The purpose of the preliminary plan is to achieve
formal approval of the overall development scheme proposed in order
to minimize the need for any revisions of final plans.
[Amended 6-15-1998 by Ord. No. 2-98]
A.
Preliminary plan submission required.
(1)
A preliminary plan submission for a major subdivision
or land development shall be filed by the applicant and reviewed in
accordance with the provisions of this article.
(2)
A preliminary plan submission is not required for a minor subdivision or a submission that only involves a boundary line adjustment (see Article VII).
(3)
The applicant should make an appointment with the
Plans Administrator to submit the plans.
B.
Required submissions.
(1)
(2)
(3)
Administrator's distribution. The Administrator shall
forward plans to the following agencies to seek their comments prior
to final plan approval (as applicable):
(4)
Applicant's distribution. The applicant is fully responsible
for the following:
(a)
Contacting utility companies, as appropriate,
including the appropriate water company or authority, if applicable.
(b)
(Recommended) Seeking at least an informal review
by PennDOT of any proposed access onto a state road and providing
PennDOT with sufficient information for such a review.
(c)
Determining whether any permits or approval
are needed from any agency outside of the Township, including DEP
(including any obstruction to a waterway) and the Army Corps of Engineers
(including determining whether any "wetland" will be disturbed).
(d)
Applying to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
C.
Initial actions by the Administrator.
(1)
Completeness. The Administrator shall review the submission
items filed against a checklist for completeness and shall reject
any submission and seek to return the submission and filing fees of
an application that the Administrator determines is significantly
incomplete. Any such determination shall occur within 15 days of filing
by an applicant. The Administrator may request an advisory opinion
by the Township Engineer on whether a submittal is significantly incomplete.
If the submittal is rejected, no further action is required by the
Township and no deemed approval shall occur.
(2)
If the submittal is accepted, the Administrator shall
forward a copy of the preliminary plan and supportive documents to
the Township Engineer for review, prior to the next regularly scheduled
meeting of the Township Planning Commission.
(3)
The Administrator shall retain in the Township's files
one copy of all materials submitted by the applicant, including the
application form and the preliminary plan checklist.
(4)
The Administrator shall forward to the Commission
at or before the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Commission
the following:
(5)
Adjacent municipalities. If any portion of a major
subdivision or land development would occur within 1,000 feet of the
boundary of another municipality or would clearly have a regional
impact upon a municipality, the Administrator should require an applicant
to provide a copy of the layout plan that can be forwarded to that
municipality for an advisory review.
D.
Initial actions by the Commission.
(1)
The Commission may begin review of a preliminary plan
submission at its first regularly scheduled meeting after the submission
is properly filed within the required time period to the Administrator.
(2)
Zoning variances. An application under this chapter
shall not be considered to be complete if one or more zoning variances
will be required for the subdivision or land development to legally
occur as submitted, until such time as the needed zoning variances
have been granted. If the Planning Commission becomes aware that the
zoning variance has been lawfully appealed, the Planning Commission
may table a submission until that appeal is resolved, if the Commission
determines that the variance is clearly needed for the feasibility
of the proposal as submitted.
E.
Review by Township Engineer.
(1)
The Township Engineer shall review the engineering
considerations of all duly submitted preliminary plans and prepare
a report on such considerations to the Commission. The Township Engineer
may make additional reports and recommendations to the Commission
and the Commissioners during the review process.
(2)
In reports by the Township Engineer, matters that
should be dealt with directly by the Planning Commission and/or the
Board of Commissioners should be listed separately from technical
engineering considerations. These nontechnical concerns should be
made available to the Planning Commission at least seven days prior
to each meeting.
(3)
The applicant and/or his engineer shall make reasonable
efforts to resolve technical engineering considerations outside of
Planning Commission meetings. The Township Engineer may require the
applicant or his engineer to meet with him for this purpose.
(4)
Copy of findings of the Township Engineer should be
sent or handed in person to the applicant or his engineer or agent.
F.
Review by Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation
Committee.
(1)
Review by Commission. The Planning Commission shall
accomplish the following within the time limitations of the Act 247[10] (unless the applicant submits a request for an extension
of time which is accepted by the Township), while allowing a sufficient
number of days within such time limitation for a decision by the Board
of Commissioners:
(a)
Review all applicable reports received from
any official reviewing agencies.
(b)
Visit the site, if necessary.
(c)
Determine whether the preliminary plan submission
meets the requirements of this article and other applicable ordinances
and statutes.
(d)
Review the preliminary plan submission with
the applicant, its agent or representative (if present) and recommend
any needed revisions so that the submission will conform to this article
and other applicable ordinances and statutes.
(e)
Recommend approval, conditional approval or
disapproval of the preliminary plan submission in a written report
to the Board of Commissioners, specifying any recommended conditions
for approval, identifying any defects found in the application, describing
any requirements which have not been met, citing the provisions of
any ordinance relied upon.
(f)
The Planning Commission's report should be mailed
to the last known address of or reported in person to the applicant
or its agent.
[10]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
(2)
Review by the Parks and Recreation Committee. The
Bethlehem Township Parks and Recreation Committee shall accomplish
the following within 60 days of receipt of a plan:
(a)
Review the application, plans and any other
relevant information submitted by the applicant.
(b)
Visit the site, if necessary.
(c)
Determine if any open space that is proposed
for dedication to the Township meets the criteria for accepting recreation
land, as adopted in Table 10-3 of the Comprehensive Park, Recreation
and Open Space Plan.
(d)
Meet, if necessary, with the applicant or its representative to discuss its options regarding compliance with § 230-60 of this chapter.
(e)
Prepare written recommendations to the Board
of Commissioners, with copies to the applicant and the Planning Commission.
G.
Review by Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners
shall:
(1)
Review the reports of all Township agencies.
(2)
Review any reports of official reviewing agencies
that have been received, including the Township Engineer and Township
staff.
(3)
Determine whether the preliminary plan submission
meets the requirements of this article and other ordinances.
(4)
Approve or reject the preliminary plan submission
within the time required by Act 247. (As of 1998, Section 508 of Act
247[11] requires the Board of Commissioners to act not later than
90 days following the date of the regular meeting of the Commission
next following the date the application is filed; provided, that should
the said next regular meeting occur more than 30 days following the
filing of the application, the said ninety-day period shall be measured
from the 30th day following the day the application has been filed,
unless the applicant submits a request for an extension of time which
is accepted by the Township).
[11]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10508.
(5)
LVPC review. No subdivision or land development shall
be granted preliminary approval until a report is received from the
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission or until the expiration of 30 days
from the date the application was forwarded to the LVPC.
H.
Final plan submission deadline.
(1)
An applicant shall file a final plan within five years
from the date of the approval of the preliminary plan by the Board
of Commissioners, unless an extension in writing has been granted
by the Board of Commissioners,
(2)
Failure to comply with this requirement shall render
the preliminary plan null and void, and a new preliminary plan shall
be submitted.
A.
B.
Drafting standards required for all plans.
(1)
Plans shall be prepared on a standard sheet of 18
inches by 24 inches, 24 inches by 36 inches, 30 inches by 42 inches
or 36 inches by 48 inches (maximum).
(2)
All information shall be legibly and accurately presented.
(3)
If plans involve more than one sheet, a plan shall
also be submitted showing the overall layout on one sheet. This plan
should be at a scale of one inch equals 100 feet or other scale preapproved
by the Township Engineer.
(4)
If plans involve more than one municipality, a plan
shall also be submitted showing the overall layout of the entire project
on one sheet.
(5)
Plans shall be drawn at a scale of one inch equals
50 feet. Profiles shall be drawn at a scale of: a) one inch equals
50 feet horizontal and b) one inch equals 50 feet vertical. (Or other
scales preapproved by the Township Engineer.)
(6)
All dimensions shall be set in feet and decimal parts
thereof, and all bearings shall be set in degrees, minutes and seconds.
(7)
Each sheet shall be numbered and shall show its relationship
to the total number of sheets. If match lines are employed, a legend
showing sheet relationship shall be provided.
(8)
Plans shall be so prepared and shall bear an adequate
legend to indicate clearly which features are existing and which are
proposed.
(9)
Where any revision is made, or when the plan is a
revision of a previously approved plan, dotted lines shall be used
to show features or locations to be abandoned and solid lines to show
the currently proposed features. Notations of revisions shall be dated.
(10)
The boundary line of the site shall be shown
as a heavy line.
C.
General information required on all plans and profiles.
D.
Information required on all layout plans, grading
and storm drainage plans, utility plans and erosion and sedimentation
plans.
E.
Layout plan: required information:
(1)
Names of landowner and developer (with addresses).
(2)
Owner's statement of acknowledgment (see Appendix
C[2]). The owner shall acknowledge the statement contained
in Appendix C before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments,
with the statement sealed by a notary public or other qualified officer.
[2]
Editor's Note: Appendix C is on file in the Township offices.
(4)
Location map at a scale no smaller than one inch equals
2,000 feet (such as USGS map or Township Zoning Map) showing the location
of the project in relation to the following features within 1,000
feet of the boundaries of the project: adjacent lots, existing and
streets, waterways, zoning district boundaries, and municipal boundaries.
(5)
Project summary list. The following information shall
be listed on the plan:
(a)
Total acreage of site.
(b)
Applicable zoning district(s).
(c)
Total number of lots and dwelling units in the
project.
(d)
Density of dwelling units per acre.
(e)
Required minimum lot area.
(f)
Any common open space required and proposed.
(g)
Whether a public water system or individual
wells or another system is proposed.
(h)
Whether a public sewer system or individual
septic systems or another system is proposed.
(i)
Linear feet of new street.
(j)
Deed source: volume and page.
(k)
Tax Map: block and lot.
(l)
Required minimum setbacks.
(m)
Required and proposed ratio of parking spaces
to dwellings and other uses (with method of calculation).
(n)
Required maximum and proposed building and impervious
coverage.
(6)
Proposed features.
(a)
Lot area shown on each lot expressed in both
square feet and acres, and minimum lot width at minimum building setback
line.
(b)
Streets.
[1]
Cartways and right-of-way width.
[2]
Center line with horizontal curve data, bearings,
distances and stations corresponding to the profile.
[3]
Rights-of-way and curblines with horizontal
curve radii at intersections.
[4]
Beginning and end of proposed construction curbing.
[5]
Proposed improvements to existing and abutting
streets (including cartways widening, right-of-way dedication, alignment
improvements and construction improvements).
[6]
Tie-ins by courses and distances to intersection
of all public roads, with their names and widths of cartways and rights-of-way.
[7]
Sidewalks, with locations of handicapped ramps
at intersections and any pedestrian pathways and bikeways.
(c)
Setbacks. Required minimum setback lines shown
on each lot.
(e)
In projects of other than only single-family
detached dwellings, proposed buildings and land uses, including the
following:
[1]
Identification number for any proposed buildings
on lots that would include more than one building.
[2]
Any proposed outdoor storage or display or other
special use areas.
[3]
For a townhouse or garden apartment development,
any proposed methods to ensure outdoor privacy between any semiprivate
areas.
[4]
Arrangement of parking spaces, aisles within
parking lots and off-street loading areas and other paved areas.
[5]
Illustrative sketches of buildings are strongly
encouraged.
[6]
The number, area, height and location of signs.
[7]
The proposed routing within the site for truck
traffic.
[Added 6-19-2006 by Ord. No. 04-06]
(7)
Natural features:
(a)
Steep slope areas: 15% to 25%, and over 25%.
(b)
Locations of various soil types (see County
Soil Survey), with key characteristics described for each (such as
whether it is hydric, or has a depth to water table or to bedrock
of less than three feet).
(c)
Watercourses, natural springs and lakes (together
with names, if any), and wetlands, rock outcrops, closed topographical
depressions (including but not limited to sinkholes), and other features
evidencing ground subsidence.
[Amended 1-15-2001 by Ord. No. 1-01]
(d)
Location and classification of areas within
the one-hundred-year floodplain (see Official Floodplain Map).
(8)
Buildings estimated to be over 100 years in age that
will be impacted, and their name and description.
(9)
Location of proposed monuments with reference to proposed
improvements.
(10)
The approximate locations of the following within
200 feet of the boundaries of the site shall be shown: existing and
proposed streets, buildings, detention basins, common open spaces,
lots, drainage channels.
F.
Grading and stormwater management plan: required information:
(1)
Contour lines.
(b)
These contour intervals shall be based on a
field survey or photogrametric procedure at a scale of one inch equals
100 feet or larger. Extrapolation from USGS maps shall not be acceptable.
Contours shall be based upon USGS datum. A benchmark shall be indicated
within the site based upon USGS datum.
(2)
Street center lines and stationing.
(3)
Storm drainage.
(a)
Locations of existing and proposed stormwater
facilities, including detention basins (with capacity, side slope,
grading and depth), swales (with capacity), pipes (with sizes) and
inlets (with invert elevation of flow line and grade at the top of
each inlet).
(b)
Watershed areas for each drainage structure
or swale.
(c)
Drainage easements.
(d)
Required design year standards for culverts,
bridge structures and/or other storm facilities.
(e)
Location of all underground utilities.
(f)
Entity proposed to own and maintain any detention
basin.
(g)
Stationing of storm sewers (with stations corresponding
to profile).
(h)
See also the requirements of Chapter 218, Stormwater
Management, of the Code of the Township of Bethlehem.
(i)
Benchmark of vertical control based upon USGS
datum.
G.
Utility plan: required information:
(1)
If on-lot sewage disposal systems are proposed:
(a)
Existing and proposed contour lines.
(b)
Proposed location of wells.
(c)
Proposed or typical location of dwelling.
(d)
Proposed location of each subsurface disposal
field and an alternate field for each lot.
(e)
Location of percolation test holes and soil
probe pit.
(f)
Permanent and seasonal high water table areas.
(g)
All existing wells and septic systems within
100 feet of the project.
(2)
If a centralized sewage system is proposed:
(a)
Location and size of lines and laterals, with
stations of lines corresponding to the profile.
(b)
Locations of manholes, with invert elevation
of flow line and grade at top of each manhole.
(c)
Property lines and ownership, with details of
easements where required.
(d)
Beginning and end of proposed construction.
(e)
Location of all other drainage facilities and
public utilities in the vicinity of sanitary sewer lines.
(f)
Distance of sanitary sewer connections that
will be needed to reach existing lines.
(g)
Manhole numbers assigned by the Township Municipal
Authority.
(h)
Separation distances from water lines and locations
of concrete encasements.
(4)
If on-lot water system is being proposed, location
of all wells (existing and proposed) and all existing septic systems
within 100 feet of the project boundaries.
(5)
Existing and proposed street and parking lot lighting.
(6)
Utility easements and restrictive covenants and easements
for purposes which might affect development.
(7)
Underground utility lines (including water, sewer,
gas electricity and telephone) and any overhead electrical high-voltage
lines.
(8)
The following items shall be shown on the plan using
the symbols shown:
 |
H.
Landscaping plan: required information:
(1)
Tree lines, forested areas and other areas of substantial
vegetation (including locations, general types and trunk diameter
of all trees outside of a forested area that have a trunk diameter
of greater than six inches measured four feet above the original grade).
(3)
Existing trees, woods and areas of substantial vegetation
to be retained and protected or removed during development.
(4)
Existing and proposed topographic contours and existing
and proposed buildings and paving.
(6)
Any proposed earthen berms or acoustic barriers.
I.
Erosion and sedimentation plan. Shall comply with
the DEP Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Manual and the regulations
of the County Conservation District and DEP.
J.
Road profiles: required information:
K.
Water main, sanitary sewer and storm drain profiles:
required information:
(1)
Profile of proposed ground surface with elevations
at top of structures (including manholes).
(2)
Profile of water main, storm sewer and sanitary sewer
lines, with stationing at all structures and invert elevations.
(3)
All line crossings of other utilities.
(4)
Pipe sizes, lengths and slopes (if necessary).
A.
General information.
(1)
All private deed restrictions or covenants already
imposed or to be imposed as a condition to sale that are relevant
to the development of the land.
(2)
Map of all property holdings of the owner within 1,000
feet of the proposed project, indicating the project's location. A
sketch plan of a general proposed street system that might eventually
serve all of these property holdings contiguous to the proposed project
(USGS or Township Zoning Map is suggested).
B.
Certification of central water service.
(1)
If the subdivision or land development is to be served
with water by an existing water company or authority, the developer
shall submit a copy of a letter from such water company or authority
which states that the company or authority can adequately serve the
subdivision and which states or references any conditions required
by the company or authority for the provisions of services.
(2)
If water service is to be provided by means other
than by private wells owned and maintained by the individual owners
of lots within the subdivision or land development, the applicant
shall present evidence to the Township that the subdivision or land
development is to be supplied by a certified public utility, a bona
fide cooperative association of lot owners, or by a municipal corporation,
authority or utility, as permitted by the Township. This evidence
shall include a copy of one or more of the following as appropriate:
C.
Certification of a central sewage system.
(1)
Public. If the subdivision or land development is
to be served by an existing sewer company or authority, the developer
shall submit a copy of a letter from the company or authority which
states that the company or authority can adequately serve the subdivision
and which states or references any conditions required by the company
or authority for the provision of services.
(2)
Nonpublic. If the subdivision or land development
is to be served by a nonpublic central sewage disposal system, the
developer shall submit a copy of a completed planning module for land
development, and shall provide sufficient information to show that
the proposed system would be reasonably feasible, within DEP regulations,
and that an acceptable system would be put into place for the operation
and maintenance of the system.
D.
Certification of on-lot sewage system. When the subdivision
or land development is to be served by individual on-lot sewage disposal
system, the developer shall submit a copy of a completed planning
module for land development application.
E.
PennDOT review. The applicant shall submit a copy
of any information that may have been submitted to PennDOT and any
correspondence from PennDOT regarding the proposed access to state
streets.
F.
Statement of compliance with floodplain regulations.
If the project would include or be adjacent to any area within the
one-hundred-year floodplain or any watercourse, a statement from the
Zoning Officer indicating that the proposed subdivision or land development
would be in compliance with the floodplain regulations of the Township.[1]
G.
Developer/landowner involvement. A statement shall
describe the nature of the landowner's and the developer's involvement
in the proposed development.
I.
Variances. Variances being requested to this chapter.
K.
Zoning variances. Copies of the decisions of any zoning
variances that are relevant to the proposal.
M.
Sewage module. A copy of the completed application
to DEP of the sewage planning module, if applicable.
N.
Erosion and sedimentation. A narrative describing
the proposed methods to control soil erosion and sedimentation.
O.
Wetlands. Sufficient information to show that any
wetlands have been accurately delineated by a qualified professional.
P.
Commercial and industrial operations (if the uses
are known). A written description of any proposed commercial, industrial
or storage operations in sufficient detail to indicate any noise,
glare, smoke and fumes nuisances and to allow a general determination
of possible fire or other hazards from the use of highly toxic or
hazardous substances or other public health or safety hazards. An
estimate of the amount, direction and times of tractor-trailer traffic
that is expected.
