This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Clearing and Grading
Control Law of the Town of Goshen."
It is the purpose of this chapter to protect the public health, safety
and welfare in the Town of Goshen by providing for the proper use of land
and regulating timber harvesting, site preparation, construction activities
and other activities impacting on the land, including excavation, filling,
grading and clearing, so as to protect the natural environment, prevent the
indiscriminate and excessive cutting of trees and natural vegetation and prevent
problems related to erosion, sediment or drainage. In relation to this purpose,
this chapter is intended to:
A. Preserve the quality of the natural environment from
such adverse effects of activities impacting on the land as:
(1) Pollution of lakes, ponds and watercourses from silt
or other materials.
(2) Unnecessary destruction of trees and other vegetation.
(3) Excessive exposure of soil to erosion.
(4) Unnecessary modification of natural topography or unique
geological features.
(5) Failure to restore sites to an attractive natural condition.
B. Protect people and properties from such adverse effects
of activities impacting on the land as:
(1) Increased runoff, erosion and sediment.
(2) Increased threat to life and property from flooding or
stormwaters.
(3) Increased slope instability and hazards from landslides
and sloughing.
(4) Modifications of the groundwater regime that adversely
affect wells and surface water levels.
C. Protect the Town and other governmental bodies from having
to undertake, at public expense, programs of repairing roads and other public
facilities and of providing flood-protection facilities.
Upon the approval of this chapter by the Town Board, all site preparation
and construction activities requiring a permit under this chapter shall be
in conformance with the provisions set forth herein.
Where this chapter imposes greater restrictions or requirements than are imposed by the provision of any law, ordinance, including Chapter
83, Subdivision of Land, and Chapter
97, Zoning, regulation or private agreement, this chapter shall control. Where greater restrictions or requirements are imposed by any law, ordinance, including Chapters
83, Subdivision of Land, and
97, Zoning, regulation or private agreement than are imposed by this chapter, such greater restrictions or requirements shall control.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS
All activities directly related to the utilization of land, water
and structures for the raising, production, preservation, processing, storage
and sale of agricultural commodities such as crops, plants, flowers, vines,
trees, sod, shrubs, livestock, poultry, fish, shellfish, honey, Christmas
trees or dairy products.
APPEAL
A request for a review of the authorized official's interpretation
of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
AUTHORIZED OFFICIAL
The Town Building Inspector or other person designated by the Town
Board to administer and maintain the provisions of this chapter.
CLEARING
Any activity which removes or significantly disturbs living tress,
brush, grass or any kind of vegetation, excepting the products of agricultural
operations in an area of any size.
CLEARING DEBRIS
Any residue associated with clearing, including but not limited to
stumps, trunks, logs, treetops and branches.
CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AREA
A specific geographic area designated by the state or Town having
exceptional or unique characteristics that make the area environmentally important.
DRAINAGE
The gravitational movement of water by surface runoff or subsurface
flow.
EROSION
The wearing away of the land surface by action of wind, water, gravity
or other natural forces.
EXCAVATION
Any activity which removes or disturbs rock, gravel, sand, soil or
other natural deposits to a depth greater than six inches.
FILLING
Any activity which deposits natural or artificial material so as
to modify the surface or subsurface conditions of land, lakes, ponds or watercourses
to a depth greater than six inches.
GRADING
Any excavation, alteration of land contours, grubbing, filling or
stockpiling of earth materials.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL
A New York State licensed engineer, architect, landscape architect
or land surveyor with the appropriate exemption under state law.
MULCHING
The application of a layer of plant residue or other material for
the purpose of effectively controlling erosion.
PROPOSED PUBLIC ROAD
The right-of-way of any street providing legal access to a parcel
of land as depicted on a subdivision or site plan approved by the Planning
Board and dedicated to the Town.
SEDIMENT
Solid material, both mineral and organic, that is being transported,
has been deposited or has been removed from its site of origin by erosion.
SITE PREPARATION
The activities of clearing, excavation, filling, grading, timber
harvesting and any other activity impacting on the land, no matter what the
purpose of these activities.
SOIL
All minerals, materials or nonliving organic material of whatever
origin which overlies bedrock.
THINNING AND CULL REMOVAL
Forestry operations in commercial and noncommercial stands of trees
designed to provide more growing room for better trees by the removal of poor
quality, low vigor, injured, diseased or excessively crowded trees.
TIMBER HARVESTING
The cutting down, breaking, uprooting or other act causing the death
of more than five live trees exceeding six inches in diameter, measured four
feet from the ground, per 1/2 acre of ground surface during a one-year period.
TOPSOIL
The natural surface layer of soil, usually darker than subsurface
layers, within an undisturbed area of soils.
WATERCOURSE
Any natural or artificial stream, river, creek, channel, canal, conduit,
culvert, drainageway, gully, ravine or wash in which water flows in a definite
direction or course, either continuously or intermittently, and which has
a definite channel, bed or banks.
WETLAND
An area of land that is characterized by hydrophytic vegetation,
saturated soils, or periodic inundation which is classified or may be classified
as a wetland by either the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
or the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
None of the following activities shall be commenced until a permit has been issued under the provisions of this chapter where the parameters are set forth under the definitions of §
53-5 are met or exceeded:
A. Site preparation within wetlands or within a one-hundred-foot
buffer strip of wetland.
B. Site preparation within the one-hundred-year floodplain
of any watercourse.
The following activities are exempted from permit requirements:
A. Activities not meeting the criteria in §
53-6.
C. Repairs to occupied buildings.
D. Correcting hazards representing an imminent threat to
life or property.
E. Removal of dead wood and diseased trees or cutting of
trees on a scale which does not constitute timber harvesting.
F. Clearing or timber harvesting for the purpose of cutting
firewood for an individual's use in said individual's own household.
G. Thinning and cull removal.
H. Excavation or filling which affects less than 400 cubic
yards of material within any parcel or any one subdivision in receipt of preliminary
or final approval, except where said excavation or filling occurs within wetlands,
within a one-hundred foot buffer strip of a wetland or within the one-hundred
year floodplain of any watercourse or within a critical environmental area.
I. Clearing or grading which affects less than 10,000 square
feet of ground surface, except where said clearing or grading occurs within
wetlands, within a one-hundred-foot buffer strip of a wetland or within the
one-hundred-year floodplain of any watercourse or within a critical environmental
area.
J. Clearing of brush and undercover.
K. Household gardening and activities related to the maintenance
of landscape features on existing developed lots.
L. Governmental activities, but only to the extent that
such activities are exempted from the provisions of this chapter by law.
M. Activities performed in conjunction with building permits
issued prior to the effective date of this chapter.
N. Activities performed in conjunction with site plan approvals
and subdivision approvals granted by the Planning Board prior to the effective
date of this chapter, provided that such activities are commenced within five
years of the date of approval.
O. Activities performed in conjunction with the erection, structural alteration or movement of a structure or building for which a building permit is granted following the effective date of this chapter, so long as said activities are not commenced until after the grant of a permit/approval and so long as the application for said activities has been reviewed for conformance with this chapter and approval has been conditioned upon compliance with the standards set forth in §
53-10, and further provided that the activities shall be subject to and not exempt from the provisions for inspections, enforcement, penalties and revocations set forth in §
53-13.
P. Activities performed in conjunction with site plan approvals and subdivision approvals granted by the Planning Board following the effective date of this chapter, so long as said activities are not commenced until after the grant of such permit/approval and so long as the application for said activities has been reviewed for conformance with this chapter and approval has been conditioned upon compliance with the standards set forth in §
53-10, and further provided that the activities shall be subject to and not exempt from the provisions for inspections, enforcement, penalties, and revocations set forth in §
53-13.
A property owner(s) or the property owner's agent(s) may initiate a
request for a permit or the modification of a permit by filing with the authorized
official two copies of an application. Maps and plans accompanying the application
requiring Planning Board approval shall be prepared by a licensed professional,
and maps and plans accompanying all other applications shall be of a form
which meets the approval of the authorized official, who may require they
be prepared by a licensed professional. The authorized official or Town Planning
Board may require that additional copies of the application be filed, and
they may modify the requirements concerning materials to accompany the application
by waiving or adding such requirements as they deem appropriate to the nature
and scope of the proposed activities. The authorized official or Town Planning
Board may require the applicant(s) to reconstruct application materials if
they are deemed to be of insufficient scale or quality or do not meet the
standards of this section.
A. Excepting for modifications authorized or required by
the authorized official, each application not required to be submitted to
the Town Planning Board shall contain the following material:
(1) Names, address and phone number of the property owner
and section(s), block(s), and lot number(s) of the proposed site.
(2) Statement of the nature and purpose of the proposed activity.
(3) Drawings showing the boundaries of the parcel upon which
the activity will be conducted.
(4) A plan showing areas proposed to be cleared, filled or
graded or subjected to timber harvesting and the nature of the vegetation
affected.
(6) Documentation regarding permit status with the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation prior to the issuance of a
permit. Any New York State Department of Environmental Conservation permit
required must be in effect prior to the Town's issuing a permit.
(7) Plans must show the type of vegetation to be destroyed
by the proposed activities along with the planning disposition of the destroyed
material.
(8) Completion date and any other information which the authorized
official or Planning Board deems reasonable in reviewing the application.
(9) Drainage computations prior to site preparation and after
site preparation may be required.
(10) An agreement to indemnify and hold harmless the Town
from any claims arising from the proposed activity.
B. Excepting for modifications authorized or required by the authorized official or Town Planning Board, each application required to be referred to the Town Planning Board shall contain the materials listed in Subsection
A above and, in addition, the following material:
(1) The names and addresses and the section, block and lot
numbers of all contiguous properties and owners, whether within or outside
the Town, and of those property owners on the opposite side of any public
street contiguous with the parcel.
(3) A plan showing all existing and proposed contour lines,
amount and nature of fill to be placed or displaced, all vegetation areas
on the site, including areas of grass- and cropland, areas of brush, wooded
areas and an estimate of their average diameter at breast height of the trees
within wooded areas, areas proposed to be cleared, filled or graded, the nature
of the vegetation affected and road access to the site.
(4) Drawings and plans must show the boundary of the one-hundred-year
floodplain, together with designated wetland boundaries and one-hundred-foot
buffer and all watercourses and water bodies, where applicable.
(5) Drawings must be engineering drawings and must show all
structures and roads within a distance of 100 feet of the parcel upon which
the activity is proposed.
(6) A detailed erosion control plan with engineer's report
describing the plan, methods and implementation of said plan and cost estimate
for all measures taken.
(7) The depth to bedrock on the site proposed for site preparation
activities.
(8) The depth to permanent groundwater aquifers on the site
proposed for site preparation activities.
(9) Soil types to be disturbed by the proposed activity.
(10) Operations map(s) at a scale no smaller than one inch
equals 100 feet showing existing topography of the site at a contour interval
of not more than two feet, which presents a complete plan and which indicates:
(a) All site preparation activity proposed to be undertaken,
identified as to the type of activity proposed and the depth, volume and nature
of the materials involved.
(b) All clearing, identified as to the nature of vegetation
affected.
(c) All areas where topsoil is removed and stockpiled and
where topsoil will be ultimately placed, identified as to the depth of topsoil
in each such area.
(d) All temporary and permanent vegetation to be placed on
the site, identified as to planting type, size and extent.
(e) All temporary and permanent drainage, erosion and sediment
control facilities, including such facilities as ponds and sediment basins,
identified as to the type of facility, the materials from which it is constructed,
its dimensions and its capacity in gallons.
(f) The anticipated pattern of surface drainage during periods
of peak runoff, upon completion of site preparation and construction activities,
identified as to rate and direction of flow at all major points within the
drainage system.
(g) The location of all roads, driveways, sidewalks, structures,
utilities and other improvements.
(h) The final contours of the site in intervals of no greater
than two feet.
(11) Time schedule which is keyed to the operations map(s),
indicating:
(a) When major phases of the proposed project are to be initiated
and completed.
(b) When major site preparation activities are to be initiated
and completed.
(c) When the installation of temporary and permanent vegetation
and drainage, erosion and sediment control facilities is to be completed.
(d) The anticipated duration (in days) of exposure of all
major areas of site preparation before the installation of erosion and sediment
control measures.
C. For any application referred to the Planning Board, an
estimate of the costs of providing temporary and permanent vegetation and
drainage, erosion and sediment control facilities shall be prepared by the
applicant's licensed professional, accepted by the Town Engineer and approved
by the Planning Board.
In granting a permit under this chapter, the standards and considerations
taken into account shall include but not be limited to the following:
A. Excavation, filling, grading, clearing and timber harvesting
shall be permitted to be undertaken only in such locations and in such a manner
as to minimize the potential of erosion and sediment and the threat to the
health, safety and welfare of neighboring property owners and the general
public.
B. Site preparation and construction shall be fitted to
the vegetation, topography and other natural features of the site and shall
preserve as many of these features as feasible.
C. The control of erosion and sediment shall be a continuous
process undertaken as necessary prior to, during and after site preparation
and construction.
D. The smallest practical area of land shall be exposed
by site preparation at any given time.
E. The exposure of areas by site preparation shall be kept
to the shortest practical period of time prior to the construction of structures
or improvements or the restoration of the exposed areas to an attractive natural
condition.
F. Stabilization.
(1) Following initial soil disturbance or redisturbance, permanent
or temporary stabilization shall be completed within seven calendar days.
The remaining disturbed area of the development shall be stabilized within
14 calendar days except for those areas in which actual construction activities
are currently being performed.
(2) Where slopes are to be revegetated in areas exposed by activity
subject to permit, the slopes shall not be of such steepness that vegetation
cannot be readily established or that problems of erosion or sediment may
result.
G. Revegetation activities shall avoid the planting of threes
with the characteristics of willows and Lombardi poplars within 75 feet of
existing or proposed public water or sewer mains or drains.
H. Activity subject to permit shall not adversely affect
the free flow of water by encroaching on, blocking or restricting watercourses.
I. Existing hills, trees and ground cover fronting along adjacent property and watercourses shall be preserved, maintained or supplemented by selective cutting, transplanting and the addition of new trees, shrubs and other ground cover for the purpose of providing a buffer when one is required by Chapter
97, Zoning, or elsewhere in the Town's Municipal Code.
J. The proposed activity shall not adversely affect soil
fertility, drainage and lateral support of abutting land or other properties.
K. All fill material shall be of a composition suitable
for the ultimate use of the filled land, free of rubbish and carefully restricted
in its content of clearing debris, rocks, frozen material and soft or easily
compressible material.
L. Fill material shall be compacted sufficiently to prevent
problems of erosion.
M. All topsoil which is excavated from a site shall be stockpiled
and used for the restoration of the site, and such stockpiles, where necessary,
shall be seeded or otherwise treated to minimize the effects of erosion within
the time period stipulated by the authorized official or Planning Board.
N. Prior to, during and after site preparation and construction,
an integrated drainage system shall be provided which at all times minimizes
erosion, sediment, hazards of slope instability and adverse effects on neighboring
property owners.
O. The natural drainage system shall generally be preserved
in preference to modifications of this system, excepting where such modifications
are necessary to reduce levels of erosion and sediment and adverse effects
on neighboring property owners.
P. All drainage systems shall be designed to handle adequately
anticipated flows both within the site and from the entire upstream drainage
basin.
Q. Sufficient grades and drainage facilities shall be provided
to prevent the ponding of water, unless such ponding is proposed within site
plans, in which event there shall be sufficient water flow to maintain proposed
water levels and to avoid stagnation.
R. There shall be provided where necessary to minimize erosion
and sediment such measures as benches, berms, terraces, diversions and sediment,
debris and retention basins.
S. Drainage systems, plantings and other erosion or sediment
control devices shall be maintained as frequently as necessary to provide
adequate protection against erosion and sediment and to ensure that the free
flow of water is not obstructed by the accumulation of silt, debris or other
material or by structural damage.
T. All clearing debris, boulders and other debris resulting
from site preparation activities or related operations shall be disposed of
by methods accepted by the authorized official or Planning Board.
U. Timer harvesting for a commercial purpose and, when feasible,
other site preparation activity shall be avoided within 50 feet of a stream,
river, creek, gully or ravine, and all clearing or other debris shall be removed
from watercourses.
V. Skidding logs up or down a watercourse is prohibited,
and skidders shall be kept at least 50 feet from a watercourse, and logs that
lie closer or on steep slopes shall be winched off to prevent soil disturbance.
W. All crossing of watercourses during site preparation
activities shall be at points having low stable banks, a firm bottom and gentle
slopes along the approaches.
X. The design and construction of sediment control practices
and site preparation work, plus specifications and timing schedules, including
extensions of previously approved plans, shall comply with provisions for
erosion and sediment control in accordance with standards and specifications
contained in a manual entitled "New York Guidelines for Urban Erosion and
Sediment Control," published by the United States Department of Agriculture
Soil Conservation Service, as it may be revised. Said manual shall be on file
at the authorized official's office. In the event of conflict with this chapter,
the provisions herein shall prevail.
Any person or persons jointly or severally aggrieved by any decision
of the Planning Board under this chapter may apply to the Supreme Court of
the State of New York for relief through a proceeding under Article 78 of
the Civil Practice Law and Rules of the State of New York. Such proceeding
shall be governed by the specific provisions of Article 78, except that the
action must be initiated, as therein provided, within 30 days after the filing
of the Planning Board's decision in the office of the Town Clerk.