Source: https://ecode360.com/10717813
Timestamp: 2019-03-25 18:23:28
Document Index: 661105920

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170', '§ 170']

Borough of Denver, PA Plan Processing Procedures
Ch 170 Art III Plan Processing Procedures
§ 170-7 Preapplication review.
§ 170-8 Preliminary plan applications.
§ 170-9 Final plan application.
§ 170-10 Revised subdivision and/or land development plan application.
§ 170-11 Minor land development/minor subdivision plans.
§ 170-12 Lot add-on plans.
§ 170-13 Procedure for requesting consideration of waiver of requirements.
§ 170-14 Center line separation plans.
§ 170-15 Multiple applications.
§ 170-16 Plan processing procedures relating to review by County Planning Commission.
Article III Plan Processing Procedures
Chapter 170 Subdivision and Land Development Article III Plan Processing Procedures
The purpose of the preapplication meeting or sketch plan review is to afford the applicant the opportunity to receive the advice and assistance of the Borough staff. Such meeting and/or review shall be considered as confidential between the applicant and staff.
The purpose of the preapplication meeting or sketch plan review is to afford the applicant the opportunity to receive the advice and assistance of the Borough staff prior to formal application for approval. Such meeting and/or review shall be considered as confidential between the applicant, staff, and the Borough.
Applicants for proposals which require a preliminary plan approval, plans which involve the creation of new streets or community stormwater detention or retention facilities, and plans for the development of nonresidential structures are strongly urged to discuss such proposals with the staff of the Borough of Denver and to prepare and submit sketch plans for review prior to submission of the application for approval. Submission of a sketch plan, even though strongly recommended, is not mandatory and shall not constitute formal filing of a plan with the Borough.
Sketch plan reviews are not required to be consistent with procedures of Section 508 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code,[1] as amended. Sketch plans prepared for review and discussion should include those items listed in § 170-17 of this chapter.
Applicants for proposals other than those described in Subsection A are still encouraged to discuss such proposals and submit sketch plans for review.
The applicant may request that the Borough staff provide written comments on submitted sketch plans as a follow-up to any meetings held to discuss the plan. As stated in Subsection B, submission of a sketch plan, even though strongly recommended, is not mandatory and shall not constitute formal filing of a plan with the Borough.
With the exceptions specifically noted in this chapter, a preliminary plan is required for applications which propose new streets, all land development, as defined in § 170-6, and subdivision plans of 10 or more lots. All other plans may be submitted as final plans in accordance with § 170-9. Preliminary plans may be filed with the Borough on any business day. The Borough Planning Commission and Borough Council will officially review a plan at particular meetings in accordance with a schedule that shall be published as a public notice.
Application requirements. In addition to the submission requirements of the Borough, it is required that a full submission as specified be made to the appropriate officials of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. All preliminary plan applications shall include the following:
Fifteen copies of the preliminary plan. All plans shall be either black-on-white or blue-on-white paper prints.
Three copies of all reports, notifications, and certifications which are not provided on the preliminary plan, including stormwater management plans and calculations.
Three application forms (see Appendix 24[1]) completely and correctly executed, with all information legible, and bearing all required signatures.
Editor's Note: Appendix 24 is included at the end of this chapter.
Filing fee (see fee schedule available at the Borough). Note: A separate filing fee shall accompany the preliminary plan, consisting of a check or money order drawn to Denver Borough, and shall be submitted for each application. If one check is issued for multiple plans, a detailed breakdown of the individual fee assessments must accompany the payment.
When connection to an existing sanitary sewer system is proposed, written notice from the Borough indicating that sufficient capacity to service the proposed development is available shall be provided. Such notice shall:
Be dated within six months of the plan application;
Identify the term of reservation; and
Provide capacity for the entire development (partial capacity based on phases of development will not be acceptable).
Incomplete applications. A preliminary plan application shall be accompanied by all required plans and documents and the required filing fee. The Borough Manager/Secretary shall have seven days from the date of submission of an application to check the plans and documents to determine if on their face they are in proper form and contain all the information required by this chapter. If defective, the application may be returned to the applicant with a statement that the application is incomplete within the seven-day period; otherwise the application shall be deemed accepted for filing as of the date of submission. Acceptance shall not, however, constitute a waiver of any deficiencies or irregularities. The applicant may appeal a decision by the Borough Manager/Secretary under this section to the Borough Council in accordance with § 170-50 of this chapter.
Plan requirements. All preliminary plans shall be prepared in conformance with the provisions of § 170-18 of this chapter and any other applicable requirement of law.
Distribution. The applicant shall distribute copies of the preliminary plan to each of the following individuals:
Shade Tree Commission (when required by the Borough).
Historical Society (when required by the Borough).
Fire company or protection district (when required by the Borough).
Lancaster County Planning Commission (two copies).
Borough Council action.
Borough Council shall render its decision in accordance with applicable MPC requirements. Borough Council may approve the preliminary plan, in whole or in part, or may approve the preliminary plan subject to conditions, or may disapprove the preliminary plan.
If Borough Council approves the preliminary plan subject to conditions, the applicant shall either personally at a public meeting or in writing approve or reject such conditions within five days of, either personally or in writing, receiving notice of such conditions. For purposes of this subsection, notice to a person presenting the plan on behalf of the applicant whether such person is the applicant himself, a relative of the applicant, an officer of the applicant, an attorney, a surveyor, an engineer or otherwise, shall be notice to the applicant; and such person presenting the plan on behalf of the applicant shall be deemed to have authority to, on behalf of applicant, accept or reject such conditions. The applicant's failure to accept or reject such conditions within the five-day period shall be considered to be a rejection of the same and conditional approval by Borough Council shall be automatically revoked. The applicant shall be notified in writing within 10 days following the expiration of the five-day period of the plan rejection; provided, however, that failure to notify the applicant of such plan rejection shall not constitute a deemed approval.
Notification of Borough Council's action.
Within 15 consecutive days after the meeting at which the preliminary plan is reviewed by the Borough Council, the Borough Manager/Secretary shall send written notice of the Borough's action to the following individuals:
Landowner or his agent.
Firm that prepared the plan.
Borough Planning Commission Secretary.
If the application is disapproved, the Borough Manager/Secretary will notify the above individuals, in writing, of the defects in the application and will identify the requirements that have not been met, citing the provisions of the statute or ordinance relied upon.
Compliance with Borough Council action. If the Borough Council conditions its preliminary plan approval upon receipt of additional information, changes, and/or notifications, such data shall be submitted and/or alterations noted on two copies of the plan to be submitted to Borough Council for approval. All correspondence and copies of the plan shall reference the DB file number.
Borough Council approval and certification.
The Borough Council will acknowledge the satisfactory compliance with all conditions, if any, of the preliminary plan approval at a regularly scheduled public meeting. All materials to be considered by the Borough Council at such meeting shall be submitted by the applicant to the Borough at least 14 days prior to the meeting. Additionally, at the option of the applicant, after receipt of preliminary plan approval and compliance with all conditions of approval, a preliminary plan may be presented to the Borough Council for acknowledgment through a formal statement on the plan. (See Appendix 17.[2])
Approval of a preliminary application shall constitute approval of the proposed subdivision and/or land development as to the character and intensity of development and the general arrangement of streets, lots, structures, and other planned facilities, but shall not constitute final plan approval. The preliminary plan may not be recorded in the office of the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds.
Preliminary plan approval will be effective for a five-year period from the date of the Borough Council's approval of the preliminary plan application; therefore, final plan applications for the entire project must be made within five years of preliminary plan approval unless the Borough Council grants a waiver by extending the effective time period of the approval.
The applicant may, after receipt of acknowledgment from the Borough Council of the satisfactory completion of any conditions of preliminary plan approval, proceed to construct the improvements required by this chapter and shown on the approved preliminary plan. The applicant shall indicate the intent to construct the improvements in writing to the Borough Council prior to the start of construction. Additionally, the applicant shall complete and enter into the appropriate Memorandum of Understanding. The applicant shall indicate the timetable for the construction of the improvements, including a schedule and plan of the proposed phasing of sections of the plan.
Construction and completion of the improvements shall not constitute permission to sell lots or occupy proposed buildings shown on the plan.
Application for final plan approval.
An application for final plan approval can be submitted only after the following, when required as noted, have been completed.
The receipt of an unconditional preliminary plan approval in accordance with § 170-8 of this chapter, when a preliminary plan approval is required; and
The completion of the improvements required by this chapter when the improvements are not assured by the kind of guarantees provided in § 170-24 of this chapter.
Final plans may be filed with the Borough on any business day; however, the final plans must be received by the last business day of the month prior to the review. A schedule of the Borough Council and the Planning Commission meetings for each calendar year and the corresponding dates for submission of plans and applications shall be published as a public notice.
The final plan may be submitted in sections, each section covering a reasonable portion of the entire proposed subdivision or land development as shown on the approved preliminary plan; provided that each section, except for the last section, shall contain a minimum of 25% of the total number of units of occupancy as depicted on the approved preliminary plan unless the Borough Council specifically approves a lesser percentage for one or more sections.
The Borough Council may accept a final plan modified to reflect a change to the site or its surroundings which occurs after the preliminary plan review. The Borough Council shall determine whether a modified final plan will be accepted or whether a new preliminary plan shall be submitted.
Application requirements. In addition to the submission requirements of the Borough, it is required that a full submission be made to the appropriate officials of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. All final plan applications shall include the following:
Fifteen copies of the final plan sheet(s) to be recorded. All plans shall be either black-on-white or blue-on-white paper prints.
Three copies of all reports, notifications and certificates which are not provided on the final plan, including stormwater management plans and calculations.
Three correct and complete application forms. (See Appendix 24.[1])
A filing fee shall accompany the final plan, consisting of a check or money order drawn to Denver Borough (see fee schedule available at the Borough).
Two copies of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation highway occupancy permit drawings where access to a state street, road, or highway is proposed.
One copy of all applicable supplementary data, notices and certificates required in § 170-19D and E of this chapter.
A final plan application shall be accompanied by all required plans and documents and the required filing fee. The Borough Manager/Secretary shall have seven days from the date of submission of an application to check the plans and documents to determine if on their face they are in proper form and contain all the information required by this chapter. If defective, the application will be returned to the applicant with a statement that the application is incomplete within the seven-day period; otherwise the application shall be deemed accepted for filing as of the date of submission. Acceptance shall not, however, constitute a waiver of any deficiencies or irregularities. The applicant may appeal a decision by the Borough Manager/Secretary under this section to the Borough Council in accordance with § 170-50 of this chapter.
Written notice from the Borough Council providing sanitary sewer service indicating that sufficient capacity to service the proposed development has been reserved.
Plan requirements. All final plans shall be prepared in conformance with the provisions of § 170-19 of this chapter and any other applicable requirements of law.
The applicant shall distribute copies of the final plan to each of the following individuals:
The Borough Manager/Secretary will also notify the landowner, applicant, firm that prepared the plan, Borough Solicitor and Borough Engineer of the filing of the plan.
Borough Council shall render its decision in accordance with applicable MPC requirements. Borough Council may approve the final plan, in whole or in part, or may approve the final plan subject to conditions, or may disapprove the final plan.
If Borough Council approves the final plan subject to conditions, the applicant shall either personally at a public meeting or in writing approve or reject such conditions within five days of, either personally or in writing, receiving notice of such conditions. For purposes of this subsection, notice to a person presenting the plan on behalf of the applicant whether such person is the applicant himself, a relative of the applicant, an officer of the applicant, an attorney, a surveyor, an engineer or otherwise, shall be notice to the applicant; and such person presenting the plan on behalf of the applicant shall be deemed to have authority to, on behalf of applicant, accept or reject such conditions. The applicant's failure to accept or reject such conditions within the five-day period shall be considered to be a rejection of the same and conditional approval by Borough Council shall be automatically revoked. The applicant shall be notified in writing within 10 days following the expiration of the five-day period of the plan rejection; provided, however, that failure to notify the applicant of such plan rejection shall not constitute a deemed approval.
If the application is disapproved, the Borough shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the defects in the application and shall identify requirements which have not been met, through citing the provisions of the statute or ordinance relied upon.
Notification of Borough Council action. Within 15 consecutive days after the meeting at which the final plan is reviewed, the Borough Manager/Secretary shall send written notice of the Borough Council's action to the following:
Compliance with Borough Council action. If the Borough Council conditions its final plan approval upon receipt of additional information, changes, and/or notifications, such data shall be submitted and/or alterations noted on two copies of the plan to be submitted to the Borough for approval by the Borough Council.
Final plan certification. After the Borough Council's approval of the final plan and the required changes, if any, are made, the applicant shall proceed to prepare two sets of final plans which shall be transparent reproductions of the original plan which shall be black line on stable plastic base film and one set of final plans which shall be a paper copy for the Borough Council's files and two sets of final plans which shall be transparent reproductions of the original plan which shall be black line on stable plastic base film and one set of final plans which shall be a paper copy for the Lancaster County Planning Commission's files. The two transparent copies of the final plan shall be certified in the following manner:
Borough Council signature required. The final plans shall be signed by the Borough Manager/Secretary or the Borough official authorized by the Borough Council. Final plans will not be signed by the Borough Council if submitted more than 90 days from the Borough Council's final approval action unless the Borough Council has granted a waiver by extending the effective time period of the approval.
Lancaster County Planning Commission signature required. After obtaining the signature of the Borough as provided in this chapter both final plans shall be presented to the LCPC for the signature of the Chairman and Vice Chairman or their designees. The LCPC signatures shall be placed on the final plan after a period of not less than 24 hours. Signatures shall be affixed as soon after the 24 hours as is reasonably possible.
Final plan recordation.
Upon approval and certification of a final plan, the applicant shall record the plan in the office of the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds.
Should the applicant fail to record the final plan within the time allotted by the Municipalities Planning Code, the Borough Council's action on the plan shall be null and void unless the Borough Council has granted a waiver by extending the effective time period of the approval.
Prior sale of lots prohibited. The final plan shall be filed with the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds before proceeding with the sale of lots.
Approval signature required. No final plan for any subdivision or land development may be recorded unless it bears the signature of an authorized representative of the Borough Council denoting approval of the plan by the Borough Council.
Dedication by recording the final plan. After approval of the final plan by the Borough Council, the act of recording the final plan shall have the effect of an irrevocable offer to dedicate all streets and other areas designated for public use, which may include but is not limited to public water and sanitary sewer, unless reserved by the landowner as provided below. However, the approval of the Borough Council shall not impose any duty upon the commonwealth, the county, or Denver Borough concerning acceptance, maintenance, or improvement of any such dedicated areas or portion of same until proper authorities of the commonwealth, county, or Denver Borough actually accept same by ordinance or resolution, or by entry, use, or improvement.
Notice of reservation from public dedication. The landowner shall place a notation on the final plan when there is no offer of dedication to the public of certain designated areas, in which event the title to such areas shall remain with the owner, and the commonwealth, county, and Borough shall assume no right to accept ownership or right-of-way.
Any replatting or resubdivision of recorded plans or revision of approved final plans which have not yet been recorded, excluding lot grading plans in subdivisions, shall be considered as a new application and shall comply with all requirements of this chapter, except that survey corrections can be made.
Land development and/or subdivision plans may be submitted as final plans in accordance with the provisions of this chapter provided the proposal meets one of the following conditions:
The development of a single, nonresidential building or building addition of less than 30,000 square feet on a lot that previously was approved for such nonresidential use. This lot shall be on a plan of record and the installation of all improvements associated with the approval of such plan shall be completed. Further, access to the lot shall meet the standards of the current ordinance and traffic generated by the proposed use shall not exceed 500 AADT.
The development of a second principal building of less than 10,000 square feet on a lot which contains an existing principal building. Traffic generated by the new use shall not exceed 200 AADT.
The development of a single principal building with an area of 1,500 square feet or less and which will generate 50 or fewer AADT.
The development of a residential building with less than five units of occupancy.
The subdivision of two or less lots for single-family residential development.
All land development and/or subdivision plans which do not meet one of these conditions or which propose to either establish an access which does not meet the safety criteria of the current ordinance, or to phase construction of required infrastructure, including, but not limited to, streets, sewer and water facilities, and stormwater management facilities shall be submitted as a preliminary plan in accordance with the requirements of § 170-8 of this chapter.
A plan which proposes to alter the location of lot lines between existing lots of separate ownership for the sole purpose of increasing lot size may be approved by the Borough Council for recording purposes.
Lot add-on requirements. Lot add-on plans shall be reviewed only as final plans and shall only be permitted when:
No lot or tract of land is created which is smaller than the minimum nor larger than the maximum lot size permitted by the Borough Zoning Ordinance;[1] and
Drainage easements or rights-of-way are not altered; and
Access to the affected parcels is not changed;
Street alignments are not changed; and
No new lots are created.
Lot add-on plan required. Where the above conditions are satisfactorily proven to exist, a plan shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the requirements of § 170-20 of this chapter.
Deed required. A copy of the deed to be recorded for the receiving tract shall be submitted prior to recording of the lot add-on plan. The deed shall provide a description of the receiving tract that reflects the proposal to join it in common with the acreage to be conveyed.
Lot add-on plan submission procedures. In every case where a proposal conforms to the requirements of this section, the application shall comply with the following procedures:
Fifteen copies of the final plan. All plans shall be either black-on-white or blue-on-white paper prints.
Three application forms (see Appendix 24[2]) completely and correctly executed, with all information legible, and bearing all required signatures.
Filing fee (see fee schedule available at the Borough). Note: A filing fee shall accompany the final plan, consisting of a check or money order drawn to Denver Borough.
Certification. After the plan has been reviewed and the required changes, if any, are made, the applicant shall proceed to prepare two sets of plans which shall be transparent reproductions of the plan which shall be black line on stable plastic film and one set of plans which shall be a paper copy for the Borough Council's files. The two transparent copies of the plan shall be certified in accordance with the provisions of § 170-22C and the following:
Borough official(s) signature required. Both plans shall be signed by the Borough officials certifying that the plan qualifies for this process.
Recording of plans. The applicant shall record the plans with the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds.
Deeds required. The applicant shall provide the Borough Council with proof that the deeds containing the new perimeter legal descriptions have been recorded with the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds.
Application requirements. All requests for waivers shall be made in accordance with the following procedure:
All requests for a waiver shall be made in writing and shall accompany and be a part of the application for development. The request shall state in full the grounds and facts of unreasonableness or hardship on which the request is based, or the alternative standard proposed to provide equal or better results, the section or sections of this chapter which are requested to be waived, and the minimum modification necessary. The request shall be accompanied by a plan prepared at least to the minimum standards of a sketch plan (see § 170-17).
Should a revision to a submitted plan require a waiver which was not apparent at the time of initial plan submission, the request for a waiver shall be submitted in accordance with Subsection A(1) above, at the time of submission of the revised plans.
Requests for waivers shall be considered by the Borough Council at a public meeting which is at least 14 days after the submission of the waiver request.
Borough Council's action. After the meeting at which the waiver was reviewed, the Borough Manager/Secretary shall send a written notice of Borough Council's action to the applicant at his last known address within such time periods as may be established by the Municipalities Planning Code. If Borough Council denies the request, it shall notify the applicant in writing of the justifications for the denial. If Borough Council grants the request, the final plan shall include a note that identifies the specific waiver granted. If Borough Council imposes conditions upon the granting of a waiver, the applicant shall notify the Borough in writing within 15 days of the date the Borough mailed notification whether the applicant shall comply with all conditions imposed on the granting of the waiver. If the applicant does not agree to the imposition of all of the conditions, the requested waiver shall be deemed denied.
After the meeting at which the waiver was reviewed, the Borough Manager/Secretary shall send notice of the Borough Council's action to the following individuals:
If the Borough Council denies the request, the Borough Manager/Secretary will notify the above individuals, in writing, of the justification for denial. If the Borough Council grants the request, the final plan shall include a note that identifies the specific waiver as granted.
The division of an existing tract along the center line of an existing road to create two lots whose common boundary is said center line, may be approved by the Borough Council, or its designee, for recording purposes, if it is in conformance with the criteria specified below:
The resultant lots conform to the configuration requirements of § 170-32D of this chapter.
The resultant lots meet all requirements of the applicable zoning district.
The resultant lots shall retain adequate access to accommodate potential development in accordance with the current zoning district regulations.
The parcel is described and divided along existing property lines and the street center line.
Application requirements. All applications shall include the following:
Three correct and complete application form (see Appendix 24[1]).
A filing fee consisting of a check or money order drawn to Denver Borough.
Notification from the Department of Environmental Protection that either approval of the Sewer Facility Plan Revision (Plan Revision Module for Land Development) or Supplement has been granted or that such approval is not required.
Four black-on-white or blue-on-white paper prints of the plan.
Plan requirements. All center line separation plans shall be prepared in conformance with the provisions of § 170-22 of this chapter and any other applicable requirements of law.
Deed required. Recordation of such plan does not serve to separate the proposed lots. To be considered as separate land holdings, deeds must be recorded to reflect the descriptions as provided on the recorded plan.
Future development. Any development of the lots created through this process must follow standard plan processing procedures as specified in Article III of this chapter.
Recordation. Upon approval and certification, the applicant shall record the plan in accordance with the provisions of § 170-9I, J, K and M of this chapter.
The resources of the Borough and the orderly administration of this chapter are unduly burdened by multiple and conflicting applications. Therefore, the same applicant may not submit multiple applications for approval of a subdivision or land development plan for the same property or a portion thereof involving the same land use. If an applicant desires to submit a new application, then the applicant must withdraw in writing any pending applications. In the event the applicant fails or refuses to withdraw any pending applications, Borough Council may deny the new application due to noncompliance with this section.
Applicants shall comply with all plan processing procedures of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine the requirements of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, including, but not limited to, the number of copies of the plan that must be submitted, and the filing fee.
Application requirements. All review requests shall be submitted by the applicant to the Lancaster County Planning Commission in accordance with the application requirements set forth by the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
Plan requirements. All plans shall be prepared in conformance with the prevailing regulations of the Borough and the legislation of the commonwealth.
Lancaster County Planning Commission action. The Lancaster County Planning Commission will evaluate the application based upon the applicable regulations and legislation and sound planning principles and forward a review within the time period specified by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to appropriate parties. The Lancaster County Planning Commission may perform this review at a scheduled public meeting or delegate to the staff the authority to perform the evaluation and forward comments.
Lancaster County Planning Commission certification. After completion of the Lancaster County Planning Commission's review, a preliminary or final plan may be presented to the Lancaster County Planning Commission for signature (Appendix 21[1]).