Township of Plumstead, PA Part 3 GENERAL PROCEDURES AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

§ 22-301 Review and Approval Stages.

[Ord. 95-4-18-2, 4/18/1995, § 3-1]

Three stages are included in the procedure for approval of subdivision and land development plans: presubmission, preliminary, and final. These stages are established to enable the Plumstead Township Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to have an adequate opportunity to review the submission and to insure that their formal recommendations are reflected in the final plan. The table below indicates the required plans for the different type of plan applications.

TYPE OF APPLICATION	PRESUBMISSION SKETCH PLAN	PRELIMINARY PLAN	FINAL PLAN
Minor Subdivision	Suggested	Not required	Required
Major Subdivision	Suggested	Required	Required
Land Development	Suggested	Required	Required
Lot Line Change	Suggested	Not required	Required

§ 22-302 Filing of Plans.

[Ord. 95-4-18-2, 4/18/1995, § 3-2]

1. Prior to submission of plans to the Township for formal review, the applicant or his agent shall distribute the required number of prints and accompanying information to other reviewing agencies.

2. The required number of copies of the plan, as well as accompanying material and applications, along with the required filing fee and any escrow deposit, must be submitted to the Township at the Township Building.

3. The Township shall render its decision no later than 15 days following the decision and within the ninety-day period established by the Municipalities Planning Code.[1] The decision shall be communicated to the applicant not later than 90 days following the date of the regular meeting of the Planning Commission 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. Said decision shall be sent to the applicant by mail at the address provided by the applicant on the application form. The ninety-day period may be extended where the applicant agrees in writing to an extension of time.

[1] Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.

4. When a plan is rejected, the written communication to the applicant shall cite the provisions of Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Township Code, this chapter and the statute with which there has been noncompliance.

5. The presentation of a preliminary plan and a final plan shall be considered separate submissions, and the maximum review period may be required for each such plan.

6. The submission of a revised preliminary or final plan shall constitute a new and separate submission subject to the review procedures set forth in this chapter. All revised plans must be accompanied by a completed application, appropriate fees and all required information. Upon submittal of a revised plan, the applicant must submit a written notice to withdraw the previously submitted plan. For these purposes, a revised plan shall mean:

A. A plan which is submitted after a previous plan has been withdrawn;

B. A plan which is submitted after a plan has been rejected;

C. An inconsistent plan which proposes a use or layout of the property which is inconsistent with a pending plan.

[Amended by Ord. 2011-02, 5/3/2011]

7. All subdivisions and land developments (both minor and major) shall be required to submit the appropriate planning module for Land Development to the Township at preliminary plan submission (final for minor residential subdivisions) for review. These modules will then be reviewed by all agencies with jurisdiction, including but not limited to PADEP or the Bucks County Department of Health, to verify the approvability of each lot for permitting by the appropriate agency (PADEP or Bucks County Department of Health). Review of the applicant's planning module for land development must be received by the Township prior to plan approval.

8. Upon submission of a subdivision plan or land development plan, the subject of which will ultimately be a land development or subdivision for a parcel of land upon which there is a subdivision plan or land development plan pending before the Township, the new plan shall be reviewed for inconsistency with the existing pending plan. Upon a finding by the Township that the new plan is an inconsistent plan, the inconsistency shall be grounds for denial of all previous plans involving the same parcel of land.

[Added by Ord. 2011-02, 5/3/2011]

9. All subdivision and land development plan applications must include the conditional use decision issued by the Township Board of Supervisors if the proposed subdivision or land development plan requires conditional use approval by Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Township Code. An application will be deemed incomplete if it does not include a required conditional use decision issued by the Township Board of Supervisors.

[Added by Ord. 2011-02, 5/3/2011]

10. Any preliminary plan filed with the Township which has not been revised within six months from the date of the last Township Engineer or Township Consultant review letter shall be deemed inactive and may be denied for failure to promptly process the plan in accordance with the Township Code.

[Added by Ord. 2011-02, 5/3/2011]

§ 22-303 Site Inspections.

[Ord. 95-4-18-2, 4/18/1995; as added by Ord. 2002-11, 2002, Art. I]

All applicants shall allow any and all members of Township boards, commissions, and/or committees and Township staff, consultants, and professionals to enter the lands proposed for subdivision or land development for reasonable site inspections. These inspections will be conducted to assist the Township in the approval process, and such assistance includes, but is not limited to, the gathering of data, information, and/or samples regarding planning and design issues; the delineation of natural resources such as wetlands, riparian buffers, forests, steep slopes, etc.; water usage issues; sewer disposal issues; grading and erosion issues; stormwater management; storm and surface drainage; traffic impact issues; and to confirm information and data submitted to the Township during the approval process in conjunction with any requirement of this chapter; Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Township Code, or any other statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation.

§ 22-304 Review by the Environmental Advisory Council.

[Added by Ord. No. 2021-04, 3/9/2021]

1. General. Any and all subdivision and land development plans, including, but not limited to, presubmission sketch plans, lot line adjustment plans, minor subdivision plans, major subdivision plans, both preliminary and final, must be reviewed by the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC).

2. Procedure.

A. The applicant shall submit five additional copies of every plan to the Township Secretary or other official designated by the Board of Supervisors with the plan application.

B. The Township Secretary or other official designated by the Board of Supervisors shall forward the five copies of the plan to the Chairperson of the EAC or his/her designee.

C. The EAC shall review the plans as submitted and shall report to the Planning Commission promptly. The report shall be in writing and shall include a list of any deficiencies, concerns and/or recommendations found by EAC.

D. The EAC shall meet in person with the applicant, if deemed necessary by the EAC.