The Planning Department shall transmit copies of the preliminary map to the City Engineer and other affected departments for review and comment. The Planning Department shall transmit all comments in writing to the applicant. Review shall include an evaluation of the consistency of the preliminary map with applicable State and local requirements and should be completed within 30 days. Any and all such comments are intended to provide guidance to the subdivider in order to facilitate the filing of a tentative map. The comments shall not be construed as approval of any features set forth on the preliminary map, including, but not limited to, density, lot layout, street layout and width, and open space. The filing of a preliminary map is not a “project” for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.