The provisions of this article are intended to permit and encourage
innovations in residential development through permitting a greater
variety, type, design, and layout of dwellings; and by allowing the
development of well-planned, higher density, residential neighborhoods
or groups of residences on sites larger than normal building lots.
To give the site planner maximum freedom, more intensive use of land
may be permitted, and the coverage, height, setback and other requirements
may be varied under circumstances which will ensure more imaginative
use of a building site than can be achieved under the standard regulations
of this chapter. This provision is intended to encourage a more efficient
use of open space, and public services. This development may contain
individual single-family to multifamily dwellings, and common property
which is planned and developed as a unit.
Pursuant to Section 702 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning
Code, Act 247, as amended, the authority to approve or disapprove applications and
plans for a planned residential development is vested with the governing
body. The Bear Creek Township Board of Supervisors hereby retains
such authority. The Board of Supervisors grants Bear Creek Township
Planning Commission to act in an advisory capacity to review and to
provide comment to the Board of Supervisors when considering a planned
residential development. Review and comment shall also be required
by the Luzerne County Planning Commission under the same procedures
applicable to a subdivision and/or land development.
The principal permitted uses shall include:
A. Single-family detached dwellings.
D. Accessory uses: customary accessory uses and buildings to the above
shall be permitted in accordance with the applicable provisions of
this chapter.
The following methodology shall be applicable to determine area
requirements within this article:
A. Gross area. All land within a parcel proposed to be developed as
a PRD.
B. Net area available for development. The gross area minus the sum
of all environmentally constrained land or other areas as listed below:
(2)
Wetlands that cannot be reasonably incorporated into usable
common open space.
(3)
Natural bodies of water including ponds, creeks, streams or
lakes.
(4)
Existing public or private street.
(5)
Utility rights-of-way, both subsurface and overhead, that cannot
be reasonably incorporated into usable common open space.
(7)
Slopes which equal or exceed 25%,
(8)
Any other area which contain critical areas (as defined in Article
II) and/or environmental sensitive features that may not be suitable for development.
C. Net residential area. The net area available for development minus
required open space.
D. Common open space. Not less than 20% of net area available for development
shall be designated, designed and devoted to common open space for
the use and enjoyment of the residents therein.
E. Residential density. The permitted maximum residential density for
the net residential area of a PRD shall be as follows:
|
Zoning District
|
Minimum Lot Area of District
(acres)
|
Maximum Density for PRD1
(square feet)
|
---|
|
C-1
|
3
|
1 unit per each 60,000
|
|
A-1
|
2
|
1 unit per each 40,000
|
|
NOTE:
|
---|
|
1
|
Maximum density based upon public sewer and water; otherwise,
the maximum density shall be increased to that of the underlying district.
|
All planned residential developments shall be subject to the
following:
A. Minimum tract area. A planned residential development shall have
a gross land area of not less than 25 acres.
B. Distance between buildings. No buildings or structure, including
porches, decks or balconies, shall be less than 30 feet to any other
building or structure.
C. Setback requirements.
(1)
The minimum front, side and rear setbacks for a planned residential
development shall each be not less than 50 feet to the property lines
of adjoining properties. A planting strip of not less than 20 feet
in width shall be along all property lines at the periphery of the
development where necessary to preserve the privacy of neighboring
residents.
(2)
Land adjacent to a lake, pond, stream, wetlands, or watercourse
shall remain as permanent open space for a distance of not less than
100 feet from the water's edge, unless superseded by more restrictive
standards.
D. Maximum building height. No structures within a PRD shall exceed
2 1/2 stories, with a maximum height not to exceed 45 feet.
A planned residential development shall be subject to the following
standards and regulations:
A. Requirements for improvements and design. All improvements, including but not limited to, streets, curbing, sidewalks, stormwater detention facilities, drainage facilities, water supply facilities, sewage disposal, streetlighting, tree lawns, etc., unless otherwise exempted, shall be designed and constructed in conformance with the standards and requirements of Chapter
109, Subdivision and Land Development.
B. Sewage disposal. Disposal of sanitary sewage shall be by means of centralized sewers and shall conform to the design standards of Chapter
109, Subdivision and Land Development. The proposed sewage collection system and treatment facility shall require DEP approval as a prerequisite and/or condition to tentative approval of a development plan.
C. Water supply. The water supply shall be off-site system supplied
by a certified public utility, a bona fide cooperative association
of lot owners, or by a municipal corporation, authority or utility.
A copy of a certificate of public convenience from the Pennsylvania
Public Utility Commission or an application for such certificate,
a cooperative agreement or a commitment or agreement to serve the
planned residential development in question shall be required. Whichever
form is appropriate, shall be considered as acceptable evidence.
A planned residential development may be constructed in phases
subject to the following:
A. The application for tentative approval shall cover the entire area
to be developed with a schedule delineating all proposed phases, as
well as the dates by which applications for final approval of each
phase shall be filed. Such schedule shall be updated annually by the
applicant on or before the anniversary date of the approval of the
development plan, until all phases are completed and granted final
approval by the Board of Supervisors. Any modification in the aforesaid
schedule shall be subject to approval of the Board of Supervisors
in its discretion.
B. Not less than 15% of the total number of dwelling units to be constructed
shall be included in the first phase.
C. The second and any subsequent phases shall be completed in accordance
with the tentatively approved plan, with each phase containing not
less than 15% of the total number of dwelling units.
D. The Board of Supervisors may impose further conditions upon the filing
of any phase of a development plan, as it may deem necessary to assure
the orderly development of the plan and/or to protect the public health,
safety and welfare.
To further the mutual interest of the residents of the planned
residential development and of the public in the preservation of the
integrity of the development plan, as finally approved, and to insure
that modifications, if any, in the development plan shall not impair
the reasonable reliance of said residents upon the provisions of the
development plan, nor result in changes that would adversely affect
the public interest, the enforcement and modifications of the provisions
of the development as finally approved, whether those are recorded
by plat, covenant, easement or otherwise, shall be subject to the
following:
A. Provisions of the development plan relating to the use, bulk and
location of buildings and structures; the quantity and location of
common open space, except as otherwise provided herein; and the intensity
of use or the density of residential units shall run in favor of the
Township and shall be enforceable in law or in equity by the Township,
without limitation on any powers of regulation otherwise granted the
Township by law.
B. All provisions of the development plan shall run in favor of the
residents of the planned residential development, but only to the
extent expressly provided in the development plan and in accordance
with the terms of the development plan, and to that extent said provisions,
whether recorded by plat, covenant, easement or otherwise, may be
enforced at law or in equity by said residents acting individually,
jointly or through an organization designated in the development plan
to act on their behalf; provided, however, that no provisions of the
development plan shall be implied to exist in favor of residents of
the planned residential development except as to those portions of
the development plan which have been finally approved and have been
recorded.
C. All those provisions of the development plan authorized to be enforced
by the Township under this section may be modified, removed or released
by the Township, except grants of easements relating to the service
or equipment of a public utility, subject to the following conditions:
(1)
No such modification, removal or release of the provisions of
the development plan by the Township shall affect the rights of the
residents of the planned residential development to maintain and enforce
those provisions, at law or in equity, as provided in this section.
(2)
No modification, removal or release of the provisions of the
development plan by the Township shall be permitted except upon a
finding by the Board of Supervisors, following a public hearing pursuant
to public notice, called and held in accordance with the provisions
of this section, that the same is consistent with the efficient development
and preservation of the entire planned residential development, does
not adversely affect either the enjoyment of land abutting upon or
across the street from the planned residential development or public
interest, and is not granted solely to confer a special benefit upon
any person.
D. Residents of the planned residential development may, to the extent
and in the manner expressly authorized by the provisions of the development
plan, modify, remove or release their rights to enforce the provisions
of the development plan, but no such action shall affect the right
of the Township to enforce the provisions of the development plan
in accordance with the provisions of this section.
The application for approval, tentative and final, of a planned residential development as provided for by this chapter, shall be in lieu of all other procedures or approvals otherwise required by the Zoning Ordinance and Chapter
109, Subdivision and Land Development, except where specifically indicated. The procedures herein described for approval or disapproval of a development plan for a planned residential development and the continuing administration thereof are established in the public interests in order to provide an expeditious method for processing a development plan for a planned residential development and to avoid the delay and uncertainty which would arise if it were necessary to secure approval, by a multiplicity of local procedures, of a plat of subdivision as well as approval of a change in the zoning regulations otherwise applicable to the property. An application for tentative approval shall be consistent with the following:
A. Informal consultation. The landowner and Board of Supervisors may
consult informally at a public meeting or work session concerning
the proposed planned residential development prior to the filing of
an application for tentative approval, provided that no statement
or representation by a member of the Board of Supervisors shall be
binding upon the Board of Supervisors as a whole. The informal consultation
is intended to allow the landowner and Township officials to exchange
comments and discuss issues which may be of particular significance
to the site.
B. Application and fee. An application for tentative approval shall
be filed by or on behalf of the landowner with the Zoning Officer.
An application fee of $500, plus $75 per housing unit, based upon
total number of proposed housing units, shall be paid upon filing
the required application.
C. Relationship to planning, zoning and subdivision. All planning, zoning
and subdivision matters relating to the platting, use and development
of the planned residential development and subsequent modifications
of the regulations relating thereto, to the extent such modification
is vested in the Township, shall be determined and established by
the Township Board of Supervisors.
D. Required documentation.
(1)
The application for tentative approval shall include documentation
illustrating compliance with all of the standards for a planned residential
development and, where necessary, the Township shall order such documentation
to aid them in their review.
(2)
An original and 15 copies of the application shall be submitted
along with 20 copies of each of the following:
(a)
Any required study and/or report, prepared as an impact analysis,
which may be required at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
A determination of the need for any such study and/or report may be
made at the time of the informal consultation or during the public
hearing for consideration of tentative approval of the development
plan.
(b)
The development plan for the entire site, in addition to all
other requirements shall include information and documentation noted
herein:
[1]
The location, size and topography of the site and the legal
nature of the landowner's interest in the land proposed to be developed.
[2]
The density of land use to be allocated to parts and/or phases
of the site to be developed.
[3]
The location and size of common open space and the form of organization
proposed to own and maintain the common open space.
[4]
The use and height, bulk and location of buildings and other
structures.
[5]
The means and feasibility of proposals for the disposition of
sanitary waste and stormwater.
[6]
The substance of covenants, grants or easement or other restrictions
proposed to be imposed upon the use of the land, buildings and structures,
including proposed easements or grants for public utilities.
[7]
Provisions for parking of vehicles and the location and width
of proposed streets and any other form of public rights-of-way, excluding
common open space.
[8]
The required modifications in the Township land use regulations as contained within the Zoning Ordinance and Chapter
109, Subdivision and Land Development, otherwise applicable to the subject property.
[9]
The feasibility of proposals for energy conservation and the
effective utilization of renewable energy sources.
[10] In the case of development plans, which call for
development over a period of years, a schedule showing the proposed
timetable within which applications for final approval of all phases
of the planned residential development are intended to filed. This
schedule must be updated annually, on the anniversary of its approval,
until the development is completed and accepted.
[11] A plan map at a scale of not greater than one inch equals 50 feet, with contours for each two feet change in elevation. A location map shall also be provided at a scale of not greater than one inch equals 2,000 feet, indicating the relation of the site to its geographic proximity within the Township. The drafting standards applicable for a major subdivision and/or land development, as provided for within Chapter
109, Subdivision and Land Development, shall apply.
E. Statement of landowner. The application shall also include a written
statement by the landowner setting forth the reasons why, in his opinion,
the planned residential development would be in the public interest
and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the Bear Creek Township,
including any subject amendments to said plan.
F. Application and approval procedures in lieu of others. The application
for tentative and final approval of a development plan for a planned
residential development prescribed herein shall be in lieu of all
other procedures and approvals required by the Zoning Ordinance and
Chapter 209, Subdivision and Land Development, unless otherwise expressly
stated.
G. Referrals and review of plan. The application for tentative approval
shall be filed with the Zoning Officer, who shall be authorized to
accept such applications under the Zoning Ordinance. Copies of the
application and tentative plan shall be referred to the agencies and
officials as required by Chapter 209, Subdivision and Land Development,
for their review and comment. Said reports shall be available prior
the public hearing.