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Township of Bernards, NJ
Somerset County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Ord. #585, § 706A; Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
The procedures and details set forth below constitute the only submission requirements for final approval of minor subdivisions unless otherwise provided for in this chapter.
[Ord. #585, § 706B]
a. 
The applicant shall submit to the Board Secretary after the fifteenth day of the calendar month preceding the first regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Board, but not later than the first day of the calendar month in which such meeting is to be held, 18 copies of the application package, including the completed application form, plans and support documents in accordance with Subsection 21-52.3 below for purposes of classification, preliminary discussion and appropriate action, and the fee in accordance with Section 21-58 of this chapter. The Board Secretary shall assign an application number, and such number shall appear on all papers, maps, plats and other documents submitted for processing in conjunction with the application. The Board shall certify the application as complete or notify the applicant in writing of any deficiencies within 45 days of the submission.If the application has been found to be incomplete, the applicant may submit an appropriately revised application as in the first instance.
[Ord. #1456, 4-10-2001, amended; Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
b. 
The appropriate Board Secretary shall forward one copy of the submission to the County Planning Board for review and action.
c. 
Additional copies of the submission may be requested from the applicant to be forwarded to other individuals, offices and agencies for information, review and comment.
[Ord. #585, § 706C; Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
No plat shall be classified and approved as a minor subdivision unless drawn by a professional land surveyor licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey. The plat submitted for final approval of a minor subdivision shall be based on filed maps, deeds or some other similarly accurate base and drawn at a scale of not more than 50 feet to the inch on standard size sheets of 30 inches by 42 inches or 24 inches by 36 inches to enable the entire tract to be shown on one sheet. Minor subdivision plats shall be in conformance with the New Jersey Map Filing Law (Chapter 211, enacted August 18, 1997, including all subsequent amendments). Information regarding Township GPS monuments can be obtained from the Township Engineering Department.
a. 
The submission shall include the following (A checklist is attached as Appendix A, Article III, at the end of this chapter.):
1. 
A completed application form and checklist.
2. 
A certificate from the Tax Collector indicating that taxes are paid.
3. 
All required application and escrow deposit fees.
4. 
Names and addresses of property owners within 200 feet of the subject property, as disclosed by current tax records and identified by block and lot numbers.
5. 
Title block indicating:
(a) 
Name of development and street location.
(b) 
Name and address of applicant, owner and authorized agent, if any.
(c) 
Name and address of professional(s) preparing plans, including signature, date, license number and seal.
(d) 
Tax Map block and lot numbers.
(e) 
Date of plan preparation and revision box with date of each revision.
(f) 
Development application number.
(g) 
Written and graphic scale.
6. 
Signature of applicant and, if applicant is not the owner, signed consent of the owner.
7. 
Name and address of the attorney representing parties, if any, and the name of each client represented.
8. 
North arrow giving reference meridian.
9. 
Copies of any protective covenants or deed restrictions applying to the subject property, including a statement as to whether such covenants or deeds are of record. A copy or abstract of the deed or deeds or other instruments by which title is derived with the names of all owners must also be provided.
10. 
A key map showing the entire tract and its relation to the surrounding areas, including all roads, zone boundaries and municipal boundaries within 1/2 mile of the subject property at a scale of one inch equals not more than 2,000 feet.
11. 
A zoning schedule indicating the zone(s) within which the property is located and required existing and proposed conditions relative to lot area, width, frontage, yard setbacks, lot coverage, height, floor area, floor area ratio, density, open space, parking, loading, signs, etc.
12. 
A list of required and obtained regulatory approvals and permits.
13. 
A list of requested variances and exceptions.
[Ord. #1928, 2-27-2007, § 16, amended]
14. 
The location and dimensions of existing and proposed property lines, existing streets, streets shown on the Township's Official Map or Master Plan, structures (indicating the use of each structure and whether existing structures will remain or be removed), building setbacks, rights-of-way, easements, parking and loading areas, driveways, railroads, bridges, culverts, drain pipes, gas transmission lines, overhead utilities, historic sites/structures, wooded areas, watercourses, floodplains, wetlands or other environmentally sensitive areas on and within 200 feet of the subject property.
15. 
A wetlands delineation or wetlands absence determination prepared by a qualified consultant and verified by a letter of interpretation from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, if required pursuant to Section 21-14.1a.
16. 
Existing and proposed water supply, sewage disposal and stormwater drainage plans. Plans for individual water supply and/or sewage disposal systems must be approved by the appropriate local, county and/or state agencies. When individual on-site water supply or sewage disposal is proposed, the system shall be designed in accordance with Article IV and shall be accompanied by the necessary approvals.
[Ord. #1928, 2-27-2007, § 16, amended]
17. 
The locations of percolation tests on each existing/proposed lot and a copy of the written approval of the tests and locations from the Bernards Township Health Department, if sewage disposal is to be handled by individual septic system(s). For each lot, the applicant shall submit test locations and written approvals from the Health Department for both a primary and secondary septic disposal field. The applicant must show on the development plan the locations and dimensions of both septic disposal fields.
[Ord. #1857, 3-14-2006, amended]
18. 
Existing and proposed topographic contour intervals based on U.S.C. & G.S. datum on and within 200 feet of the subject property as follows:
(a) 
Up to 3% grade = one-foot intervals.
(b) 
Over 3% grade = two-foot intervals.
19. 
A steep slope map in accordance with Subsection 21-14.2.b, if the property contains any existing slopes of 15% or greater.
20. 
A tree identification plan and an application for tree removal permit, including the following (See Subsection 21-45.3 for details):
(a) 
Location of existing tree canopy and labeling of the canopy areas to be removed and to be preserved.
(b) 
Location of individual trees with a DBH equal to or greater than six inches, identified by size and species within the limit of disturbance and 30 feet beyond the limit of disturbance, labeled to be removed or to be preserved.
(c) 
Location of individual trees with a DBH equal to or greater than 10 inches, identified by size and species within the property boundaries, labeled to be removed or to be preserved.
(d) 
Tree protection details.
(e) 
A list of all trees to be removed and, if replacement trees are required, a schedule in accordance with the table in Subsection 21-45.1 indicating the number of replacement trees required and the number of replacement trees proposed.
21. 
A landscaping plan in conformance with Section 21-43, including types, sizes and quantities of plantings and planting, staking and mulching details.
22. 
A soil erosion and sediment control plan, if required pursuant to Section 21-27.
23. 
Plans and profiles of proposed driveways.
24. 
Existing and proposed easements or land reserved for or dedicated to public use, utility use or for the common use of property owners in the development, including a statement of the limits and purpose of the easement rights or dedicated land.
25. 
Existing and proposed sight triangles.
26. 
The elevation of the basement and first floor of existing and proposed buildings.
27. 
Existing and proposed block and lot numbers.
28. 
The area in square feet and to the nearest one hundredth of an acre of all existing and proposed lots.
29. 
A sketch of the proposed or possible layout or disposition of remaining lands, if any.
30. 
General soil information, including soil logs.
31. 
Drainage calculations.
32. 
Source and date of the current property survey and a copy of the survey.
33. 
Appropriate certification blocks as required by the Map Filing Law.
34. 
Monumentation as specified by the Map Filing Law.
35. 
Dimensions, bearings, curve data, length of chords, chord bearings and central angles for all center lines and rights-of-way and coordinate values for at least three corners located around the tract based upon the New Jersey State Plane Coordinate System.
36. 
The plat shall be prepared in compliance with the Map Filing Act P.L. 1960, c. 141 (N.J.S.A. 46.23-9.9 et seq.).
37. 
Delineation of riparian zones in accordance with Subsection 21-14.4.
[Ord. #1504, 11-8-2001, added; Ord. #2521, 5-23-2023, amended]
38. 
A plan showing all the details required in the procedures of Table 401-A, entitled "Maximum Permitted Lot Yield and Minimum Improvable Lot Area Standards, Residential Development, R-1 Through R-7 Zones."
[Ord. #1870, 5-9-2006, added]
39. 
For each proposed dwelling, cross sections shall be provided from the center of the road to the rear of the house in existing and proposed conditions; cross sections shall be provided perpendicular to the road through the center of the dwelling to a point 50 feet to the rear of the dwelling; the cross section shall be provided at a scale of one inch equals 10 feet horizontal and one inch equals 10 feet vertical.
[Ord. #1945, 6-12-2007, added]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Section 21-52.4, Additional Details Required Prior to Classification and Approval of a Minor Subdivision/Flag Lot, was repealed by Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001.
[Ord. #585, § 706E; Ord. #1103, § 43]
a. 
The Board shall take action on minor subdivision applications within 45 days after the certification by the Board of the submission of a complete application or within such further time as may be consented to in writing by the applicant. Failure of the Board to act within the prescribed time period shall constitute approval.
[Ord. #1456, 4-10-2001, amended; Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
b. 
Any proposed development plan, determined by the Board to be creating, imposing, aggravating or leading to the possibility of an adverse effect upon either the property in question or upon adjacent properties, may be required to be revised to remove such adverse effect(s) prior to further review, classification or approval by the Board, provided that the time period required for action by the Board is not extended unless such extension is consented to in writing by the applicant. Where the remaining portion of the original tract is of sufficient size to be developed further, the applicant may be required to submit a sketch of the entire remaining portion of the tract to indicate a feasible plan whereby the development plan under review, together with any subsequent development plans that may be submitted, will not create, impose, aggravate or lead to any such adverse effect.
c. 
If an application for development is approved as a minor subdivision, the applicant shall, within 190 days from the date on which the resolution approving a minor subdivision is adopted, file a plat drawn in compliance with the Map Filing Act, P.L. 1960, c. 141 (N.J.S.A. 46:23-9.9 et seq.), and/or a deed description(s) with the County Recording Officer, Township Engineer and Township Tax Assessor. Unless filed within the 190 days, the approval shall expire and the plat will require Board approval as in the first instance. The zoning requirements and general terms and conditions, whether conditional or otherwise, upon which minor subdivision approval was granted shall not be changed for a period of two years after the date on which the resolution of minor subdivision approval is adopted by the Board, provided that the approved development plan shall have been duly recorded as provided in this section. A copy of the recorded instrument shall be given to the Secretary of the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment, as the case may be. In the event that the minor subdivision is disapproved by the Board, the Secretary of the Board shall, within seven days of the adoption of a resolution memorializing the disapproval, send a copy of said resolution to the applicant. In acting on the application, the Township shall consider a report received, in writing, from the County Planning Board within 30 days after their receipt of the plat. If a reply is not received from the County Planning Board within 30 days, the plat shall be deemed to have been approved by them.
[Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
d. 
(Reserved)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Paragraph d, requiring the filing of a plat map with the County Recording Officer, was repealed by Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001.
e. 
If the application is classified as a major subdivision, or if it is determined that variance action will be necessary, the Board shall deny the application for minor subdivision approval and shall so notify the applicant in writing within seven days of the date of decision.
[Ord. #585, § 706F]
The Secretary of the Board shall forward copies to each of the following within 10 days of the date of decision:
a. 
Applicant (2);
b. 
Township Engineer (1);
c. 
Construction Official or Zoning Officer (1);
d. 
Tax Assessor (1);
e. 
County Planning Board (1);
f. 
Health Officer (1).
[Ord. #1433, 12-26-2000, added; Ord. #1429, 5-29-2001, amended]
Prior to the issuance of any certificate of occupancy associated with an approved application, or prior to filing any map/deed (if the application does not involve new construction), the applicant shall submit to the Board Secretary digital copies of all maps, plans, documents and any other information submitted with the application. These digital copies shall be in the format(s) specified in Appendix A, Article VII, Digital Submission Standards, found at the end of this chapter.