The following requirements relate to all major subdivision and
land development plans.
All major plans shall require preliminary and final approval,
wherein preliminary approval shall precede the acceptance or approval
of a final plan application involving land related thereto.
An applicant may request simultaneous preliminary and final
plan approval where no phases are denoted on a plan, and where all
required application materials are submitted for each. The application
shall be treated as one approval, wherein denial, approval, or approval
with conditions shall apply to the preliminary and final approval.
A.
The applicant for any major plan approval may request one advisory meeting with the Planning Commission or Zoning Officer. The applicant shall provide all items required by Article VI of this chapter.
B.
No fees shall be assessed to the applicant for consideration of the
sketch plan.
C.
Where a meeting with the Planning Commission is requested, and upon
submission of all required items, the Zoning Officer shall notify
the Planning Commission Chair, who shall make a good-faith effort
to place the item for consideration on the next available regular
Planning Commission Agenda.
D.
The submission of an advisory meeting request shall not constitute
submission of an application for subdivision or land development.
Additionally, written or verbal communication provided by the Zoning
Officer or Planning Commission shall be considered advisory in nature
and subject to the evaluation of preliminary and final approval reviews.
Therefore, no deemed approval may occur in connection with the review
or discussion of an advisory meeting request.
B.
For preliminary plans, the Municipal Engineer, Zoning Officer, or Planning Commission may require the submittal of additional items cited in § 265-607 for final plans, where said item or items are required to determine conformity with the standards of this chapter and other Township ordinances.
C.
Application acceptance, review, and procedural actions.
(1)
The Zoning Officer shall review the submitted application within
10 business or working days of submittal. Where an application is
found to be deficient by virtue of the submission of an incomplete
application or where the application proposes activities which violate
any other Township ordinance, the Zoning Officer shall return all
submitted materials to the applicant, citing the basis for said deficiencies.
Otherwise, the Zoning Officer shall inform the applicant of application
acceptance within 10 days of submittal. Said notification shall constitute
the official date of filing. The Zoning Officer shall forward the
plan to the Allegheny County Office of Economic Development for review
and comment.
(2)
The Zoning Officer shall present the application to the Planning
Commission at their next regular meeting held within 15 days of application
filing. The Planning Commission shall recommend denial of the plan,
approval, or approval with conditions to the Board of Commissioners.
(3)
The Board shall not act on the plan until a recommendation from
the Planning Commission is received or until 60 days lapse from the
first regular meeting of the Commission at which the plan was initially
reviewed.
(4)
The Board shall not act on the plan until recommendations are
received from the Allegheny County Office of Economic Development
or until 30 days have lapsed since the plan's submittal to the
county. Additionally, where any similar review is required by an adjoining
municipality, as required by any intergovernmental cooperative or
implementation agreement entered into by the Township, said municipality
shall be afforded the same review period required for the county.
(5)
The Board, within 90 days of the official date of filing or
within 120 days of the date on which the application was submitted,
in the event that a regular meeting of the Planning Commission does
not occur within 30 days of submittal, shall act to deny, approve,
or approve with conditions. Failure to act within the stated timelines,
unless waived in writing by the applicant, shall result in a deemed
approval.
(6)
Where approval or approval with conditions takes place, the
Board shall acknowledge and affirm the required amount of performance
bonding associated therewith.
