[Added 8-14-2023 by Ord. No. 322]
A. 
The Borough has determined that, to promote the best interest of residents of the Borough, adequate and usable recreation open space and trail corridors shall be provided to serve the needs of the public at large. The Borough's goals of promoting and utilizing recreation open space and trail corridors are set forth at length in the Borough's Comprehensive Plan as amended and updated. It is acknowledged and recognized that both residential and nonresidential uses of land in the Borough create a demand for facilities which require and utilize recreation open space and trails. Nonresidential development, whether stand-alone or part of a mixed-use development, creates its own demands for usable recreation open space and trails. As a result of nonresidential development, there is also an influx of business invitees and others who, due to the proximity and availability of Borough recreation open space and trails, utilize and will in the future utilize recreation open space and trails. It is a vital Borough objective to ensure that, as residential and nonresidential development continue, usable and adequate recreation open space and trails which meet the Borough's open space design standards is developed and that existing facilities located within recreation open space and trails are maintained and upgraded as needed.
B. 
The Borough has established this dedication of land/recreation-fee-in-lieu-thereof requirement with the intent to promote the retention and utilization of recreation open space and trails within the Borough for use by future inhabitants of new developments. The amount of the applicable fee or dedication requirement corresponds to the gross building size of the relevant nonresidential development and has been calculated to bear a reasonable relationship to the typical expected increase in employee and business invitee traffic within the Borough and reduction of available recreation space and trails within the Borough.
A. 
Except as otherwise provided herein, as a condition precedent to final approval of any subdivision or land development intended for any residential or nonresidential use, the developer shall dedicate for public use recreation open space meeting the design standards in this section or, upon agreement with the Borough, pay a fee in lieu of mandatory dedication.
B. 
For residential developments, the applicant shall provide for a minimum of 0.3848 acres of public recreation open space per dwelling unit.
(1) 
This requirement has been calculated based on the current ratio of public recreation open space per dwelling unit available to residents of the Borough at the time of adoption of this article. At the time of adoption of this article, there exist an approximate 205.5 acres of existing parkland within the Borough, which is available to be utilized by 534 households according to the most recent census, resulting in 0.3848 acres of public recreation open space per dwelling unit.
(2) 
All acreage dedicated to the Borough pursuant to this section shall be dedicated for the following purposes only:
(a) 
The completion of trail corridors as depicted on the trail plan contained in the Borough Comprehensive Plan, as amended ("trail plan"); or
(b) 
If no trails identified within the trail plan exist within the boundaries of the proposed development or subdivision, the creation of trail corridors within the residential development; or
(c) 
Other recreational facilities as approved by Borough Council.
C. 
For nonresidential developments, the applicant shall provide for a minimum contiguous area of public recreation open space equal to 5% of the total square feet of gross nonresidential building area.
D. 
All land dedicated in accordance with this article must be transferred either to the Borough or to a land trust acceptable to and approved by the Borough.
(1) 
Land offered to the Borough for dedication pursuant to this article shall be accepted only by resolution of Borough Council and execution and recording of a deed of dedication which shall clearly articulate the restrictions imposed upon the land and protect its use as open space in accordance with this article in perpetuity, and any and all other legal instruments deemed necessary, in a form acceptable to the Borough Solicitor.
(2) 
Land offered to a land trust for dedication pursuant to this article shall satisfy the terms of this article only upon approval of the dedication by resolution of Borough Council and the execution and recording of a deed of dedication which shall clearly articulate the restrictions imposed upon the land and protect its use as open space in accordance with this article in perpetuity, and any and all other legal instruments deemed necessary, in a form acceptable to the Borough Solicitor.
E. 
All development of active recreation open space and trails shall be subject to the requirements of Section 509 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code regarding the posting of financial security to guarantee the completion of required public improvements.
F. 
Dedication and construction of facilities shall be subject to posting of the performance and maintenance bonds required for public improvements to be accepted by the Borough.
G. 
The applicant or developer shall prepare a legal description with metes and bounds of the land being offered for dedication at the time of application.
H. 
The plan for recording of the subdivision or land development shall set forth the location of any open space, park, trail or recreational land and shall reflect either the dedication or the method by which the perpetual administration and maintenance of the land and facilities is to be accomplished.
A. 
All land offered for dedication in accordance with this article must meet each of the following criteria to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer:
(1) 
The entirety of the land proposed to be dedicated shall be easily, safely and legally accessible from all areas of the development to be served, shall have safe ingress and egress and shall either (1) have a minimum of 100 feet of contiguous frontage on a public road or (2) shall be adjacent to existing public green or open space, or private green or open space dedicated to public use; or (3) have such other safe and legal ingress and egress established and provided for in a recordable form acceptable to the Borough Solicitor.
(2) 
The entirety of the land proposed to be dedicated shall have suitable topography and soil conditions for use as a recreation open space area or trail.
(3) 
No portion of the land proposed to be dedicated shall have slopes greater than 20%.
(4) 
The entirety of the land proposed to be dedicated for each subdivision or land development shall be contiguous or comprised of not more than two unconnected areas of land, in order to avoid small, remote or unusable areas of recreation open space.
(5) 
The entirety of the land proposed to be dedicated to the Borough or Land Trust shall be available to all residents of the Borough.
(6) 
Grants of rights-of-way, easements or fee simple property, intended to be used and developed as part of the trail system for the Borough or internal to the subdivision or land development, shall be not less than 25 feet wide at any point along the proposed trail corridor. A construction easement of 20 feet on each side of the trail shall be made available which construction easement will automatically be terminated upon the completion of construction of the trail.
(7) 
The Borough Engineer and Borough Solicitor shall review all land proposed to be dedicated to the Borough or Land Trust for compliance with the terms of this article and suitability for the purposes for which it is proposed to be dedicated. The Borough Engineer, in consultation with the Borough Solicitor shall issue a recommendation, in writing, to Borough Council as to whether or not the land offered for dedication is suitable for the purposes proposed. The Borough Engineer or Solicitor may, at his or her discretion, require the submission of additional studies, materials or information by the applicant or developer as necessary to issue a recommendation pursuant to this section. Failure by the applicant or developer to provide the studies, materials, or information requested shall be grounds for the Borough's refusal to accept the land proposed to be dedicated.
A. 
Where the applicant or developer elects not to offer to dedicate recreation open space, the applicant or developer shall be required to pay a fee in lieu of dedication in order to finance the provision by the Borough of recreation open space and trails for use by future inhabitants or occupants of the subdivision or land development.
B. 
Standards for determining fair market value (FMV):
(1) 
Where a fee contribution is made in lieu of required land dedication, the value or amount of such contributions shall be based upon "fair market value" (FMV) of an acre of predevelopment land within the Borough at the time of the filing of the final plan with the Borough or the first final plan phase of a subdivision or land development plan consisting of multiple phases. Beginning in 2023, the FMV shall be set at $75,966.80 per acre (average acre cost of 10 undeveloped properties in Bell Acres in 2022). The fee in lieu of dedication shall be subject to a discount rate ("D"). Beginning in 2023, the discount rate shall be set at 13% of the undiscounted fees or a reduction of 87% from the undiscounted fees. The FMV and discount rate shall be updated by Council from time to time by resolution as based upon an annual recommendation by the Borough Planning Commission.
(2) 
If a subdivision and land development is planned in development phases over multiple years as permitted by this chapter, the approved FMV and discount rate for a predevelopment acre may be adjusted with each phased final plan submission to keep current with actual land value within the Borough.
C. 
Determining the amount of fee in lieu of land dedication.
(1) 
Residential. The amount of fee to be paid in lieu of dedication of land for recreation open space shall be based on the formula (("N" x 0.3848) x FMV) x D = total fee, where "N" equals the number of dwelling units in the residential plan or phase, 0.3848 represents the minimum number of acres of public recreation open space that a developer or applicant would be required to provide in accordance with this article if they elected to dedicate open space and where "FMV" is determined as described above.
(a) 
Residential examples utilizing the 2022 FMV:
[1] 
Single-family residential development with 35 homes on 35 lots: ((35 x 0.3848) x $75,966.80) x .13 = $133,005.71 ($3,800.16 per dwelling unit).
[2] 
Multifamily residential development with 100 dwelling units: (100 x 0.3848) x $75,966.80) x. 13 = $380,016.16 ($3,800.16 per dwelling unit).
(2) 
Nonresidential. The amount of fee to be paid in lieu of dedication of land for recreation open space shall be $1.20 multiplied by the total square feet of gross nonresidential building area rounded to the nearest square foot.
(a) 
Nonresidential example:
[1] 
Nonresidential building with 1,000-square foot basement, 1,000-square foot first floor and 500-square foot second floor: $1.20 x (1,000+1,000+500) = $3,000.
(3) 
Mixed-use. In mixed use development projects involving any combination of single-family, multifamily and/or nonresidential developments, the applicant shall calculate the recreation open space and trail requirements for the residential portion first and then calculate the fee for the nonresidential development. The total fee shall be a combination of the residential fee and the nonresidential fee.
(4) 
The fee authorized by this section shall be payable at the time of application for a building permit and, upon receipt by the Borough, shall be deposited in the Borough Recreation Capital Reserve Fund under an interest-bearing account. All fees collected shall be clearly identified as to the plan from which they were collected and the specific recreational purpose accessible to the future inhabitants of the plan for which they are intended to be expended. Interest earned on such accounts shall become funds of that account. Funds from such accounts shall be expended only in properly allocable portions of the cost incurred for providing, acquiring, operating or maintaining park or trail facilities. The Borough Manager shall maintain such financial records for the Recreation Capital Reserve Fund to show the source and disbursement of all revenues and ensure that moneys are expended in accordance with the requirements of Section 503(11) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
(5) 
The fees in lieu of the provision of recreation open space shall be used, unless the person paying such fee shall agree otherwise, only for the purpose of providing, acquiring, operating or maintaining park and trail facilities accessible to the subdivision or land development for which such fees are paid. By agreeing to pay a fee in lieu of mandatory dedication in accordance with this article the applicant or developer expressly agree that the Bell Acres Borough Park, and Bell Acres Nature Park, as well as other open space recreation areas within the Borough are recreation open spaces open to and reasonably accessible to all residents of the Borough including the future residents of any subdivision or land development located within its borders. Upon request of any person who paid any fee under this section, the Borough shall refund such fee, plus interest accumulated thereon from the date of payment, if the Borough has used the fee paid for a purpose other than the purposes set forth in Section 503(11) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.