See §
192-30, regarding when a preliminary plan is required.
A. All of the following information and materials listed in this section
are required as part of all preliminary plans for any land development
and any major subdivision.
(1) This list of requirements shall serve both:
(a)
To establish the requirements; and
(b)
As a checklist for the applicant and the Township to use to
ensure completeness of submissions.
(2) The applicant shall submit completed photocopies of the §
192-31D checklist as part of the application.
B. The required information listed in this section may be combined or
separated onto different sheets, provided that all information is
clearly readable.
C. Deferral of information. See §
192-7C(2), which may allow an applicant to defer submitting of engineering details from the preliminary to the final plan stage.
D. Preliminary plan for Major Subdivisions or Land Developments Checklist
and List of Submittal Requirements.
All certification shall comply with the state professional licensing
laws. All subdivisions of land shall be certified and stamped by a
registered land surveyor. At least one set of all plans provided to
the Township, including revisions, shall bear original signatures
and original seals of plan preparers, and applicant's notarized signature,
which shall be marked as a "Township file copy."
As part of the submittal of a sketch plan, preliminary plan
or conditional use, whichever comes first, for a major subdivision
or land development that involves over three acres of land for a nonresidential
project or six or more dwelling units for a residential project, the
applicant shall provide the following mapping and demonstrate to the
Planning Commission that the following process was followed in designing
the proposed development.
A. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit these sketches as part
of the sketch plan process to avoid delays to the applicant in preliminary
plan approval. Submittal at the sketch plan stage will greatly increase
the likelihood that all issues will be able to be resolved in time
to meet the standard ninety-day time clock for approval of a preliminary
plan, without needing time extensions.
B. This process is intended to demonstrate how the special features of the property relate to resource areas on adjacent lands and how the development will properly relate to the features of the land that are most worthy of conservation. See the existing resources and site analysis map provisions in §
192-31D. Existing conditions shall be accurately mapped. For the sole purposes of meeting this section, the mapping of proposed development may be at a sketch plan level of detail.
(1) Delineation of recreation land and any common open space. Using the map of existing resources and site analysis map, the applicant shall delineate areas that are proposed to be preserved as recreation land if required by §
192-60 of this chapter or common open space if required by Chapter
220, Zoning, and/or otherwise through conservation easements.
(a)
If a conservation subdivision is proposed, then the applicant shall show compliance with the applicable requirements of Chapter
220, including but not limited to the following:
[1]
Providing calculations of the minimum percent and acreage of
required common open space, which shall be submitted at the sketch
plan stage or the preliminary plan stage, whichever submission occurs
first.
[2]
Proposed common open space shall be designated using the existing resources and site analysis map as a base map. The applicant shall demonstrate compliance with applicable provisions of Chapter
220, Zoning, and §
192-60 of this chapter. One-hundred-year floodplains, wetlands and slopes over 25% shall be shown.
[3]
The proposed common open space shall maximize opportunities to interconnect open spaces with important natural features and common open space on neighboring properties. (See the context map in §
192-31.) The applicant should consider the mapping of conservation areas in the Comprehensive Plan, unless or until a more detailed map is prepared for Lower Allen Township.
[4]
In delineating other proposed conservation areas, the applicant shall prioritize natural and cultural resources on the tract in terms of their highest to least suitabilities for inclusion in the proposed common open space in consultation with the Planning Commission and in accordance with §
192-60 of this chapter and applicable sections of Chapter
220, Zoning. The highest priority shall be given to open space and trails that can link into existing or approved adjacent public recreation land or that will preserve stream corridors.
[5]
On the basis of those priorities and practical considerations
given to the tract's configuration, its context in relation to resource
areas on adjoining and neighboring properties, and the applicant's
subdivision objectives, proposed conservation areas shall be delineated
to meet at least any minimum area percentage requirements for common
open space and in a manner clearly indicating their boundaries as
well as the types of resources included within them.
(b)
If a conservation subdivision is not proposed, the applicant
shall show measures that will be used to minimize impacts upon important
natural features. The applicant shall show that every reasonable effort
has been made to locate development to avoid the slopes over 25%,
100-year floodplains and wetlands and minimize impact upon other important
conservation areas. In addition to meeting any requirement for common
open space, important natural features should also be protected as
part of individual lots (such as large rear yards and/or through conservation
easements).
(2) Potential development areas concept map. Based upon consideration
of the existing features map and the natural features and conservation
areas described above, the potential development areas shall be mapped.
These potential development areas are areas that are best suited for
the majority of the development on the tract.
(3) Location of home sites. In respect of the natural features and other
conservation areas described above, the approximate proposed locations
of new homes/principal buildings shall then be selected. It is recognized
that on-lot sewage disposal system suitability needs to influence
these choices when on-lot systems are used. Proposed development shall
be carefully located and designed to minimize impacts upon natural
features and other conservation areas.
(a)
While the mapping of existing features required by this section
is required to be accurate and to scale, the locations of proposed
home sites, lot lines, roads and trails may be at a sketch plan level
of detail for the purposes of complying with this section.
(b)
The applicant shall provide a written and graphic analysis of
how the proposed development will respect and incorporate the important
resources of the site and be coordinated with resources, open space/trail
corridors and views on surrounding properties. This may involve an
overlay map that shows important natural features and proposed development.
(4) Layout of streets and trails. A sketch of the tentative street layout
shall then be designed to serve the appropriate building sites. Trails
should also be considered to link together common open spaces, clusters
of homes and other destinations (such as nearby stores, parks and
schools). Building sites should be clustered together to minimize
wetland impacts and the number of stream crossings by roads. See the
proposed trail network on the Township's Official Map.
(5) Drawing the lot lines. Tentative lot lines should then be drawn on
the site to encompass the proposed building sites, to result in a
development concept plan. Once this sketch is prepared, then more
detailed engineering may be completed.