Existing law, the Subdivision Map Act, (act) vests the authority to regulate and control the design and improvement of subdivisions in the legislative body of a local agency and sets forth procedures governing the processing, approval, conditional approval or disapproval, and filing of tentative maps, among other maps. Existing law requires a vesting tentative map to be filed and processed in the same manner as a tentative map, except as specified.

The act generally requires a subdivider to file a tentative map with the local agency, as specified, and the local agency, in turn, to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the map within a specified time period. Under existing law, an approved tentative map expires 24 months after its approval or conditional approval. Existing law authorizes the approval or conditional approval to be extended up to 24 months pursuant to local ordinance, and by 48 months, as provided, if the subdivider is required to expend more than a certain amount of money to construct, improve, or finance the construction or improvement of public improvements outside the property boundaries of the tentative map, as provided. Existing law prohibits those extensions from extending the tentative map more than 10 years from its approval or conditional approval, except as specified.

This bill would extend the initial expiration period of an approved or conditionally approved tentative map to 8 years and would extend the maximum expiration period to 16 years, except as provided.

The act prohibits a local agency from approving a tentative map, or a parcel map for which a tentative map was not required, unless the legislative body finds that the proposed subdivision is consistent with the general plan or any specific plan, as provided.

This bill would require, notwithstanding that prohibition, that a parcel map for which a tentative map was not required be approved through a nondiscretionary ministerial process pursuant to applicable standards.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.