Township of Willistown, PA Article III Conservation Plan Requirements

§ 73-11 General provisions.

In conjunction with the preliminary plan requirements of Chapter 123, Subdivision and Land Development, the following existing site features shall be designated on a conservation plan, drawn at the same scale as that required for preliminary plans:

A. Tract boundaries, with suitable metes and bounds.

B. Topography or degree of slope, as measured at two-foot contour intervals in ranges of 0% to 15% and 15% to 25%, and as measured at five-foot contour intervals for slopes exceeding 25%. At the discretion of the Township Planning Commission and upon the recommendation of the Township Engineer, the topography of adjacent lands within 200 feet of the tract shall be shown with permission of the adjacent landowner. Location and elevation to which contour elevations refer shall be identified; where reasonably feasible, this shall be a known, established benchmark as approved by the Township Engineer. At the discretion of the Township Planning Commission and upon recommendation of the Township Engineer, United States Geological Survey contours will be acceptable for such purposes where it is determined that field run topography is not required.

C. All existing woodland or tree masses, species and size of trees over six inches diameter not part of a tree mass, quarries, rock outcroppings or other geological formations, ponds, streams and other bodies of water, springs, marshes, other areas subject to inundation and any other significant features within the property and, with permission of the adjacent landowner, within 50 feet of its boundaries. Driplines for tree masses shall be shown on the plan. Where floodplain areas, as defined in Article VI, FPC Floodplain Conservation District, are located on the tract, such area(s) shall be delineated on the conservation plan.

[Amended 6-25-2001 by Ord. No. 4-2001]

D. Locations and boundaries of all soil types, with an identification key.

E. A description of each soil type which explains limitations for on-site sewage disposal and includes the location and results of any soil percolation tests (if on-site sewage disposal is proposed which would require such tests).

F. Notations indicating:

(1) All trees or portions of tree masses or woodland proposed to be cleared as part of the proposed subdivision or land development plan, together with the reasons for such clearing;

[Amended 6-25-2001 by Ord. No. 4-2001]

(2) All proposed alteration of the natural grade, whether by cut or by fill, exceeding two feet, together with reasons for such alteration.

G. Locations of all historic resources or structures on the tract or on any abutting property.

H. Wetlands.

(1) Wetlands shall be designated on said plan where indicated by any one or more of the following:

(a) The National Wetlands Inventory Maps, as prepared by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or any other governmental agency having jurisdiction;

(b) Hydric soils or soils with hydric soil inclusions, as depicted in the soil survey of Chester and Delaware Counties and/or in United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Hydric Soils Lists; and

(c) The existence of hydrophytic vegetation or hydrologic conditions, as determined by on-site investigations performed in accordance with the Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands, dated January 10, 1989, or as later amended.

(2) If, after examination of the site, a qualified professional selected by the applicant determines that wetlands are not located on the site, the following note must appear on the plan.

"This site has been examined by a qualified professional and no wetlands were found to exist."

(3) Submissions containing this note must be accompanied by a written statement signed by the examining professional attesting to the fact that the site was examined in accordance with the Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands, dated January 10, 1989, or as later amended, and no wetlands were found to exist. In addition, a written statement of the qualifications of the professional who examined the site shall accompany the submission.

I. Riparian buffer areas (RBA'S), as defined in Article XII, § 73-61.

[Added 3-13-2000 by Ord. No. 1-2000]

§ 73-11.1 Natural resource protection and density calculation.

[Added 6-28-1999 by Ord. No. 2-1999]

A. The intent of this section is to recognize that disturbance of many of the natural resource site features identified above results in adverse impacts to public health, safety and welfare by contributing to greater erosion and sedimentation, flooding, siltation, degradation of water quality and other negative impacts on the environment. In addition, this section is intended to evaluate potential impacts to sensitive natural resources through subdivision and land development and protect such resources by minimizing their disturbance.

B. The provisions of this section shall apply to any subdivision or land development involving any parcel that contains protected land, as defined below. Site disturbance prior to submission of applications for zoning or building permits or the submission of plans for subdivision or land development shall be a violation of this section.

C. The determination of protected land shall be as follows:

	Calculation for Total Protected Land
	Step 1	Enter gross tract area as determined by survey			acres
		Subtract all existing and proposed road and utility rights-of-way			—	acres
		Equals Base Site Area			=	acres
	Step 2	Measure all natural resources in the Base Site Area and enter in the acres measured column. Multiply by the resource protection ratio and enter in the protected land column. In the event that two or more resources overlap, the resource with the greatest protection ratio (i.e.. the least amount of permitted disturbance) shall apply.
		Natural Resource	Acres Measured	Resource Protection Ratio	Protected Land
		Floodplain/ Floodway		100%
		Wetland		100%	+	acres
		Steep slopes (greater than 25%)		100%	+	acres
		Steep slopes (15-25%)		50%	+	acres
		Woodland		75%	+	acres
		Hydric Soils		50%	+	acres
		Riparian Buffer Areas [Added 3-13-2000 by Ord. No. 1-2000]		100%
	Step 3	Total Protected Land equals the sum of the Protected Land column.			=	acres
	Note: Chapter 73 contains other standards for resource protection which may include restrictions on disturbance or mandatory mitigation.

D. A parcel's developable land shall be determined by subtracting the Total Protected Land from the Base Site Area.

E. The determination of the maximum amount of development permitted on a parcel shall be as follows:

	Developable Land ÷ Minimum Permitted Lot Size or Density for Zoning District
	= Parcel Yield (No. of Lots or Density)

F. No more than 50% of an individual lot may be comprised of protected lands, unless otherwise permitted by the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission to facilitate creative site design. Protected lands may not be disturbed unless specifically permitted in Chapter 73.

§ 73-12 Additional requirements.

In addition to the above, the applicant is required per § 73-48A and B of Article IX, Soil Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control, to plan for the control of erosion and sedimentation and for stormwater management as part of the conservation plan submission process.