The following reports shall be included with all land development
plans:
A. Water service feasibility report.
(1)
The applicant shall submit a feasibility report concerning the
availability of a public water system in or near the proposed land
development. Said report shall be prepared by an engineer qualified
to perform such duties and be submitted in conjunction with the plan
for review by the Township, the applicable authority, and for recommendations
by the local office of PA DEP.
(a)
Within any UGA or VGA or within any area that the Act 537 Plan
identifies to be served by public utilities, any lot created, and
any land development plan that proposes to increase flows equal to
or greater than 400 gallons per day, shall be served by public water.
(b)
For those areas not located within an UGA or VGA or within any
area that the Act 537 Plan identifies to be served by public utilities,
the feasibility report is not required for residential subdivisions
of four lots or less, including remaining lands and commercial or
industrial land development plans with a flow rate demand of less
than 400 gallons per day.
(2)
If connection to an existing public water system is proposed,
the developer shall submit an agreement which verifies the commitment
of the public water provider to provide water as will be utilized
by the subdivision or land development for such period of time and
under such terms and conditions determined acceptable to the provider.
(3)
If the water supply system proposed involves the utilization
of water obtained from the tract being subdivided or developed (irrespective
of whether or not that water is being distributed as a part of a community
water supply system), that water supply source may be utilized only
when:
(a)
The feasibility study establishes and the engineer qualified
to perform such duties performing the study certifies that the groundwater
recharge on the tract in question after development will exceed the
anticipated water usage figures under the following PA DEP standards:
[1]
A population of 3 1/2 persons per dwelling unit shall be
assumed for residential units.
[2]
An average daily usage of 100 gallons per person per day is
to be used where residential use is contemplated.
[3]
Groundwater supply will exceed projected water usage quantities
where industrial, agricultural or commercial use is contemplated.
(b)
The Township Engineer recommends the study for approval.
(4)
When industrial, agricultural or commercial use is intended,
the applicant shall, in the feasibility study, set forth the proposed
nature of the use, the proposed number of employees and whether or
not water will be used for cleanup and/or processing or otherwise
in connection with the use. The applicant shall in addition set forth
the proposed allocation of available water supply between or among
the proposed uses and shall set forth a plan or proposal pursuant
to which such allocation can reasonably be monitored and enforced
by the Township or applicable authority.
(5)
In all cases the applicant shall demonstrate that the water
to be supplied shall be of an adequate quality and quantity for the
intended use. Potable water shall meet all applicable standards of
PA DEP or the USEPA.
(6)
If community water systems are proposed, these systems shall
be in compliance with the above requirements as well as the regulations
of PA DEP and the applicable authority.
B. Sewer service feasibility report.
(1)
The applicant shall submit a feasibility report concerning the
availability of a public sewer system in or near the proposed land
development. Said report shall be prepared by an engineer qualified
to perform such duties and be submitted in conjunction with the plan
for review by the Township, the applicable authority, and for recommendations
by the local office of PA DEP.
(a)
Within any UGA or VGA or within any area that the Act 537 Plan
identifies to be served by public utilities, any lot created, and
any land development plan that proposes to increase flows equal to
or greater than 400 gallons per day, shall be served by public sewer.
(b)
For those areas not located within an UGA or VGA or within any
area that the Act 537 Plan identifies to be served by public utilities,
the feasibility report is not required for residential subdivisions
of four lots or less, including remaining lands, and commercial or
industrial land development plans which propose effluent flows of
less than 400 gallons per day.
(2)
If connection to an existing public sewer system is proposed,
the developer shall submit an agreement which verifies the commitment
of the public sewer service provider to provide such sewage disposal
as will be utilized by the subdivision or land development for such
period of time and under such terms and conditions as determined acceptable
to the provider.
(3)
As a part of the feasibility study, the applicant shall state
the type of sewage disposal desired for each of the proposed lots.
If other than connection to a public sewer system or the installation
of a conventional on-site sewage disposal system is intended on any
of the lots, that fact shall be indicated on the plan itself. The
following conditions shall apply:
(a)
The Board of Supervisors will approve on-lot sewage disposal
systems only when the Township SEO shall certify that both an initial
location and a replacement location for the on-lot sewage disposal
system are present on each lot.
[1]
The replacement location shall be of a size and capacity to
allow complete abandonment of the initial system in the event of failure.
[2]
The replacement location shall be protected from traffic, and
no filling or excavation shall be allowed within its boundary.
[3]
The standards for installation of the replacement system shall
be as required by PA DEP at the time of its construction.
(b)
Subdivisions proposing a lot or lots utilizing alternate on-site
sewage disposal systems will not be approved by the Board of Supervisors
unless:
[1]
The Township SEO and/or a sanitarian of PA DEP certifies that
a conventional sewage disposal site cannot reasonably be located on
the site; and
[2]
The lot itself cannot reasonably be redesigned or relocated
consistent with the most recent version of the Lancaster Township
Zoning Ordinance, as amended, and other Township regulations so as to enable
utilization of a conventional on-site sewage disposal system.
(c)
The feasibility study shall include the results of the probe
hole analyses and soil absorption tests on each of the lots as proposed
in the subdivision. These probe hole analyses and soil absorption
tests shall be certified as accurate by the Township SEO.
(4)
If community sewer systems are proposed, these systems shall
be in compliance with the above requirements as well as the regulations
of PA DEP and the applicable authority.
There are two types of required traffic impact studies.
A. Studies required.
(1)
Abbreviated traffic impact study. Whenever a proposed development
project will generate 50 to 99 new vehicle trips in the peak direction
(inbound or outbound) during the site peak traffic hour, the applicant
shall perform an abbreviated traffic impact study. The study must
utilize trip generation rates from the most recent version of the
ITE Trip Generation Manual or from a local study of corresponding
land uses and quantities. Based on this study, certain improvements
may be identified as necessary to provide safe and efficient access
to the development. The abbreviated traffic impact study shall include:
(a)
A capacity analysis report prepared under the supervision of
a transportation engineer or transportation planner, qualified to
perform such duties.
(b)
The study area for the capacity analysis report shall only include
all proposed site access intersections.
(2)
Comprehensive traffic impact study. Whenever a proposed development
project will generate 100 or more new vehicle trips in the peak direction
(inbound or outbound) during the site peak traffic hour or generate
an ADT of greater than 3,000, the applicant shall perform a comprehensive
traffic impact study. Based on this study, certain improvements may
be identified as necessary to provide safe and efficient access to
the development. In addition, a comprehensive traffic impact study
shall be prepared at the discretion of the Township whenever either
of the following conditions exist within the impact study area:
(a)
Current traffic problems exist in the local area or neighborhood,
including but not limited to a high crash location, confusing intersection,
or a congested intersection that directly affects access to the development.
(b)
The ability of the existing roadway system to handle increased
traffic or the feasibility of improving the roadway system to handle
increased traffic is limited.
(c)
If access is proposed to a state roadway, the traffic impact
study shall be prepared in accordance with and shall conform to the
most recent version of PennDOT Publications and Procedures for Transportation
Impact Studies, Publication 46, Traffic Engineering Manual.
B. Traffic impact study requirements.
(1)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared in accordance with
PennDOT Publications and Procedures for Transportation Impact Studies,
Publication 46, Traffic Engineering Manual, and Institute of Transportation
Engineers' (ITE) recommended practice "Transportation Impact
Analyses for Site Development."
(2)
Area and scope of traffic impact study. The traffic impact study
area and scope shall be based on the characteristics of the surrounding
area and the impact of the plan on the area. The intersections to
be included in the study shall be adjacent to the site or have direct
impact upon the access to the site. Prior to initiation of the study,
the area and scope shall be mutually agreed upon between the Township
Engineer and the traffic engineer preparing the study.
(3)
Preparation by transportation engineer required. The traffic
impact study shall be prepared by a professional engineer registered
in Pennsylvania with specific training in traffic and transportation
engineering, at least four years of experience related to preparing
traffic studies for existing or proposed developments, and sufficient
prior traffic study experience to qualify the engineer to render any
opinions and recommendations in the study.
(4)
Horizon year. The traffic forecasts shall be prepared for the
anticipated opening year of the development, assuming full build-out
and occupancy. The horizon year in the remainder of this chapter and
shall be a minimum of five years after the opening year.
(5)
Traffic data, projections and analysis periods.
(a)
Traffic data used in the study shall not be more than one-year
old.
(b)
Estimates of nonsite traffic shall be made and will consist
of traffic generated by all other developments within the study area
for which preliminary and/or final plans have been approved and traffic
from background traffic growth in and around the study area. Traffic
generated by other development for which an application has been submitted
but not yet approved shall be included at the discretion of the Township.
Nonsite traffic may be estimated using the "build-up" technique or
by way of area transportation plan data or modeled volumes. Background
growth compounded annually shall be established using the growth rates
from PennDOT.
(c)
Analyses shall be conducted for the a.m. and p.m. peak-hour
periods. If the study area includes an intersection on an arterial
roadway or if the proposed development includes retail related uses,
then the Saturday peak-hour period shall also be analyzed. Where the
peak hour of the generator does not coincide with the peak hour of
the adjacent street, then the peak hour(s) of the generator shall
also be analyzed.
(6)
Trip generation rates required.
(a)
The traffic impact study shall include a table showing the land
uses and codes as defined by ITE and quantities of each land use,
with the corresponding trip generation rates or equations (with justification
for selection of one or the other), and resulting number of trips,
including entering, exiting and total trips. The trip generation rates
used must be either from the latest edition of Trip Generation by
ITE or from a local study of corresponding land uses and quantities.
All sources must be referenced in the study. The anticipated types
and volumes of truck traffic using the site shall be identified.
(b)
All trip generation calculations shall be based on the methodologies
as published in ITE's "Trip Generation Handbook" or as mutually
agreed between the Township Engineer and the traffic engineer preparing
the study.
(c)
Consideration of pass-by or shared trips. If pass-by trips or
shared trips are a major consideration for the land use in question,
calculations of pass-by and/or shared trips shall be based on published
rates as identified in ITE's "Trip Generation Handbook."
(d)
Rate sums. Any significant difference between the sums of single-use
rates and proposed mixed-use estimates must be justified in the study.
(e)
Explanations required. The reasoning and data used in developing
a trip generation rate for special/unusual generators must be justified
and explained in the study.
(7)
Definition of influence area.
(a)
Prior to trip distribution of site-generated trips, an influence
area must be defined, which contains 80% or more of the trip ends
that will be attracted to the development. A market study may be used
to establish the limits of an influence area, if available. If no
market study is available, an influence area shall be determined based
on a reasonably defined market area. The influence area may also be
based on a reasonable maximum convenient travel time to the site,
or delineating area boundaries based on locations of competing developments.
(b)
Other methods, such as using trip data from an existing development
with similar characteristics, or using an existing origin-destination
survey of trips within the area, may be used in place of the influence
area to delineate the boundaries of the impact.
(8)
Estimates of trip distribution required.
(a)
Trip distribution shall be estimated using analogy, trip distribution
model, or surrogate data.
(b)
Whichever method is used, trip distribution must be estimated
and analyzed for the horizon year and must be justified in the study.
A multi-use development may require more than one distribution and
coinciding assignment for each phase (e.g., residential and retail
phases on the same site). Consideration must also be given to whether
inbound and outbound trips will have similar distributions.
(c)
The methodology for determining trip distribution shall be mutually
agreed upon between the Township Engineer and the traffic engineer
preparing the study.
(9)
Trip assignments.
(a)
Assignments must be made considering logical routings, available
roadway capacities, left turns at critical intersections, and projected
(and perceived) minimum travel times. In addition, multiple paths
shall often be assigned between origins and destinations to achieve
realistic estimates, rather than assigning all of the trips to the
route with the shortest travel time. The assignments must be carried
through the external site access points and, in projects producing
500 or more additional peak direction trips to or from the site during
the development's peak hour, through the internal roadways. When
the site has more than one access driveway, logical routing and possibly
multiple paths shall be used to obtain realistic driveway volumes.
The assignment shall reflect conditions at the time of the analysis.
Assignments may be accomplished either manually or with applicable
computer models.
(b)
If a thorough analysis is required to account for pass-by trips,
such analysis shall determine the percentage of pass-by trips in the
total trips generated using methodology; estimate a trip distribution
for the pass-by trips; perform two separate trip assignments, based
on the new and pass-by trip distributions; and combine the pass-by
and new trip assignment.
(c)
Upon completion of the initial site traffic assignment, the
results shall be reviewed to determine if the volumes appear logical,
given characteristics of the road system and trip distribution. Adjustments
shall be made if the initial results do not appear to be logical or
reasonable.
(d)
The methodology for determining trip assignments shall be mutually
agreed upon between the Township Engineer and the traffic engineer
preparing the study.
(e)
Total traffic impacts. Traffic estimates for any site with current
traffic activity shall reflect not only new traffic associated with
the site's redevelopment but also the trips subtracted from the
traffic stream because of the removal of a land use. The number of
trips to be subtracted for the existing use shall be based on actual
counts. The traffic impact study shall clearly depict the total traffic
estimate and its components.
(10)
Analysis.
(a)
Traffic analyses shall be completed for the existing conditions
and opening day/build-out year and horizon year, both without and
with development. Analyses may consider proposed roadway improvements
only if said improvements have committed funding.
(b)
Capacity analysis shall be performed at each of the major street
and project site access intersection locations (signalized and unsignalized)
within the study area. In addition, analyses shall be completed for
roadway segments, deemed sensitive to site traffic within the study
area. These may include such segments as weaving sections, ramps,
internal site roadways, parking facility access points, and reservoirs
for vehicles queuing off site and on site. Other locations may be
deemed appropriate depending on the situation.
(c)
The recommended level of service analysis procedures detailed
in the most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual shall be
followed. The operational analyses in the Highway Capacity Manual
should be used for analyzing existing conditions, traffic impacts,
access requirements, or other future conditions for which traffic,
geometric and control parameters can be established.
(d)
Where a Level of Service (LOS) "F" results, the associated delay
shall be noted in the study. Existing peak-hour factors and site-specific
truck and roadway grade percentages shall be utilized.
(e)
Traffic signal warrant analyses evaluating all warrant criteria
shall be completed for each unsignalized intersection which is shown
to have an approach operating at an LOS "E" or "F."
(f)
Where traffic signals exist or are proposed, analyses of the
need for signalized left-turn phases shall be completed in accordance
with PennDOT Publication 149.
(g)
Queue length analyses shall be completed for each lane group.
The need for acceleration and deceleration lanes shall be presented
in the study. The need for right- and left-turn lanes shall also be
evaluated. For both signalized and unsignalized intersections, PennDOT
Publication 46 shall be used as the basis for determining the need
and required lengths for said lanes.
(h)
Accident data for the most recent three-year period shall be
presented and analyzed for trends, type of accidents and causation
factors.
(i)
Required levels of service. The study shall identify the improvements
necessary to meet the goals thereof and the applicant shall be responsible
to make all improvements required by law.