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BYLAW: Model Site Plan Review
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For More Information on This Bylaw, Contact:
City Hall
133 William Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 979-1410
5410. Purpose:
The purpose of this section is to provide for individual detailed review of development proposals which have an impact on the natural or built environment of the City in order to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the community; to ensure adequate parking, safe and accessible pedestrian and vehicular circulation; and to minimize traffic impact on city streets.
A. Applicability. The following types of activities and uses require site plan review by the Planning Board [OR OTHER BOARD]:
5411. Construction, exterior alteration or exterior expansion of, or change of use within, a municipal, institutional, commercial, industrial, or multi-family structure with four of more dwelling units;
5412. Construction or expansion of a parking lot for a municipal, institutional, commercial, industrial, or multi-family structure or purpose.
B. Procedures. Applicants for site plan approval shall submit five (5) copies of the site plan to the Planning Board for review, and within three (3) days thereafter shall also submit a copy of the site plan to the City Council, Board of Health, Board of Public Works, Building Inspector, City Engineer, and Conservation Commission for their advisory review and comments. The Planning Board shall review and act upon the site plan, with such conditions as may be deemed appropriate, within sixty (60) days of its receipt, and notify the applicant of its decision. The decision of the Planning Board shall be upon a majority of those present and shall be in writing. No building permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued by the Building Inspector without the written approval of the site plan by the Planning Board, or unless 60 days lapse from the date of the submittal of the site plan without action by the Planning Board.
a. Application for Building Permit. An application for a building permit to perform work as set forth in Section A available as of right shall be accompanied by an approved site plan.
b. Application for Special Permit or Variance. An application for a special permit or a variance to perform work as set forth in Section A shall be accompanied by an approved site plan; in the alternative, any special permit or variance granted for work set forth in Section A shall contain the following condition: The work described herein requires the approval of a site plan by the Planning Board pursuant to Section ____ of the Zoning Ordinance. Any conditions imposed in such site plan approval shall also be conditions of this special permit/variance.
c. Where the Planning Board approves a site plan "with conditions", and said approved site plan accompanies a special permit or variance application to the Board of Appeals, the conditions imposed by the Planning Board shall be incorporated into the issuance, if any, of a special permit or variance by the Board of Appeals.
d. Where the Planning Board serves as the special permit granting authority for proposed work, it shall consolidate its site plan review and special permit procedures.
e. The applicant may request, and the Planning Board may grant by majority vote, an extension of the time limits set forth herein.
f. No deviation from an approved site plan shall be permitted without modification thereof.
C. Preparation of Plans. Applicants are invited to submit a pre-application sketch of the proposed project to the Planning Board and to schedule a comment period at a regular meeting of the Planning Board. Site Plans shall be submitted on 24?inch by 36?inch sheets. Plans shall be prepared by a Registered Professional Engineer, Registered Land Surveyor, Architect, or Landscape Architect, as appropriate. Dimensions and scales shall be adequate to determine that all requirements are met and to make a complete analysis and evaluation of the proposal. All plans shall have a minimum scale of 1"=40'.
D. Contents of Plan. The contents of the site plan are as follows:
1. Five (5) separate plans prepared at a scale of one (1) inch equals twenty (20) feet or such other scale as may be approved by the planning board. The plans are as follows: a. Site layout, which shall contain the boundaries of the lot(s) in the proposed development, proposed structures, drives, parking, fences, walls, walks, outdoor lighting, loading facilities, and areas for snow storage after plowing. The first sheet in this plan shall be a locus plan, at a scale of one (1) inch equals one hundred (100) feet, showing the entire project and its relation to existing areas, buildings and roads for a distance of one thousand (1,000) feet from the project boundaries or such other distance as may be approved or required by the planning board. b. Topography and drainage plan, which shall contain the existing and proposed final topography at two?foot intervals and plans for handling stormwater drainage. c. Utility and landscaping plan, which shall include all facilities for refuse and sewerage disposal or storage of all wastes, the location of all hydrants, fire alarm and firefighting facilities on and adjacent to the site, all proposed recreational facilities and open space areas, and all wetlands including floodplain areas. d. Architectural plan, which shall include the ground floor plan and architectural elevations of all proposed buildings and a color rendering. e. Landscaping plan, showing the limits of work, existing tree lines, and all proposed landscape features and improvements including screening, planting areas with size and type of stock for each shrub or tree, and including proposed erosion control measures.
2. The site plan shall be accompanied by a written statement indicating the estimated time required to complete the proposed project and any and all phases thereof. There shall be submitted a written estimate, showing in detail the costs of all site improvements planned.
3. A written summary of the contemplated projects shall be submitted with the site plan indicating, where appropriate, the number of dwelling units to be built and the acreage in residential use, the evidence of compliance with parking and off?street loading requirements, the forms of ownership contemplated for the property and a summary of the provisions of any ownership or maintenance thereof, identification of all land that will become common or public land, and any other evidence necessary to indicate compliance with this ordinance.
4. The site plan shall be accompanied by drainage calculations by a registered professional engineer. Storm drainage design must conform to City of New Bedford subdivision regulations.
5. The Planning Board may require a narrative statement detailing the impact of the proposed use on municipal services and the environment.
6. Certification that the proposal is in compliance with the provisions, if applicable, of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Massachusetts Architectural Barriers Board.
E. Waiver of Technical Compliance. The Planning Board may, upon written request of the applicant, waive any of the requirements of this Section where the project involves relatively simple development plans or constitutes a minor site plan. An application for permits to build, alter or expand any nonresidential building, structure or use in any district where such construction will exceed a total gross floor area of 500 square feet but not exceed a total gross floor area of 2000 square feet, or an application which will not generate the need for more than 10 parking spaces shall be deemed a "minor site plan." For the purposes of computing the total gross floor area of a minor site plan, the Planning Board shall aggregate all such applications made within the five (5) previous calendar years. Minor site plans shall set forth all of the information required by Section 5440; provided, however, that the scale of the site plan may be 1' = 80', and the plan may depict topographical contours at intervals available on maps provided by the United States Geological Survey.
F. Approval. Site Plan approval shall be granted upon determination by the Planning Board that the plan meets the following objectives. The Planning Board may impose reasonable conditions at the expense of the applicant, including performance guarantees, to promote these objectives. Any new building construction or other site alteration shall provide adequate access to each structure for fire and service equipment and adequate provision for utilities and stormwater drainage consistent with the functional requirements of the Planning Board`s Subdivision Rules and Regulations. New building construction or other site alteration shall be designed in the Site Plan, after considering the qualities of the specific location, the proposed land use, the design of building form, grading, egress points, and other aspects of the development, so as to:
1. Minimize the volume of cut and fill, the number of removed trees 6" caliper or larger, the length of removed stone walls, the area of wetland vegetation displaced, the extent of stormwater flow increase from the site, soil erosion, and threat of air and water pollution;
2. Maximize pedestrian and vehicular safety both on the site and egressing from it;
3. Minimize obstruction of scenic views from publicly accessible locations;
4. Minimize visual intrusion by controlling the visibility of parking, storage, or other outdoor service areas viewed from public ways or premises residentially used or zoned;
5. Minimize glare from headlights and lighting intrusion;
6. Minimize unreasonable departure from the character, materials, and scale of buildings in the vicinity, as viewed from public ways and places.
7. Minimize contamination of groundwater from on?site waste?water disposal systems or operations on the premises involving the use, storage, handling, or containment of hazardous substances;
8. Ensure compliance with the provisions of this Zoning Ordinance, including parking and landscaping.
G. Lapse. Site plan approval shall lapse after one year from the grant thereof if a substantial use thereof has not sooner commenced except for good cause. Such approval may, for good cause, be extended in writing by the Planning Board upon the written request of the applicant.
H. Regulations. The Planning Board may adopt and from time to time amend reasonable regulations for the administration of these Site Plan guidelines.
I. Fee. The Planning Board may adopt reasonable administrative fees and technical review fees for site plan review.
J. Appeal. The appeal of any decision of the planning board hereunder shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Mass. Gen. L. ch. 40A, §17. |
