A. 
Ensure development that minimizes stormwater impacts.
B. 
Ensure the preservation of wooded hillsides, thereby furthering the respective objectives of this section.
C. 
Minimize short- and long-term soil erosion within land development and subdivision sites.
D. 
Minimize the impact on streams, wetlands, and steep slopes.
E. 
Ensure the safety and integrity of structures constructed within the sites of land developments and subdivisions through proper construction in consideration of mine overburden and construction on slide-prone soils.
A. 
The following standards shall apply to all grading and disturbance of land with slopes of 25% or greater.
B. 
Slopes between 25% and 40%. No more than 30% of slope areas with existing grades between 25% and 40% shall be stripped of vegetation or disturbed through grading. Grading and clearing for roads on these slopes shall be limited to that necessary to accommodate the cartway and shoulders or berms. Wherever possible, roads should follow the contours of the land.
C. 
Slopes exceeding 40%. No development or disturbance shall be allowed on slopes exceeding 40%. Limited disturbance for utilities may be allowed where no reasonable alternative location exists.
D. 
Where construction is proposed in accordance with this section within or disturbing steep slopes, the applicant shall include a geotechnical report acceptable to the Borough Engineer. The report shall demonstrate a safety factor of 1.5 or greater and shall outline a revegetation plan ensuring immediate and long-term stability.
A. 
No land development involving construction of buildings and no subdivision of land intended to create lots for building construction shall be approved on a site which has been undermined at shallow depths or in an area where there is evidence of past subsidence unless the applicant demonstrates that the proposed subdivision or land development will be safe and will not create hazards for adjacent properties. Evidence of safety shall be one of the following:
(1) 
If the site or any area of the site has been undermined and has 100 feet or less of overburden, evidence of the safety of the proposed subdivision or land development shall require site investigation and certification in writing by a professional engineer, experienced in subsidence risk assessment, that the proposed development will be safe.
(2) 
If the site has been undermined and has more than 100 feet of overburden, a subsidence risk assessment included in a geotechnical report by a professional engineer and written certification that the proposed subdivision or land development will be safe may be required if the Borough, the Borough Engineer, or applicant has knowledge of any past occurrences of subsidence in the general vicinity of the site.
B. 
Council may require the installation of certain construction measures accepted by the Borough Engineer, as per recommendations of the risk assessment required, as a condition of building permit(s) on the site. Council may further require the inclusion of such standards in the plan covenants, as a note on the plat, or through a developer's agreement applicable to the developer's heirs and assigns.
No grading, removal of vegetation, construction or other disturbance shall be permitted on soils that are classified as slide-prone or unstable in the Soil Survey of Butler County or on any other areas of a proposed development site that exhibit signs of instability, except in accordance with the provisions of this section.
A. 
Disturbance of landslide-prone areas of construction thereon shall be severely limited.
B. 
Disturbance of unstable areas may be permitted, where alternative site designs have been exhausted, and where the developer demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer through a geotechnical report that the proposed disturbance will not cause sliding or movement or any unsafe condition either on the development site or on any property adjacent to it.
C. 
Evidence of the safety of any proposed disturbance shall require site investigation and certification in writing by a registered soils engineer, engineering geologist or professional engineer with experience in soils engineering that the proposed activity will not create or exacerbate unsafe conditions.
A. 
Setback or open space easement required. No grading, cutting, filling, removal of vegetation, or other disturbance of land shall be permitted within the required setback.
B. 
The minimum setback for watercourses shall be 20 feet, measured from the top of the channel bank.
C. 
The setback for wetlands shall be 50 feet for wetlands one acre or greater and 25 feet for wetlands less than one acre or at a variable setback depth, based on a wetland management plan prepared by a certified professional wetlands biologist. In no case, however, shall the setback be less than 10 feet from the delineated edge of a wetland less than acre in extent, or 20 feet from the delineated edge of a wetland one acre or more in extent.
D. 
Minor earth disturbance and construction within the area of the required setback or easement, required for development in other areas of the site, may be allowed in accordance with all regulations of the Department of Environmental Protection and Borough floodplain regulations, where applicable.
E. 
Construction may also be allowed within the required setback area of rivers to enable the development of uses that require proximity or access to the river, in accordance with applicable federal, DEP and municipal regulations.
F. 
This section shall not withstand the ability of a developer to utilize wetland mitigation measures offered by the DEP. Approval of all applicable permits, associated bonding, and other commitments guaranteeing the completion shall then become a condition of approval to be provided prior to plan recording.