[Adopted 4-20-2010 by L.L. No. 8-2010]
The Town Board has fully reviewed the provisions of the Town Law and the current rules of procedures for both the Zoning Board and the Planning Board of the Town. Following this review, the Board finds that it would be in the best interest of the people of the Town to enact a local law which would place certain limits on extensions of approvals granted by both Boards as well as to mandate some additional rules with respect to conduct of meetings and attendance at meetings by the members of the Boards. It is the desire of the Town Board obviously not to supersede anything set forth in state law, but merely to supplement and revise the same as allowed by law to fit the needs of the people of the Town of Cortlandt. It is with this intent that the Town Board hereby enacts this article.
A. 
Both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Cortlandt shall conduct one work session meeting per month and one public meeting per month. Each of these sessions will be on separate evenings and will be open to the public for their attendance. Should either Board need to hold a special meeting, the special meeting may be combined with a work session.
B. 
Any Planning Board or Zoning Board member who has been absent for 1/3 or more of the total number of meetings held in a calendar year by his/her Board will be subject to removal by the Town Board. The Town Board, after notice and opportunity to be heard to the member, may remove a member due to absence as set forth herein.
C. 
The provisions of Subsections A and B, governing attendance and meetings, will not be effective until January 1, 2011.
All of the requirements with respect to continuing education of all of the members are reaffirmed herewith.
The various ordinances of the Town shall be amended so as to provide as follows:
A. 
Any request by an applicant for an extension of an approval previously granted must be received prior to the expiration of the existing approval.
B. 
Site plans may be approved for one year and may be extended for up to two additional years, provided that the applicant provides an update with pertinent information and explains extenuating circumstances, documented to the satisfaction of the Planning Board. In addition, if the applicant seeks additional time extensions hereunder, the applicant will be required to comply with any new laws or rules.
C. 
State law provides that preliminary approval shall be in effect for at least six months and shall continue thereafter unless revoked by the Planning Board. The Planning Board of the Town shall provide that all preliminary approvals shall expire within three years following the date when preliminary approval was first granted. The length of final approval shall be as prescribed by state law.
D. 
Any subdivision approval or site plan approval which has expired may only be reconsidered by the Planning Board following the resubmission of a new application and all associated documents and a new public hearing held by the respective Board.
E. 
Applications pending before the Planning Board and the Zoning Board shall be deemed to be dormant and withdrawn by the applicant if the application does not appear on a Board agenda with new or additional information for a period of two years or more (including those applications awaiting submission of a DEIS). Said time period may not be extended by the Board. Furthermore, the Board may fix a shorter period of time.
F. 
Applications with respect to undeveloped properties for either subdivision or site plan approval may only be submitted as an application during the first month of each quarter of the year. They shall then be reviewed by staff and placed on the Planning Board or Zoning Board's agenda at the end of said quarter for a determination of completeness of the application. This provision does not apply to lot line adjustments or minor subdivisions of five lots or less.
G. 
All approvals previously granted by either the Planning Board or the Zoning Board may be extended as provided for in this article or for up to one year from the effective date of this article, whichever would provide the greatest extension of time.