[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Woolwich 4-7-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-05. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
A building permit shall not be issued until
a grading plan has been reviewed and approved by the Township Engineer
in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
The requirements set forth herein shall apply
for the development of all lots within the Township of Woolwich, whether
for residential or commercial purposes, and when there is an application
for development before a development review board of the Township.
Expressly excluded from the requirements set forth herein is the construction
of proposed additions and/or buildings, having at grade or floor level,
a total of 600 square feet or less.
The developer of a tract of land in the Township
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.
The following shall be the grading plan checklist.[1] The applicant must complete this checklist and supply
the required information.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Said checklist is included at the end of this chapter.
The grading plan must conform to the following
standards:
A.
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.
B.
Lawn areas shall be sloped away from the buildings
and structures at a minimum of 5% for the first 10 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.
C.
All slopes shall be no greater than 3:1.
D.
Driveway grades shall not exceed 12%.
E.
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. 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 Gloucester
County Clerk’s Office, from the adjoining property or developer,
and a copy shall be filed with the Building Office of the Township
of Woolwich, and the Planning Board or Zoning Board of the Township
of Woolwich, 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).
F.
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 § 109-5E.
G.
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.
Each person to whom this chapter applies must
obtain approval of his/her grading plan in the following manner.
A.
The Township Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment
is designated the Board 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 chapter shall not
be approved by the Township Engineer, an application for site plan
with either the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment,
wherever jurisdiction shall lie, shall be submitted for purposes of
a final determination.
B.
The Township Engineer will oversee the grading operation
during normal site inspections, and shall inspect the final grade,
with written notice to the applicable board and to the developer.
The final grade inspection shall be 14 working days preceding the
issuance of any certificate of occupancy. Notification to the Township
Engineer shall not be less than 48 hours prior to rough grading by
any applicant/developer.
C.
Following completion of all grading and drainage work,
the applicant must submit two copies of an as-built survey, prepared
by a New Jersey licensed surveyor or professional engineer, with final
grades, and request a final inspection. 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.
D.
Following completion of all work, the Township 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.
E.
All grading work shall be completed within 180 calendar
days from the issuance of the grading permit. The grading permit and
building permit shall be issued simultaneously. The 180 days shall
be counted from approval of the actual final grading plan.
The person to whom this chapter applies must
pay the following fees for application, review and inspection of the
site.
A.
Application fee: $35.
B.
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 constitutes by this chapter the actual fee charged
to the Township of Woolwich by its Engineer.
C.
Inspection fees. A flat inspection fee of $200 per
lot for subdivisions shall be submitted by the applicant to be utilized
for the payment of the Township Engineer’s inspection of the
site in accordance with this chapter.
D.
Reinspection. A flat fee of $100 shall be paid to
the Township of Woolwich for any reinspection of a grading plan in
the event the initial inspection shall reveal errors/omissions and
construction not in accordance with the filed plan. Each reinspection
shall be charged at the flat rate of $100 and shall be paid at the
time of the request for any reinspection.
E.
No certificate of occupancy shall be issued until
the grading plan shall have been submitted and finally approved as
built.
F.
All fees paid under this chapter shall be paid to
the Treasurer of Woolwich Township.
