A. Intent.
This section shall authorize staff, commissions, and boards to review and make determinations on application types, as specified in Section 39-12.02. The approving authorities include the: Zoning Administrator or their designated staff, Administrative Review Staff, or their designated staff, Planning Commission, Board of Appeals, Historic District Commission, Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Design Review Board (DRB), West Michigan Airport Authority, and City Council. Their functions in development review are described in this section.
B. Zoning Administrator: staff member responsible for making staff-level interpretations and administering zoning functions such as: approval of residential dwellings with one to four units, accessory structures, fencing, and signage.
C. Administrative Review Staff.
The Administrative Review Staff reviews and makes determinations on administrative review applications and provides recommendations to planning staff and the Planning Commission. Administrative Review Staff are generally comprised of the Senior Planner; Municipal Planner; Zoning Administrator; City Engineer; Fire Marshal; Holland Board of Public Works Water/Wastewater, Pollution Control, Electric, and Communications Engineers; Director of Parks and Recreation Department; the Director of Community and Neighborhood Services Department; Chief of the Department of Public Safety; and the DDA Coordinator (for Downtown developments).
D. Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission is responsible for reviewing large development projects, rezoning requests, ordinance text amendments and updating the City's Master Plan. The Commission is comprised of nine members including the Mayor, a City Council liaison, one staff member and six volunteer residents who are appointed by the Mayor.
E. Board of Appeals (BOA).
The BOA hears applications from property owners and developers who are seeking a special exception, ordinance interpretation or a variance from UDO requirements. The Board of Appeals is comprised of six regular members, two alternate members and a nonvoting City Council liaison.
F. Historic District Commission (HDC).
The HDC reviews proposed construction work within the five designated historic districts. Certificates of appropriateness (CoA) are issued, using the Secretary of Interior Standards, for construction work or property improvements that impact the exterior portion of the structure or property. HDC staff also provides consultation for renovations that impact the National Register Downtown Historic District properties, described in Section 39-12.07C6f. The HDC is comprised of seven volunteer residents and one nonvoting City Council liaison.
G. Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The DDA oversees design, streetscape, amenities, developments, and public parking within the DDA boundary. Developments requiring site plan review located in the downtown form-based code subdistricts (F-CDT, F-NDT, F-WDT, F-EDT, and F-CENT) require a presentation from the developer to the DDA, and the DDA shall make a recommendation to the Planning Commission. DDA staff also review and issue permits for signs, outdoor cafes, and sidewalk cafes located downtown. The DDA is comprised of 14 members including a City Council liaison and the Assistant City Manager.
H. Design Review Board (DRB).
The DRB is charged with reviewing applications for permits issued by DDA staff, such as signs, outdoor cafes, sidewalk cafes. The DRB is comprised of seven members with three DDA members, three design professionals and one City Council liaison.
I. West Michigan Airport Authority (WMAA).
The WMAA is charged with managing the West Michigan Regional Airport. The WMAA reviews, approves, and provides recommendations to the Planning Commission on developments requiring site plan review in the Airport Overlay District. The WMAA is comprised of three City of Holland representatives and other representatives from Park Township and the City of Zeeland.
J. City Council.
The City Council's primary responsibility is to make decisions regarding the present and future of the City of Holland. In matters concerning UDO, the City Council is the final approving authority on all rezoning requests, text amendments, subdivision plats, street vacations, and adoption of ordinances. City Council is comprised of eight elected Council members and the elected Mayor.

See Article 39-12: Application Review Processes and Administration for more information.