ePlan Submittal

ePlan Submittal is the name for our computerized system providing for the digital submittal and review of planning applications. This system was implemented in 2009 to replace the paper based approach that had been used for over 50 years.

Yes. Effective July 2, 2009, applications submitted to the Planning Department will be processed - submitted and reviewed using ePlan Submittal.

The simple answer is "no." There will remain times when traditional paper copies of documents will be necessary to meet current statutory requirements. The two most common instances for paper copies will be:

Your availability to a personal computer with Web access is a vital part of ePlan Submittal. The uploading of application files and communications regarding your application will be handled primarily via email and the Web. If you do not have a personal computer or access to one, all City Library locations have computers you may use for free, although you will need a valid email address.

ePlan Submittal utilizes a web based application called ProjectDox. You will need to use a web browser such as Chrome and a connection to the Internet.

The term "pdf" stands for Portable Document Format. This format was created by Adobe Systems in the mid-1990's for the exchange of digital files. On July 1, 2008, Adobe Systems officially released the "pdf" format for general non-propriety usage. Because of its widespread use, most word-processing, graphic, and spreadsheet software have built-in publishing routines to create pdf's.

To maintain legibility of uploaded documents, we recommend that resolution not be dropped below 600 dpi on drawings and not below 300 dpi on text documents.

Other than vector (i.e. CAD) files, all documents are to be submitted (a.k.a. uploaded) using the pdf format. This includes letters, reports, plan drawings, images, and all other supporting documentation.

A project that shows "Applicant Upload" is ready for applicant to upload application documents and complete the task by clicking the Submit button. "In Review" indicates that application documents have been accepted and are being reviewed. A project that shows an "Applicant Corrections" status is one that is pending resubmittal of revised application documents by the Application Contact. A project that shows a "Complete" status has been acted on.

Based on feedback and requests from users, completed projects will remain on the system so involved parties can review the information even after the project has been acted on.

Filing an application does NOT begin with ePlan Submittal. The first step is to submit your application form and filing fee to the Planning Department. Your project will be assigned to a Project Planner who will enter the information into our application tracking system. The system will create a ProjectDox project for your application. At that time, the designated ProjectDox contact on your application form will receive an email prompt to upload the files to complete the application submittal. The email address submitted on the application form is the email to be used on the ProjectDox log in screen.

Yes - at least for the time being. The long term plan would allow applications to be filed on-line, thus eliminating the need for an applicant to come into our office. Before direct on-line application filing can occur, there will need to be advances in the software and a web-based mechanism put in place for the payment of application fees.

Documents to bring to the Planning Department include:

The cut off date for application filings is noon every other Wednesday. The digital files supporting your application must be uploaded onto the ePlan Submittal system by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday (i.e., next business day) in order to meet the deadline requirements.

Yes. As of February 2018, both the City and County adopted text amendments to require CAD submittals. Specifically, final plat drawings are required to be submitted using CAD files. For preliminary plats, use permits, planned unit developments and community unit plans, CAD files are only required to be submitted for the boundary survey and street centerline information.

If you have more than one person requiring notification of events on your application, provide the additional names and email addresses to be added to the project by the Project Coordinator.

For plans and documents not in a final form, the answer is typically "yes" they are acceptable. The Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects has ruled that such seals "may be generated electronically" within certain provisions. The City's Public Works and Utilities Department has posted their understanding of the Board's rules and regulations on their website.

The Lancaster County Engineer's Office and City Information Services Division have created a website that allows anyone who creates a "MyInterLinc" account to download the geographic coordinates needed for the CAD files. There is no charge for this service. "MyInterLinc" is merely a means the City Information Services Division applies to monitor access to certain portions of InterLinc.

Easements for various public utilities are a basic element on many planning applications. To assist you in laying out the easement locations for your application, review the "Easement Acquisition Guidelines(PDF, 30KB)" used by LES. LES and the other utility companies will still be reviewing your plans for easement locations, but having them correctly displayed on your initial submittal will speed the review process.

In order to complete your review and remove the task from your task list, you must click on the "Complete" button on the eForm.

ePlan Submittal does not currently support 3rd party markups. All markups must be created within the viewer that opens the pdf file.

Contact the project coordinator directly via email or phone.

There is no way to forward your reviews to someone else. We suggest setting up a rule to forward review task notifications to your backup. That person would then need to contact the Project Coordinator to be added to the project. For more information see the ePlan Submittal Tips & Tricks below.

Once you have accepted you department review task, the comments you add to the reviews form autosave. You can also save your markups on the pdf files by clicking the Save Markups button in the top left. As long your review task is still active, you can then return later to edit or add to markups and/or review comments.

Set an email rule to forward review requests to someone else in your office.

Most, if not all, email clients (eg. Microsoft Outlook) allow you to set up email rules that automatically process incoming email messages.

You could set a rule that checks the subject line of incoming messages when they arrive for the phrase "ProjectDox Plan Review Task Assignment" and forwards that to someone in your office. (Sample rule settings shown are Microsoft Outlook.)

That person would then simply call the Project Coordinator (Planner) and ask to be added to the project to complete the review in your absence.

Remember to turn off the rule when you get back in the office.