[Amended 5-14-2002; 3-6-2008]
A. Applicability. The following types of activities and uses require site plan review by the Planning Board:
(1) Construction, exterior alteration or exterior expansion of, or change of use within any nonresidential or nonagricultural building or structure or lot.
(2) Construction or expansion of a parking lot for any nonresidential or nonagricultural building or structure or lot.
B. Procedure. Applicants shall submit five copies of the site plan to the Planning Board for review, and within three days thereafter shall also submit a copy of the site plan to the Board, Board of Health, Building Inspector, and Conservation Commission for their advisory review and comments. The Planning Board shall hold a public hearing on any complete application within 60 days of its submission. Public notice of said hearing shall be given in accordance with the requirements of MGL c. 40A, §
11. The Planning Board shall review and act upon the site plan, with such conditions as may be deemed appropriate, within 60 days of the closing of the public hearing, and notify the applicant of its decision. The decision of the Planning Board shall be upon a majority of the Planning Board, shall be in writing, and shall be filed with the Town Clerk within 14 days thereafter. No building permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued by the Building Inspector without the written approval of the site plan by the Planning Board, or unless 60 days lapse from the closing of the public hearing without action by the Planning Board. All time limits may be extended in writing by mutual agreement of the applicant and the Planning Board.
C. Preparation of plans; contents. Applicants are invited to submit a pre-application sketch of the proposed project at a regular meeting of the Planning Board. Site plans shall be submitted on twenty-four-inch by thirty-six-inch sheets. Plans shall be prepared by a registered professional engineer, registered land surveyor, architect, or landscape architect, as appropriate. Dimensions and scales shall be adequate to determine that all requirements are met and to make a complete analysis and evaluation of the proposal. All plans shall have a minimum scale of one inch equals 20 feet.
(1) The contents of the site plan are as follows:
(a) Six separate plans prepared at a scale of one inch equals 20 feet or such other scale as may be approved by the Planning Board. The plans are as follows:
[1] Locus plan, at a scale of one inch equals 100 feet, showing the entire project and its relation to existing areas, buildings and roads for a distance of 1,000 feet from the project boundaries or such other distance as may be approved or required by the Planning Board.
[2] Site layout, which shall contain the boundaries of the lot(s) in the proposed development, proposed structures, drives, parking, fences, walls, walks, outdoor lighting, loading facilities, areas for snow storage after plowing, and all proposed recreational facilities and open space areas.
[3] Topography and drainage plan, which shall contain the existing and proposed final topography at two-foot intervals and plans for handling stormwater drainage, and all wetlands, including floodplain areas.
[4] Utility plan, which shall include all facilities for refuse and sewage disposal or storage of all wastes, the location of all hydrants, fire alarm and firefighting facilities on and adjacent to the site.
[5] Architectural plan, which shall include the ground floor plan and architectural elevations of all proposed buildings and a color rendering.
[6] Landscaping plan, showing the limits of work, existing tree lines, and all proposed landscape features and improvements, including screening, planting areas with size and type of stock for each shrub or tree, and including proposed erosion control.
(b) The site plan shall be accompanied by a written statement indicating the estimated time required to complete the proposed project and any and all phases thereof. There shall be submitted a written estimate, showing in detail the costs of all site improvements planned.
(c) A written summary of the contemplated projects shall be submitted with the site plan indicating, where appropriate, the number of dwelling units to be built and the acreage in residential use, the evidence of compliance with parking and off-street loading requirements, the forms of ownership contemplated for the property and a summary of the provisions of any ownership or maintenance thereof, identification of all land that will become common or public land, and any other evidence necessary to indicate compliance with this bylaw.
(d) The site plan shall be accompanied by drainage calculations by a registered professional engineer. Storm drainage design must conform to Planning Board Subdivision Regulations.
(2) The Planning Board may waive any requirement of this Subsection
C.
D. Approval. Site plan approval shall be granted upon determination by the Planning Board that the plan meets the following standards. The Planning Board may impose reasonable conditions. New building construction or other site alterations shall be designed to:
(1) Minimize the volume of cut and fill, the number of removed trees six inches caliper or larger, the length of removed stone walls, the area of wetland vegetation displaced, the extent of stormwater flow increase from the site, soil erosion, and threat of air and water pollution;
(2) Provide adequate access to each structure for fire and service equipment and adequate utilities and stormwater drainage consistent with the functional requirements of the Planning Board's Subdivision Rules and Regulations;
(3) Maximize pedestrian and vehicular safety both on the site and egressing from it;
(4) Minimize obstruction of scenic views from publicly accessible locations and visual intrusion by screening parking, storage, or other outdoor service areas viewed from public ways or premises residentially used or zoned;
(5) Minimize glare from headlights and lighting intrusion;
(6) Minimize unreasonable departure from the character, materials, and scale of buildings in the vicinity, as viewed from public ways and places;
(7) Ensure compliance with the provisions of this Zoning Bylaw.
E. Lapse. Site plan approval shall lapse after two years from the grant thereof if a substantial use thereof has not sooner commenced except for good cause. Such approval may, for good cause, be extended in writing by the Planning Board upon the written request of the applicant.
F. Regulations; fees. The Planning Board may adopt and from time to time amend reasonable regulations for the administration of this section. The Planning Board may adopt reasonable administrative fees and technical review fees for site plan review.
G. Appeal. Any decision of the Planning Board pursuant to this §
300-32 shall be appealed in accordance with the provisions of MGL c. 40A, §
17 to a court of competent jurisdiction.