This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Halfmoon Township Subdivision Regulations."
This chapter is enacted and ordained under the grant of powers by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act of 1968, July 31, P.L. 805, as amended (53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.).
The purpose of this chapter is:
A. 
To protect and provide for the health, safety and general welfare of the municipality.
B. 
To guide the future growth and development of the municipality in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan.
C. 
To protect the character and the social and economic stability of all parts of the municipality and to encourage the orderly and beneficial layout and development of the municipality, to establish reasonable procedures for subdivision review and to ensure proper legal descriptions and monumenting of subdivided land.
D. 
To protect and conserve the value of land throughout the municipality and the value of buildings and improvements upon the land and to minimize the conflicts among the uses of land and buildings.
E. 
To guide public and private policy and action in order to provide adequate and efficient transportation, water, sewerage, fire protection and other public requirements and facilities; to provide the most beneficial relationship between the uses of land and buildings and the circulation of traffic throughout the municipality, having particular regard to the avoidance of congestion in the streets and highways and the pedestrian traffic movements appropriate to the various uses of land and buildings and to provide for the proper location and design of streets; and to ensure that public facilities and easements are available and will have a sufficient capacity to serve the proposed subdivision or land development.
F. 
To minimize pollution of streams and ponds, to assure the adequacy of drainage facilities, to safeguard the water table and to encourage the wise use and management of natural resources.
For the purposes of this chapter, certain terms and words used herein shall be interpreted as follows:
A. 
Words used in the present tense include the future tense; the singular number includes the plural, and the plural number includes the singular; and the words of masculine gender include the feminine gender, and words of feminine gender include the masculine gender.
B. 
The word "includes" or "including" shall not limit the term to the specific example, but is intended to extend its meaning to all other instances of like kind and character.
C. 
The word "person" includes an individual, firm, association, organization, partnership, trust, company, corporation or any other similar entity.
D. 
The words "shall" and "must" are mandatory; the words "may" and "should" are permissive.
E. 
The word "used" or "occupied" includes the words "intended, designed, maintained or arranged to be used or occupied."
F. 
All terms defined in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code[1] and Halfmoon Township Zoning Ordinance[2] which are not otherwise defined herein are hereby adopted by reference.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 255, Zoning.
G. 
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ACREAGE OF PROPERTY
The area contained within the property lines of a lot.
ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Any process designed to produce an effluent of higher quality than normally achieved through primary and secondary treatment processes and does not utilize soils as the primary method for remediation (membrane bioreactor, for example).
AMENDMENT
Any change or revision of this chapter.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The governing body of the Township of Halfmoon, County of Centre, Pennsylvania, known also as the "Board" or "Supervisors."
BOULEVARD-TYPE ENTRANCE
Any entrance with two distinct travel lanes, which are separated by a median, which is a minimum of 10 feet wide.
CARTWAY
The portion of a street right-of-way designed or intended for vehicular use.
CENTER LINE
A line running parallel to and equidistant from both sides of a street.
CENTRE REGION
A geographic area in Centre County, Pennsylvania, consisting of the Townships of College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris and Patton and the Borough of State College.
CHIP BENTONITE GROUT
Chip bentonite grout is composed of dry three-eighths-inch or half-inch-sized chips of bentonite.
CODE OFFICIAL
As defined in Act 1999-45, Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
COUNTY
The County of Centre, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
CUL-DE-SAC
A street intersecting another street at one end and terminating in a vehicular turnaround at the other end.
CUT
The difference between a point on the original ground and a designated point of lower elevation on the final grade; an excavation.
DEAD-END STREET
A street with only one vehicular traffic outlet.
DEDICATION
The conveyance of land or objects to some public use, made by the owner and accepted for such use by or on behalf of the public by a municipality, school district or public authority.
DENSITY
In terms of land use, density is defined as the number of dwelling units or equivalent nonresidential square footage per acre of land.
DEVELOPMENTS OF REGIONAL IMPACT
Any land development that, because of its character, magnitude, or location will have substantial impact upon the health, safety, or welfare of citizens in more than one Centre Region municipality. The Region will assess the impact on public services, including, but not limited to, public sewer, public water, public transportation, fire, police, and schools, in determining what qualifies as a development of regional impact.
DRIVEWAY
A corridor which provides motor vehicle access from a street into a lot.
ELEVATION
Height, in feet, of a point on the ground above sea level.
ENGINEER, TOWNSHIP/BOROUGH
A professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, duly appointed as the Engineer for the Township.
EQUIVALENT DWELLING UNIT (EDU)
A unit of measurement that estimates an average use of wastewater facilities. Roughly the average amount of wastewater generated by a typical family in one day.
EROSION
The removal of soil, stone or other surface materials by the action of natural elements.
ESCROW
A deposit of cash in lieu of an amount required and still in force on a performance or maintenance bond.
FILL
Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar material is placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported or moved to a new location above the natural surface of the ground or on top of the stripped surface; the difference in elevation between a point on the original ground and a designated point of higher elevation of the final grade; the material used to make fill.
FIRE APPARATUS ACCESS ROAD
A road that provides fire apparatus access from a fire station facility, building or portion thereof. This is a general term inclusive of all other terms, such as "fire lane," "public street," "private street," "parking lot lane," "alley" and "access roadway or driveway."
FIRE CHIEF
The Fire Chief or duly authorized representative of the Port Matilda Volunteer Fire Company or Warriors Mark Volunteer Fire Company, as designated by the Township, for such purpose as review of plans on a plan-by-plan basis, to be determined by the Manager of the Township or designated person.
FIRE DEPARTMENT CONNECTION
Any hose connection utilized by the Fire Department to supply water to a built-in fire protection system.
FIRE FLOW
The flow rate of a water supply, measured at 20 pounds per square inch (psi) residual pressure that is available for firefighting.
IMPROVEMENT
Those physical additions and installations required to render land suitable for the use intended, and including streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, street signs and lights, walkways, sewer and water facilities, monuments and markers, shade trees, grading and stormwater drainage facilities.
LAND SURVEYOR or PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
A certified professional land surveyor registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
LOT
An area of land, including watercourses, held in single and separate ownership, and includes "tract" and "parcel."
N.S.F.
National Sanitation Foundation.
NFPA
National Fire Protection Association. A national association established for the purpose of proposing standards that reduce the opportunity for injury or death from fire.
NONCOMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS
A public water system which is not a community water system.
NORTH POINT
An arrow on a plan depicting true North.
REGIONAL GROWTH BOUNDARY
The boundary within which a higher density of development exists to efficiently and economically support urban services, including public sewer, public water, public transportation, fire, police, and schools, as noted in the Centre Region Comprehensive Plan.
RUNOFF
The surface water discharge or rate of discharge of a given watershed after a fall of rain, snow or other form of precipitation that does not enter the soil but runs off the surface of the land.
SEDIMENTATION
The process by which mineral or organic matter is accumulated or deposited by the movement of wind and water or by gravity.
SEED
To plant an area of ground with grass or similar vegetative ground cover.
SEWER SERVICE AREA
The location where public sewer service is provided or planned as identified in the Centre Region Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan.
SIGHT DISTANCE
The required length of cartway visible to the driver of a motor vehicle at any given point in the cartway when the view is unobstructed by traffic.
SINGLE ACCESS STREET SYSTEM
A public street or network of connecting streets that have a single point of access and egress to other public streets.
(1) 
ARTERIAL STREETA major street with fast or heavy traffic of considerable continuity used primarily as a traffic artery connecting two or more neighborhoods or areas serving 200 or more residences.
(2) 
COLLECTOR STREETA major street which carries traffic from local streets to arterial streets. A collector street shall be defined as any street which carries or is projected to carry, as deemed by the Board of Supervisors, vehicular traffic that will provide access and egress to 50 or more residential homes.
(3) 
LOCAL STREETAny street not herein defined as an alley, collector street or arterial street.
SUBDIVIDER
The owner of a lot, tract or parcel of land to be subdivided under the terms of this chapter.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Halfmoon, County of Centre, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
TREMIE PIPE
A rigid or flexible pipe or a hose that carries the grouting materials to the bottom of the zone being grouted. The tremie pipe is withdrawn as the grout material fills the annular space outside the casing or fills the space between the loop pipes and the borehole wall. The end of the tremie pipe is kept submerged just below the surface of the grout material.
TREMIE PLACEMENT METHOD FOR FILL AND BRIDGING MATERIALS
The tremie pipe shall be lowered to the bottom of the zone being filled, and raised slowly as the fill material is introduced. When using the tremie pipe method to install fills, the bottom of the tremie should be maintained as close as possible to, but not inside of, the emplaced fill.
TREMIE PLACEMENT METHOD FOR GROUT
After water or other drilling fluid has been circulated in the annular space sufficient to clear obstructions, grout shall be placed by pressure pumping through a tremie pipe. The tremie pipe shall be lowered to the bottom of the zone being grouted, and raised slowly as the material is introduced.
VERTICAL CLOSED-LOOP BOREHOLE
A borehole which is constructed to receive heat-exchanger loop pipes and grout material. Fill material may be used below a minimum depth of 20 feet below grade as the subsurface conditions warrant.
WALKWAY
A right-of-way intended to furnish pedestrian and bicycle access across a block from one street to another.
In their interpretation and application, the regulations set by this chapter shall be held to be the minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of the purposes of this chapter.
A. 
Types of control. This chapter contains regulations governing the following: submission procedures for the review and disposition of subdivision and land development plans; graphic and written information to be contained on or filed with such plans; and regulations governing the design and installation of required improvements, the layout and arrangement of lots and blocks, the reservation of land for public use and methods of handling storm drainage and erosion and sedimentation.
B. 
New subdivisions and land developments.
(1) 
No subdivision or land development of any lot, tract or parcel of land shall be made and no street, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main or other improvements in connection therewith shall be laid out, constructed, opened or dedicated for public use or travel or for the common use of occupants of buildings abutting thereon except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
(2) 
This chapter shall apply to all plans submitted for initial approval of a subdivision or land development after the date of enactment of this chapter.
C. 
Existing subdivisions and land developments.
(1) 
Any preliminary plan approved within five years prior to the date of enactment of this chapter shall be entitled to final plan approval within five years of the date of approval of said preliminary plan according to the terms of said plan.
(2) 
This chapter shall apply to any subdivision or land development which occurred without obtaining approval required under this chapter or previous subdivision ordinances of this municipality.
(3) 
The provisions of this chapter governing the design and installation of improvements shall apply to any unbuilt portion of a subdivision or land development for which a preliminary or final plan was approved more than five years prior to the date of the enactment of this chapter. Where final plan approval was preceded by preliminary plan approval, the five-year period shall be counted from the date of the preliminary plan approval.
D. 
Relationship with other restrictions. The provisions of this chapter are not intended to interfere with, abrogate or annul other rules, regulations or ordinances, provided that where this chapter imposes a greater restriction than that imposed by such other rules, easements, covenants, restrictions, regulations or ordinances, the provisions of this chapter shall control.
E. 
Exemptions. This chapter shall not apply to any subdivision or land development exempted by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code[1] or other laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.