[Ord. 95-4-18-2, 4/18/1995, § 11-1; as amended by Ord. 2005-02, 4/28/2005]
1. 
Purpose. All residential subdivision or land development plans shall provide for suitable and adequate recreation land and/or fees as set forth in this chapter in order to fulfill the following purposes. Recreation land shall be defined as usable area that can be developed for playgrounds or tot lots, neighborhood parks, or community parks for active outdoor recreation.
A. 
Insure adequate recreational areas and facilities to serve the future residents of the Township.
B. 
Maintain compliance with recreation standards as recommended by the Plumstead Township Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan as adopted by the Township Board of Supervisors.
C. 
Minimize overuse of and excessive demand for existing recreational areas and facilities by future residents.
D. 
Allow for orderly acquisition and development of recreational areas to serve new residents.
E. 
Ensure that dedicated recreation land is suitable for the intended use.
2. 
Recreation Land Dedication Requirements.
A. 
All residential subdivision or land development plan submissions to the Township shall be required to provide for public dedication of land suitable for park and/or recreation use in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
B. 
A minimum of 0.0342 acres or 1,490 square feet of suitable recreation land shall be provided per dwelling unit within all residential subdivision or land developments, unless the applicant agrees to a fee in lieu as outlined in Subsection 5. This requirement is based on the following: a goal of providing 10.5 acres of recreation land per 1,000 residents in accordance with the standards of the National Park and Recreation Plan and an average family size of 3.264 persons as determined by the U.S. Census of 2000.
C. 
This recreation land requirement shall in no way diminish the requirement for open space where an open space requirement is set by Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Township Code.
3. 
Criteria for Determining the Location and Suitability of Recreation Areas.
A. 
Site(s) should be easily and safely accessible, have good ingress and egress and have access to a public road.
B. 
Site(s) should have suitable topography for the development as a particular type of recreation area.
C. 
Size and shape of the site(s) should be suitable for the development as a recreation area.
D. 
Site(s) should meet the minimum size with respect to usable acreage as recommended by the Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan for Plumstead Township.
E. 
Sites designated for recreation land shall not contain lands with natural resources restrictions, as defined by Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Township Code, stormwater detention facilities, or lands designated for any other purpose.
F. 
The recreational activities and/or facilities for which the area is intended must be specified on the development plans and recorded on the linens.
G. 
Recreation areas shall not be traversed by utility easements unless said utilities are placed underground and no part of them or their supportive equipment protrudes above ground level.
H. 
The configuration of the recreation area must be able to accommodate recreation activities proposed by the development plans. The required area shall not include narrow or irregular pieces which are remnants from lotting and/or street and parking areas.
I. 
On-site improvements shall be commensurate with the adjacent on-site development improvements, including but not limited to grading, curbing and utilities.
J. 
Open space which is required to be set aside as part of a cluster development or other use which requires open space shall be provided in addition to the recreation land required by this Part. Where both open space and recreational land are required, the requirements for mandatory dedication of recreation land shall be met in addition to the requirements for open space.
4. 
Ownership/Dedication to Township of Recreation Land.
A. 
The Plumstead Township Planning Commission, and other Township commissions, committees, boards, and councils, will provide advice on any proposed recreation land dedication and any proposed assessment of recreation fees in lieu of land dedication.
B. 
If the Board of Supervisors determines that a recreation land dedication would be in the public interest, such recreation land shall be owned and maintained by an entity that the Board of Supervisors determines is acceptable to ensure proper long-term oversight and maintenance of the land. This may be any of, but not limited to, the following, providing such entity agrees to accept such land for permanent recreation purposes:
(1) 
Retention by the owner of the development if such dwelling units are to be rented, subject to restrictions acceptable to the Township Solicitor which shall ensure the perpetual dedication of the land for recreational use.
(2) 
Dedication to a formal homeowners' or condominium association, with such agreement subject to approval of the Board of Supervisors, after review by the Township Solicitor. If any entity responsible for such recreation land should dissolve or become inactive or decide that it no longer wishes to be responsible for such land, it shall offer such land at no cost to the Township or to another entity that the Township so designates for continued use as recreation land.
(3) 
Dedication to an established state, county or regional organization acceptable to the Board of Supervisors.
(4) 
Dedication to the Township.
C. 
If the Board of Supervisors deems it to be in the public interest to accept dedicated land for recreational purposes, such acceptance shall be by adoption of a resolution of the Board of Supervisors and acceptance of a deed of dedication from the developer.
D. 
Recreation land shall include deed restrictions to permanently restrict its use for recreation and to prohibit the construction of buildings on the land, except building for noncommercial recreation or to support maintenance of the land.
5. 
Fee in Lieu of Dedication. Where the Township determines that the dedication of the land required for recreation purposes is not feasible under the criteria set forth in this section, and upon agreement with the applicant or developer, the applicant or developer shall pay a fee or construct recreational facilities in lieu of the dedication of any such land in compliance with the following:
A. 
The fee shall be equal to the fair market value of the land otherwise required to be dedicated and improved for recreational use as established by separate resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
[Amended by Ord. No. 2020-07, 11/10/2020]
B. 
Limitations on Use of Fees.
(1) 
Any recreation fees collected under this section shall be placed within an interest-bearing "Recreation Fee Account" which shall function as a capital reserve fund and shall be accounted for separately from other Township funds.
(2) 
To ensure that the lands and facilities are accessible to the residents of the development that paid fees toward their costs, the "Recreation Fee District Map" (see Appendix[1]) designates four service areas for neighborhood parks and one Township-wide service area for a Township-wide community park. Any such fees collected under this subsection shall only be expended within the same "Recreation Fee District" as the subdivision or land development that contributed the fee if the fee is used for neighborhood parks. Fees collected from any district may be expended for the Township-wide community park.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(3) 
All fees and interest within the Recreation Fee Account shall only be used for acquisition of recreation land, development of and capital improvement to public recreational facilities, landscaping of recreation land, engineering, legal, planning, architecture, landscape architecture and the payment of debt directly resulting from such expenditures. Such fees specifically shall not be used for maintenance, routine repairs, operating expenses or recreational programs.
C. 
Fees required under this section shall be paid prior to the recording of the applicable final plan or as building permits are issued, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.
D. 
If such fees are paid in installments or prior to the issuance of each building permit, then for the purpose of determining limits for the time within such funds are required to be expended under state law, such time limit shall begin when the total fees related to the final approval are paid in full, and not from the date of payment of any portion of such fees. Upon request, the Township shall refund such fee, plus interest accumulated thereon from the date of payment, if the Township has failed to utilize the fee paid for the purposes set forth in this section within three years.