project. SFPD Form 4.07: Summary of Educational Specifications Components describes the facility design in general terms, and provides information on how much space has been allocated for classrooms and other spaces, and their locations in the facility.
For modernization projects, your district must submit SFPD Form 4.08 along with preliminary plans for the project. SFPD Form 4.08: Summary of Modernization Specifications provides the scope of work for the project as well as any significant changes in room size or purpose.
Submit the preliminary plans and required forms to the SFPD.
The SFPD reviews preliminary plans and makes comments and suggestions to your school district and architect.
Once your district receives preliminary plan approval from the SFPD, it may submit final plans to the SFPD. These plans should incorporate the suggestions made by the SFPD.
These are the same plans your district will submit to the Division of the State Architect (DSA) for review. To save time, your district or its architect may submit a project's working drawings concurrently to the SFPD and DSA for review.
Upon successful completion of the review process, the SFPD will send your district a final plan approval letter (SFPD Form 4.09) that is valid for two years.
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