A. Minor and major subdivisions and land development preliminary plan submission procedure.
(1) Eight copies of preliminary plans for all proposed major or minor subdivisions of land lying within the Township shall be filed with the Township Manager.
(2) Submission to county. The applicant shall also forward one copy of such plans and supporting documents to the Planning Commission of the County of Monroe for action or information as appropriate. The Township shall not approve such applications until the county report is received or until the expiration of 30 days from the date of application was forwarded to Monroe County.
B. Date of consideration. Provided that plans and necessary supporting data are filed not less than 15 working days in advance of the meeting of the Township Planning Commission, plans will be considered, if completed, by the Commission at its next meeting subsequent to filing.
C. Commission takes final action. The plan filed with the Township Manager for a subdivision or development of a tract pursuant to this section shall be considered as a preliminary plan. However, if the plan and supporting data comply in all respects with the requirements for final plans, the Planning Commission may proceed to final action at the first consideration of the plan. Plans can be filed as either preliminary or for final plan approval, and must be noted as such on the plan.
D. Application procedure. An application for the approval of a preliminary plan shall:
(1) Include all land that the applicant proposes to subdivide or develop.
(2) Include all land, streets, roads, structures and utilities for a distance of 500 feet beyond the property line.
(3) Be accompanied by a filing fee and escrow fee as prescribed by resolution by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Tobyhanna.
(4) Comply in all respects with all articles of these regulations and with the Zoning Ordinance (See Ch.
155, Zoning]) officially adopted by the Township and all other appropriate ordinances and resolutions.
(5) Be accompanied by eight sets of the preliminary plan prepared in accordance with Article IV of these subdivision and land development regulations, which shall include, but not necessarily be limited to:
(a) Typical street cross-sections and center line profiles of proposed streets and major drainage facilities including a drainage plan.
(b) Any deed restrictions, protective or pending agreements under which lots are to be sold.
(c) Preliminary designs of any bridges or culverts.
(d) DEP planning modules and/or site suitability reports.
(e) Certifications of central water supply system per the DEP.
(f) Drainage plan report and calculations.
(g) Monroe County soils and conservation sediment and erosion control plan and PennDOT permit applications as appropriate.
E. Referral to the Planning Commission. Before submitting the preliminary plans to the Board of Supervisors for consideration, the applicant shall refer said plans to the Township Planning Commission for its recommendations. If the Planning Commission shall not make such recommendation within 60 days after such reference of a completed application, it shall be deemed consent thereto.
F. Study of a preliminary plan. The Planning Commission will consider the recommendation of the County Planning Commission, the Township Engineer, Township Zoning Officer/Planner and Sewage Enforcement Officer and then carefully study the practicability of the preliminary plan, taking into consideration this chapter requirements, location and width of streets, their relation to the topography of the land, the preservation of natural features, sewerage disposal, drainage, water supply, fire protection, lot sizes and arrangement, the future development of adjoining lands as yet unsubdivided, and the requirements of the Township Comprehensive Plan.
G. Professional consultants' review. As a supplement to the study of the preliminary plan by the Township Planning Commission, the Supervisors or Planning Commission shall authorize a review of the plan by the Township Engineer and such other professional consultants, as that term is defined at Section 107 of the Municipalities Planning Code, to determine the adaptability of the project to engineering design standards and criteria currently required by the Township. In his/her review, the Engineer or other professional consultant shall apply such judgment and specification interpretation as may be necessary to clarify the intent of the engineering and other regulatory requirements. A report shall be provided to the Planning Commission within 12 working days after referral to the Township Engineer or other professional consultant, unless the Engineer or professional consultant is actually engaged in the collection of data not supplied by the developer. All review costs of the Township Engineer and/or professional consultant shall be in accordance with the current fee resolution and escrow requirements of the Township.
H. Required changes for preliminary approval. After discussion of the preliminary plan, the Township Engineer, with the advice of the Planning Commission, will recommend to the applicant, in writing, the specific changes he/she recommends in the plan, and the character and extent of required improvements, conditions and reservations which it will require as a prerequisite to the preliminary approval of the subdivision plan or land development. If the developer plans to phase the project, approval or denial is required for that phase as indicated on the application.
I. Supervisor approval. After receiving the recommendations, if any, of the Township and County Planning Commissions, Township Engineer and Zoning Officer/Planner, the Supervisors will act upon the request for preliminary approval at its next meeting. After taking action, the Supervisors will communicate in writing within 15 days to the subdivider/developer; the specific changes and conditions, if any, they require in the plan; the character and extent of the required public improvements; and a prerequisite to the approval of the final subdivision plan to be submitted subsequently. The plat approval shall be automatically rescinded upon the applicant's failure to accept such conditions as required by the Board of Supervisors.
(1) The Township Supervisors shall not approve any plans until the recommendation of the Monroe County Planning Commission on the said plan is received or 31 days has lapsed since the application was filed with the Monroe County Planning Commission.
(2) Any modifications of the preliminary plan by the Supervisors as prerequisites to approval shall be revised and noted on the preliminary plan and included on the final plans.
(3) Approval of the preliminary plan shall constitute approval of the subdivision as to the character and intensity of development, the arrangement and approximate dimensions of street, lots and other planned features, but shall not authorize sale of lots or any land improvements.
(4) The Board of Supervisors shall not approve any subdivision plan unless all streets shown thereon shall be of sufficient width and proper grade and shall be so located as to accommodate the probable volume of traffic thereon, afford adequate light and air, facilitate fire protection, provide access of fire-fighting equipment to buildings, and provide a coordinated system of streets conforming to the Township's official plan of streets. Proposed final contours will be required to be shown separately on a plan and include the proposed drainage facilities, a drainage plan, and all other improvements.
J. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, any plan required to be submitted by this article shall also include a copy on computer readable media in either auto-cad R-14, auto-cad 2000, TIFF image format or ESRI Arc Infro\arcview, with all required media containing Pennsylvania State Plane N, NAD 83 Coordinates, or such other electronic, digital or computer readable media or format as designated from time to time by resolution duly enacted by the Board of Supervisors.
K. Any preliminary plan filed with the Township which has not been revised within six months from the date of the last Township Engineer’s review letter shall be deemed inactive and may be denied for failure to promptly process the plan in accordance with Township ordinances.
