Borough of Woodstown, NJ Plat Details and Information Requirements

The requirements set forth herein shall apply for the development of all lots within the Borough of Woodstown, whether for residential or commercial purposes, and when there is an application for development before a development review board of the Borough. The requirements set forth herein include alteration of the land by grading, excavation, fill, or any changes in use, and include construction of any proposed additions, accessory structures, buildings, or any other construction of any kind resulting in disturbance of 600 square feet or greater.

All new construction will require construction of concrete curb and sidewalk, as applicable.

Grading plan requirements. The developer of a tract of land in the Borough must provide grading plans for each lot proposed to be developed. The grading plans shall contain all the information required below in the grading plan checklist, which shall be made available to all applicants in the form that follows. The developer must submit a completed grading plan checklist with the application for development.

Grading plan checklist. The following shall be the grading plan checklist. The applicant must complete this checklist and supply the required information.

Grading Plan Checklist
( )	1.	Title block indicating the address of the site, lot and block numbers, name and address of the applicant and the title "grading plan."
( )	2.	The plan must be signed and sealed (embossed) by a professional land surveyor and professional engineer or architect licensed in the State of New Jersey.
( )	3.	The plan must be legibly drawn at a minimum scale of one inch equals 30 feet, indicate a North arrow and refer to the vertical datum on which the plan is based.
( )	4.	The plan must indicate all property lines, easements, deed restrictions and required setback lines. All property lines must indicate bearing and dimensions, and the width of all easements must be shown on the plans.
( )	5.	The distances between all existing and proposed structures and adjoining property lines must be indicated on the plan.
( )	6.	The plan must indicate the right-of-way and cartway widths of all adjoining streets as well as the location of all existing and proposed curbs, sidewalks and driveway aprons along the entire frontage of the subject property.
( )	7.	The plan must indicate existing and proposed contours at one-foot intervals over the entire lot areas to be disturbed and 50 feet beyond the limit of grading. Spot elevations and inverts should also be provided at all inlets, catch basins, outfalls, culverts, and other hydraulic structures.
( )	8.	The plan must indicate existing and proposed spot elevations at all building and property corners.
( )	9.	The plan must also indicate existing topography 50 feet beyond all property lines and spot elevations for all adjacent building corners.
( )	10.	The plan must also indicate the location and dimensions for all structures and site improvements, including, but not limited to, the following: buildings, sheds, decks, swimming pools, fences, fence type, drainage facilities, and information relating to any detention or retention facilities relating to this subsection.
( )	11.	The plan must indicate all stream encroachment, wetlands, and wetland buffer lines and floodplains.
Additional Requirements for Grading Plans for New Structures and Additions
( )	12.	The plan must indicate the first-floor and basement elevations for all proposed structures. Spot elevations for all building corners must be indicated. If a basement is planned, soil boring(s) will be necessary to provide information relating to soil types, and the depth to seasonal high-water table.
( )	13.	The plan must indicate the location of all proposed utility services, including vents and cleanouts.

Grading standards. The grading plan must conform to the following standards:

All grading shall be done in such a way as to not result in any adverse effects to adjacent properties. The plan shall not increase the amount of water which drains onto adjoining lots. For properties where a drainage problem already exists, the drainage plan shall reduce the impact on adjoining tracts to the greatest extent possible by causing the surface water to drain to nearby streets, into approved drainage facilities or into other accepted devices. All lots shall be graded to direct surface water runoff away from structures and toward the frontage road or other defined drainage paths.

All lots where fill material is deposited shall have clean fill and/or topsoil deposited which shall be graded to allow positive drainage away from all buildings and complete surface draining of the lot into local storm sewer systems or natural drainage courses. No regarding of a lot shall be permitted which would create or aggravate water stagnation or a drainage problem on the site or on adjacent properties; or which will result in any topsoil or subsoil removal from the site or from the Borough; or which will violate the provisions of the soil erosion and sediment control soil removal and redistribution, and floodplain provisions of this chapter. Grading shall be limited to areas shown on an approved site plan or subdivision. Any topsoil disturbed during approved excavation and grading operations shall be redistributed through the site.

Lawn areas shall be sloped away from the buildings and structures at a minimum of 5% for the first six feet from a foundation wall. A minimum slope of 1% should be maintained in all other lawn areas. A minimum slope of 2% shall be maintained for all swales. Swales are normally placed at the edge of both lots so that water will flow from the back of the house to the curb. Water also may be directed to flow on neighboring lots where easements are applicable to the curb or to the source where the water will be discharged.

All slopes shall be no greater than 3:1.

(5)

Driveway grades shall not exceed 10%.

(6)

No grading shall occur within five feet of a property line unless necessary to direct drainage off the site and into acceptable drainage facilities in accordance with these standards. When an applicant proposes to grade over an adjoining property line, written permission/agreement from the adjoining property owner must be obtained and a waiver from the minimum requirements must be obtained from the Borough Engineer. Where an applicant proposes to grade over an adjoining property line, written permission in the form of an agreement for easement shall be recorded in the Salem County Clerk's office from the adjoining property or developer, and a copy shall be filed with the Construction Office of the Borough of Woodstown and the Land Use Board of the Borough of Woodstown where a subdivision or a variance shall have been approved. The document between the parties must be notarized in order to file and record. (The office of the County Clerk acts as a registrar of deeds and all other recorded documents and the right to grade on an adjoining property becomes an easement or right against the adjoining property.)

(7)

The top of any excavation of slope shall be no closer than five feet to an adjoining property and shall not provide for water runoff to the adjoining property unless an agreement shall have been provided and recorded as indicated under Subsection C(6).

(8)

If a retaining wall is proposed, construction details must be provided. In cases where a retaining wall is higher than 48 inches, calculations prepared by a licensed professional engineer must be submitted certifying the stability of the structure.

(9)

A grading plan is also required for all major subdivisions and site plan and/or all site plans greater than one acre. The plan shall show all existing and proposed contours at one-foot contour intervals. Either the footing and top-of-foundation elevations shall be shown consistent with the grading plan for the site and for each building, or the plan shall include a general note that top-of-foundation and other required elevations shall be provided as part of the request for construction permit with the elevations being consistent with the approved development plan and other design requirements, such as, but not limited to, driveway slopes.

(10)

All lots where fill material is deposited shall have clean fill and/or topsoil deposited which shall be graded to allow positive drainage away from all buildings and complete surface draining of the lot into local storm sewer systems or natural drainage courses. No regrading of a lot shall be permitted which would create or aggravate water stagnation or a drainage problem on the site or on adjacent properties; or which will result in any topsoil or subsoil removal from the site or from the Borough; or which will violate the provisions of the soil erosion and sediment control, soil removal and redistribution, and floodplain provisions of this chapter. Grading shall be limited to areas shown on an approved site plan or subdivision. Any topsoil disturbed during approved excavation and grading operations shall be redistributed throughout the site.

Approval procedures.

The Borough's Land Use Board is designated to receive, review and determine site plans for purposes of establishing drainage and other issues relating to applications for development. Grading is a part of a site plan application. In the event any grading plan submitted under this section shall not be approved by the Borough Engineer, an application for site plan with the Land Use Board, wherever jurisdiction shall lie, shall be submitted for purposes of a final determination.

The Borough Engineer shall inspect the final grade, with written notice to the applicable board and to the developer. The developer must contact the Borough Engineer for a final grade inspection 14 working days preceding the issuance of any certificate of occupancy.

Following completion of all grading and drainage work, the applicant must submit to the Borough Engineer and Construction Office two copies of an as-built survey, prepared by a New Jersey licensed surveyor, with final grades, and request a final inspection 14 days prior to any certificate of occupancy. If any discrepancy exists between the grading plan and actual construction, the developer will be required to perform any necessary site work to correct the deficiency. All as-built site work must be done in conformity with the approved grading plans. Any significant deviations may be approved only by the relevant approving agency.

Following completion of all work and receipt of the as-built grading plan, the Borough Engineer shall conduct the final inspection and notify the Construction Official, in writing, whether the final construction is in compliance with the approved grading plan and that a certificate of occupancy may be issued. The Construction Official shall issue the certificate of occupancy only if all conditions for the approved grading plan have been satisfied.

(5)

For those projects that did not obtain Land Use Board approval, all new construction shall require the construction of curb and sidewalk along the project's road frontage, as applicable. In addition, all procedures concerning grading plan approval by the Borough Engineer, set forth in this section, shall be followed. If, due to physical limitations of the existing roadway, the applicant believes curb and sidewalk should not be constructed, he or she can provide a letter to the Borough Clerk and Engineer outlining the reasons for said claim. The letter must include the applicable fee as outlined in Subsection E(5) herein. The Borough Engineer will provide a report to the Borough Council as to its review of the request. Borough Council will review the information and forward its decision to the applicant.

(6)

All grading work shall be completed within 180 calendar days from the issuance of the building permit. The grading permit and building permit shall be issued simultaneously. The 180 days shall be counted from the issuance of the building permit.

(a)

For lots separately handled for grading permits, an individual plan shall be filed for each lot.

(b)

Unless all lots are intended to be completed at one time, individual lot permits shall be issued for each individual construction permit.

Permit and review fees. The person to whom this section applies must pay the following fees to the Borough for application, review and inspection of the site.

Application fee: $35.

A flat fee in the amount of $300 shall be paid at the time of submission of a grading plan (per lot) and a sum of $100 in the event upon submission of any revised grading plan. These fees are flat fees and constitute by this chapter the actual fee charged to the Borough of Woodstown by its Engineer.

Inspection fees. A flat fee of $200 per lot for subdivisions shall be submitted by the applicant to be utilized for the payment of the Borough Engineer's inspection of the site in accordance with this section.