A. SUBMISSION OF PRELIMINARY PLAT
(1) The submission is to include one original and one copy of the application, required fees, one copy of the completed check list, 2 0 copies of the subdivision map, certification on taxes and assessments, protective deeds and covenants, environmental assessment report (includes traffic impact) business references/other developments, proof of submission to the following outside agencies: County Planning Board, D & R Canal Commission, Somerset Union soil Conservation District, Franklin Township Sewerage Authority, NJ Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Community Affairs, and any other outside agency which may be determined by the Planning staff. [Amended 6/23/92 by ordinance #1715]
(2) If the application for development is found to be incomplete, the developer shall be notified thereof within 45 days of submission of such application or it shall be deemed to be properly submitted.
(3) Upon determination of completeness of the preliminary plat the Planning Board shall establish a date and a place for the conducting of a public hearing thereon. The owner shall notify by registered mail at least ten days prior to the hearing all property owners within 200 feet of the extreme limits of the subdivision as their names appear on the Township tax record. Said notice shall state the date, time and place of hearing, a brief description of the subdivision and that a copy has been filed with the Township Planning Board Office for public inspection. Proof of said notice of mailing shall be furnished to the Planning Board. The applicant shall cause notice of the hearing to be published in the official newspaper or a newspaper of general circulation in the Township at least 10 days prior to the hearing.
(4) Copies of the preliminary plat shall be forwarded by the Secretary of the Planning Board prior to the hearing to the following persons:
(a) Secretary of County Planning Board
(b) Township Engineer
(c) Department of Health
(d) Such other Township, County or State Officials as directed by the Planning Board.
(5) The Planning Board shall conduct a hearing on such application in accordance with the requirements of C.40:55D-10.
(6) The Planning Board shall, if the proposed subdivision complies with this ordinance and the requirements set forth in C.40.55D-1, grant preliminary approval to the subdivision.
(7) If the Planning Board requires any substantial amendment in the layout of improvements proposed by the developer that have been the subject of a hearing, an amended application shall be submitted and proceeded upon, as in the case of the original application for development.
(8) If the' Planning Board acts favorably on a preliminary plat, the Chairman of the Planning Board shall affix his signature to the plat with a notation that is has received preliminary approval and is returned to the subdivider for compliance with final approval requirements.
B. TIME PERIOD [Amended 6/23/92 by Ordinance #1716]
(1) Upon the submission to the Secretary of the Planning Board of a complete application for a subdivision of 10 or fewer lots, the Planning Board shall grant or deny preliminary approval within 45 days of the date of such submission or within such further time as may be consented to by the developer. Upon the submission of a complete application for a subdivision of more than 10 lots, the Planning Board shall grant or deny preliminary approval within 95 days of the date of such submission or within such further time as may be consented to by the developer. Otherwise,. the Planning Board shall be deemed to have granted preliminary approval to the subdivision.
(2) when the Planning Board is called upon to exercise its ancillary powers before the granting of a variance, the Planning Board shall grant or deny approval of the application within 95 days after submission by the developer of a complete application or within such further time as may be consented to by the applicant. Failure of the Planning Board to act within the period prescribed shall constitute approval of the application and a certificate of the Administrative Officer as to the failure of the Planning Board to act shall be issued on request of the applicant.
C. EFFECT OF PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
Preliminary approval of a major subdivision shall confer upon the applicant the following rights for a 3-year period from the date of the preliminary approval.
(1) That the general terms and conditions on which preliminary approval was granted shall not be changed, including but not limited to use requirements; layout and design standards for street, curbs and sidewalks; lot size; yard dimensions and off-tract improvements; except that nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the municipality from modifying by ordinance such general terms and conditions of preliminary approval as relate to public health and safety.
(2) That the applicant may submit for final approval, on or before the expiration date of preliminary approval, the whole or a section or sections of the preliminary subdivision plat.
(3) (a) Approval of a preliminary subdivision and any variances shall expire at the end of three (3) years after the date of adoption of the resolution of approval. The applicant may apply for and the Planning Board may grant extensions on such preliminary approval for additional periods of at least one (1) year but not to exceed a total extension of two (2) years, provided that if the design standards have been revised by ordinance, such revised standards may govern. [Amended 6/23/92 by ordinance #1716]
(b) In the case of a subdivision of 50 acres or more, the approval of preliminary major subdivision may be extended for a longer period by the Planning Board pursuant to the criteria established C. 40:55D-49d and c. 40:55D-52b. [Amended 6/23/92 by Ordinance #1716]
D. ASSESSMENT OF FACILITIES
(1) Before the Planning Board shall grant preliminary or final approval of any major subdivision, the Planning Board may take the following steps for the purpose of determining that the approval of such major subdivision will not overtax the existing or projected governmental facilities.
(2) Upon receipt by the Secretary of the Planning Board of an application for preliminary or final plat approval and the required maps submitted therewith, the Secretary of the Planning Board shall transmit the necessary information contained in the application to the Superintendent of Schools of the Township of Franklin with a request that the Planning Board be furnished with the following information.
(a) The present number of pupils in attendance in the Township of Franklin Schools by grade level.
(b) The number of classrooms and seating capacity for students by grade level available at the present time in the Township of Franklin schools.
(c) A projection for the next two or more school years of the estimated local public school enrollment by grade level, as determined by the Superintendent of Schools of the Township of Franklin.
(d) The estimated and projected number of classrooms and the seating capacity available in the Township of Franklin public schools during the next two or more years, based upon not only existing school facilities as are planned, projected or in the course of construction. promptly as possible.
(e) Whether or not there will be a sufficient surplus of school classrooms and seating capacity to accommodate the additional students coming from the proposed new subdivision. In arriving at this determination, the Superintendent of Schools shall take into consideration such generally recognized and adopted standards and formulas as are presently in use for this purpose as well as the statistical data it has assembled from surveys and existing comparable housing developments.
(3) As soon as the Superintendent of Schools has determined whether or not the present and projected public school facilities of the Township will make available sufficient classrooms and seating accommodations to take care of the normal enrollment, as well as increased enrollment as may arise by virtue of the proposed housing development covered by said application, it shall certify said statistical data directly to the Planning Board as
E. CONTENTS OF PRELIMINARY PLAT [Amended 6/23/92 by Ordinance #1715]
(1) The plat shall be clearly and legibly drawn or reproduced at a scale of 1 = 100' by a licensed New Jersey land surveyor (for tracts greater than 10 acres, a scale of 1=200' may be used). The plat shall show the following information:
(a) A key map, oriented in the same direction as the plat, showing the entire subdivision in relation to the surrounding area;
(b) All existing streets, roads and streams on and within 500 feet of the tract;
(c) The names of owners and tax map lot numbers of all adjoining properties;
(d) The tract name, tax map sheet, block and lot numbers, date, reference meridian, scale, graphic scale and the names and addresses of the following:
(1) Record owner or owners;
(2) Developer (subdivider); and
(3) Surveyor with official seal and license number
(e) The location, bearing and distance of the boundary lines of the property and of the proposed lots;
(f) The acreage of the entire tract and the proposed lots in acres to the nearest tenth and square footage to the nearest tenth;
(g) The location of all existing structures (buildings, culverts, storm sewers, water lines, electric and telephone poles) on or adjacent to the property in question;
(h) The location of natural features (wooded areas, rock formations, marshes, streams and other water bodies) on or adjacent to the property in question. If there are no wooded areas, it shall be so noted on the plan (NOTE: All single trees not in wooded areas which are six (6) inches in diameter measured at a point three (3) feet above the ground shall be shown). The developer shall take all necessary precautions to ensure the preservation of all trees to remain on-site;
(i) Proposed final topography and contours (contours to be shown at one foot intervals where practical but not to exceed two foot intervals) within and extending 50 feet beyond the property in question, provided access to the said contiguous property is available. (NOTE: No slope greater than one in three shall be permitted on the property in question);
(j) Cross sections and profiles of on-tract and off-site proposed existing streets;
(k) The location of all proposed public use areas;
(l) A statement indicating the availability of public water and/or sewer facilities;
(m) Indication of anticipated domestic water demand and amount of septic effluent;
(n) Plans and profiles of proposed utility layouts, including storm drains, sanitary sewers, water and gas mains, water courses, railroads, bridges, culverts, drainage pipes, electrical and telephone lines and their connections to existing or proposed utility system (NOTE: Underground utility easements are required to follow existing or proposed property lines and to be described in deeds to the affected lots in the subdivision). When alternate means of providing water supply and sanitary waste disposal is proposed, the developer shall submit to the Health Department of the Township of Franklin and State Department of Health, when applicable, an application with all required engineering data, compiled by a license Professional Engineer of the State of New Jersey. The Plan for such systems must be approved by the Franklin Township Department of Health.
The following information is to be shown on the preliminary plat:
(1) Location of proposed building, on-site well and septic system layout;
(2) Location of percolation tests and soil logs;
(3) Results of percolation test and soil logs;
(4) Location of existing wells and septic drainage fields on adjacent properties.
(o) A copy of any protective covenants or deed restrictions applying to the land being subdivided;
(p) Delineation of any Stream Corridor Preservation Areas pursuant to Section 112-30 (Added 6/11/91 by Ordinance No. 1643);
(q) If maps are revised, revision date and reason for change must be indicated on the map;
(r) The applicant, whether be a person, firm or corporation, shall submit a statement setting forth the method of financing the project and any proposals for phasing of development related to that financing. Projects with an estimated total development cost equal to or greater than $500,000 shall submit statements certified by a Certified Public Accountant or a Registered Public Accountant; [Amended 10/26/93 by Ord. No. 1796]
(s) In the case where the applicant is a corporation, the statement should contain the names and addresses of the officers and directors and each stockholder owning 10 percent or more of the capital stock; [Amended 10/26/93 by Ord. No. 1796]
(t) Names and locations of developments completed by the developer and names and addresses of at least five business references. Include any other projects in Franklin Township by this developer, corporation or officers of the corporation; [Amended 10/26/93 by Ord. No. 1796]
(u) The applicant shall also submit the number and type of homes to be built, the approximate selling price of the homes, a copy of the plans and specifications for each type of home to be built and estimated construction costs of plots and utilities; [Amended 10/26/93 by Ord. No. 1796]
(v) Development Chart indicating the required information, existing and proposed information for each lot as follows: minimum size of lot (square feet and acreage), minimum frontage, minimum front yard, minimum side yard minimum total of two side yards, accessory building (minimum side yard, minimum rear yard), impervious coverage (percentage and square footage). [Amended 10/26/93 by Ord. No. 17961
(w) Include a road map indicating the planned route by which all contractors, equipment, supplies, materials and other such items necessary for construction will be routed to the site so as to avoid, as far as possible, the necessity of transiting existing residential areas and neighborhoods.
**Webmasters Note: The previous subsections, (m) through (w), have been amended as per the 2000 Supplement.
