In accordance with the administrative regulations
promulgated by the Department of Community and Economic Development
to implement the Pennsylvania Flood Plain Management Act, the following
activities shall be prohibited within any identified floodplain area
unless a special permit has been issued by the Borough of Catasauqua:
A.
A written request including a completed building permit
application form.
B.
A small scale map showing the vicinity in which the
proposed site is located.
C.
A plan of the entire site, clearly and legibly drawn
at a scale of one inch being equal to 100 feet or less, showing the
following:
(1)
North arrow, scale and date;
(2)
Topography based upon the National Geodetic Vertical
Datum of 1929, showing existing and proposed contours at intervals
of two feet;
(3)
All property and lot lines including dimensions, and
the size of the site expressed in acres or square feet;
(4)
The location of all existing streets, drives, other
access ways, and parking areas, with information concerning widths,
pavement types and construction, and elevations;
(5)
The location of any existing bodies of water or watercourses,
buildings, structures and other public or private facilities, including
railroad tracks and facilities, and any other natural and man-made
features affecting, or affected by, the proposed activity or development;
(6)
The location of the floodplain boundary line, information
and spot elevations concerning the one-hundred-year flood elevations,
and information concerning the flow of water including direction and
velocities;
(7)
The location of all proposed buildings, structures,
utilities, and any other improvements; and
(8)
Any other information which the municipality considers
necessary for adequate review of the application.
D.
Plans of all proposed buildings, structures and other
improvements, clearly and legibly drawn at suitable scale, showing
the following:
(1)
Sufficiently detailed architectural or engineering
drawings, including floor plans, sections, and exterior building elevations,
as appropriate;
(2)
For any proposed building, the elevation of the lowest
floor (including basement) and, as required, the elevation of any
other floor;
(3)
Complete information concerning flood depths, pressures,
velocities, impact and uplift forces, and other factors associated
with the one-hundred-year flood;
(4)
Detailed information concerning any proposed floodproofing
measures;
(5)
Cross section drawings for all proposed streets, drives,
other accessways, and parking areas, showing all rights-of-way and
pavement widths;
(6)
Profile drawings for all proposed streets, drives,
and vehicular accessways including existing and proposed grades; and
(7)
Plans and profiles of all proposed sanitary and storm
sewer systems, water supply systems, and any other utilities and facilities.
E.
The following data and documentation:
(1)
Certification from the applicant that the site upon
which the activity or development is proposed is an existing separate
and single parcel, owned by the applicant or the client he represents;
(2)
Certification from a registered professional engineer,
architect, or landscape architect that the proposed construction has
been adequately designed to protect against damage from the one-hundred-year
flood;
(3)
A statement, certified by a registered professional
engineer, architect, landscape architect, or other qualified person,
which contains a complete and accurate description of the nature and
extent of pollution that might possibly occur from the development
during the course of a one-hundred-year flood, including a statement
concerning the effects such pollution may have on human life;
(4)
A statement, certified by a registered professional
engineer, architect, or landscape architect, which contains a complete
and accurate description of the effects the proposed development will
have on one-hundred-year flood elevations and flows;
(5)
A statement, certified by a registered professional
engineer, architect, or landscape architect, which contains a complete
and accurate description of the kinds and amounts of any loose buoyant
materials or debris that may possibly exist or be located on the site
below the one-hundred-year flood elevation and the effects such materials
and debris may have on one-hundred-year flood elevations and flows;
(6)
The appropriate component of the Department of Environmental
Protection's "Planning Module for Land Development;"
(7)
Where any excavation or grading is proposed, a plan
meeting the requirements of the Department of Environmental Protection
to implement and maintain erosion and sedimentation control;
(8)
Any other applicable permits such as, but not limited
to, a permit for any activity regulated by the Department of Environmental
Protection under Section 302 of Act 1978-166; and
(9)
An evacuation plan which fully explains the manner
in which the site will be safely evacuated before or during the course
of a one-hundred-year flood.
Upon receipt of an application for a special permit by the Code Enforcement Officer of the Borough of Catasauqua the following procedures shall apply in addition to those of Article II:
A.
Within three working days following receipt of the
application, a complete copy of the application and all accompanying
documentation shall be forwarded to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
by registered or certified mail for its review and recommendations.
Copies of the application shall also be forwarded to the Catasauqua
Planning Commission and the Borough Engineer for review and comment.
B.
If an application is received that is incomplete,
the Borough, through the office of the Code Enforcement Officer, shall
notify the applicant in writing, stating in what respect the application
is deficient.
C.
If the Borough decides to disapprove an application,
it shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the reasons for the
disapproval.
D.
If the Borough approves an application, it shall file
written notification, together with the application and all pertinent
information, with the Department of Community and Economic Development,
by registered or certified mail, with five working days after the
date of approval.
E.
Before issuing the special permit, the Borough shall
allow the Department of Community and Economic Development 30 days
after receipt of the notification by the Department, to review the
application and decision made by the Code Enforcement Officer for
the Borough of Catasauqua.
F.
If the Borough, or the Code Enforcement Officer, does
not receive any communication from the Department of Community and
Economic Development during the thirty-day review period, it may issue
a special permit to the applicant.
G.
If the Department of Community and Economic Development
should decide to disapprove an application, it shall notify the Borough
of Catasauqua and the applicant, in writing, of the reasons for the
disapproval, and the Borough shall not issue the special permit.
A.
In addition to the requirements of Article IV of this chapter, the following minimum requirements shall also apply to any proposed development requiring a special permit. If there is any conflict between any of the following requirements and those in Article IV of this chapter or in any other code, ordinance, or regulation, the more restrictive provision shall apply.
B.
No application for a special permit shall be approved
unless it can be determined that the structure or activity will be
located, constructed and maintained in a manner which will:
(1)
Fully protect the health and safety of the general
public and any occupants of the structure. At a minimum, all new structures
shall be designed, located, and constructed so that:
(a)
The structure will survive inundation by waters
of the one-hundred-year flood without any lateral movement or damage
to either the structure itself, or to any of its equipment or contents
below the one-hundred-year flood elevation.
(b)
The lowest floor (including basement) elevation
will be at least 1 1/2 feet above the one-hundred-year flood
elevation.
(c)
The occupants of the structure can remain inside
for an indefinite period of time and be safely evacuated at any time
during the one-hundred-year flood.
(2)
Prevent any significant possibility of pollution,
increased flood levels or flows, or debris endangering life and property.
C.
All hydrologic and hydraulic analyses shall be undertaken
only by professional engineers or others of demonstrated qualifications,
who shall certify that the technical methods used correctly reflect
currently accepted technical concepts. Studies, analyses, computations,
etc., shall be submitted in sufficient detail to allow a thorough
technical review by the Borough of Catasauqua and the Department of
Community and Economic Development.