Applicants for preliminary approval shall be encouraged to submit, for review by the Planning Board, sketch site plans for informal discussions and recommendations. Said sketch site plans shall be used as a basis for changes and redesign and to avoid undue expense and delay in preparing more detailed plans and specifications. The Planning Board shall not be governed by any statutory time limits in its review of sketch site plans, and it is expressly understood that compliance with the Planning Board recommendations shall not bind the Planning Board in subsequent deliberations.
A. 
The Planning Board shall, at a hearing within the time periods provided in this chapter act upon every application for the preliminary approval of a site plan.
B. 
Public notice of applications shall be required for all site plans requiring a variance by the Planning Board. Public notice and advertisement shall be the responsibility of the applicant and performed at the expense of the applicant.
C. 
Decision of Planning Board as to preliminary approval. Each decision of a municipal agency of any application for development shall be in writing and shall include findings of fact and conclusions based thereon.
D. 
Effect of preliminary approval. Preliminary approval of a site plan shall, except as provided in Subsection E, confer upon the applicant the following rights for a three-year period from the date of the preliminary approval:
(1) 
That the general terms and conditions on which preliminary approval was granted shall not be changed, including but not limited to use requirements; layout and design standards for streets, curbs and sidewalks; lot size; yard dimensions; on-site and off-tract improvements; and any requirements peculiar to the specific site plan. The Township may modify by ordinance such general terms and conditions of a preliminary approval as they may relate to public health and safety, provided that such modifications are in accord with amendments adopted by ordinance subsequent to approval.
(2) 
That the applicant may submit for final approval on or before the expiration date of preliminary approval the whole or a section or sections of the preliminary site plan.
E. 
Extension of preliminary approval.
(1) 
The applicant may apply for and the Planning Board may grant extensions of such preliminary approval for additional periods of at least one year but not to exceed a total extension of two years, provided that if the design standards have been revised by ordinance, such revised standards shall govern.
(2) 
In the case of a site plan for a planned unit development, the Planning Board may grant the rights referred to above for such period of time longer than three years as shall be determined by the Planning Board to be reasonable, taking into consideration the number of dwelling units and nonresidential floor area permissible under preliminary approval, economic conditions and the comprehensiveness of the development. The applicant may apply for thereafter and the Planning Board may thereafter grant an extension of preliminary approval for such additional period of time as shall be determined by the Planning Board to be reasonable, taking into consideration the number of dwelling units and nonresidential floor area permissible under preliminary approval, the potential number of sections awaiting final approval, economic conditions and the comprehensiveness of the development, provided that if the design standards have been revised, such revised standards shall govern.
The Planning Board may, when exercising its powers pursuant to this chapter, grant variances as provided in § 163-5.
A. 
The Planning Board shall, within the applicable time period set forth in this chapter, after a public hearing, approve the application for final site plan approval with or without conditions, provided that the following requirements are met:
(1) 
The detailed drawings and specifications meet all applicable codes and ordinances.
(2) 
The final plans are substantially the same as the approved preliminary site plans.
(3) 
All improvements have been installed or bonds posted to ensure the installation of improvements.
(4) 
The applicant agrees in writing to all conditions of final approval.
(5) 
Proof has been submitted that all taxes and assessments for local improvements on the property have been paid.
B. 
Notice. No public notice of applications for final site plan approval shall be required.
C. 
Decision of Planning Board as to final approval. The decision of the Planning Board shall be in writing and shall include findings of fact and conclusions based thereon.
D. 
Effect of final approval. Final approval shall terminate the time period of preliminary approval for the section granted final approval and shall guarantee the applicant that the zoning requirements applicable to the preliminary approval and all other rights conferred upon applicant as part of preliminary approval shall not be changed for a period of two years after the date of final approval.
E. 
Time limit for final approval and extensions. Final approval shall expire two years from the date of final approval unless the applicant has secured a building permit to commence construction. The Planning Board may extend final approval and the protection offered under Subsection D for one year. Applicants shall be required, as a condition of any extension, to reestimate improvement costs and to resubmit revised bonds in accordance therewith.
F. 
Conditions of final approval. The Planning Board may, as a condition of final approval:
(1) 
Grant final approval only for designated geographic sections of the development.
(2) 
Grant final approval for certain work but require resubmission for final approval for designated elements such as but not limited to landscaping, signs, street furniture, etc., and require approval of these elements as prerequisite for a certificate of occupancy or zoning permit.
(3) 
Condition the granting of a temporary certificate of occupancy or zoning permit on the applicant's or developer's or subsequent heirs' or assignees' meeting certain requirements within a designated period of time, not to exceed six months, from the date of issuance of the certificate of occupancy or zoning permit. This may include but is not limited to the installation of improvements, reevaluation of circulation patterns, etc.
(4) 
Require the furnishing of a performance guaranty in favor of the municipality in an amount not to exceed 120% of the cost of installation for improvements it may deem necessary or appropriate, including streets, grading, pavement, gutters, curbs, sidewalks, streetlighting, shade trees, surveyor's monuments as shown on the final map and required by the Map Filing Law, P.L. 1960, c. 141 (N.J.S.A. 46:23-9.9 et seq.), water mains, culverts, storm sewers, sanitary sewers or other means of sewage disposal, drainage structures, erosion control and sedimentation control devices, public improvements of open space and, in the case of site plans only, other on-site improvements and landscaping.
(5) 
Require provision for a maintenance guaranty to be posted with the governing body for a period not to exceed two years after final acceptance of the improvement, in an amount not to exceed 15% of the cost of the improvement. In the event that other governmental agencies or public utilities automatically will own the utilities to be installed or the improvements are covered by a performance or maintenance guaranty to another governmental agency, no performance or maintenance guaranty, as the case may be, shall be required by the municipality for such utilities or improvements.