ORDINANCE NO. 127

 

AN ORDINANCE OF KENNETT TOWNSHIP, CHESTER COUNTY, PA AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 46, THE SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE OF KENNETT TOWNSHIP, AS AMENDED, BY PROVIDING FOR NOTIFICATION OF PLAN SUBMISSION TO CONTIGUOUS PROPERTY OWNERS, BY AMENDING STANDARDS FOR PRIVATE STREETS, AND BY MODIFYING PLAN SUBMISSION SHEET SIZES

 

 

The Board of Supervisors of Kennett Township hereby enacts and ordains the following amendments to the Kennett Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, Ordinance No. 46, as amended:

 

Section 1         SECTION 301.2.C.1 is amended by changing it to read in its entirety:

 

1.                  Filing and Review Fees.  Submission of the Preliminary Plan shall be deemed incomplete unless accompanied by the following:

 

(a)                Required filing and review fees as stipulated in Section 304.4

 

(b)               Proof of notification by certified mail to all contiguous property owners to the property proposed for development as stipulated in Section 304.6.

 

Section 2         SECTION 304.6  Add new as follows:

 

304.6    NOTIFICATION OF CONTIGUOUS PROPERTY OWNERS

 

The applicant shall notify the owners of all properties contiguous to the parcel proposed for development by certified mail (return receipt requested).  Contiguous properties shall include those properties sharing a boundary, or portion of a boundary, with the parcel proposed for subdivision or development and shall include those properties that are separated from the subject parcel by a street right-of-way (whether public or private) or waterway.

 

A.                 Proof that the certified letters were sent to contiguous property owners shall be submitted to the Township Secretary at the time of Preliminary Plan submission (or Final Plan submission in the cases of minor subdivision plans).

 

B.         The notice shall describe in narrative form the proposed development and shall include anticipated dates for development, construction, and completion.


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C.        A Preliminary Plan (or Final Plan submission in the case of minor subdivision plans) shall be considered incomplete if not accompanied by proof of notification by certified mail of one hundred percent (100%) of the contiguous property owners at the time of submission.  The notice to the contiguous property owners shall occur at least one (1) week prior to the plan submission to the Township.

 

D.        If for any reason the Preliminary Plan (or Final Plan submission in the case of minor subdivision plans) as submitted is substantially changed so as to be considered a new submission, the notification requirement shall be reinitiated.

 

Section 3.        SECTION 306.2  OFFICIAL SUBMISSION OF FINAL PLAN SHALL COMPRISE is amended as follows:

 

                        Section 306.2.A.4(d) is amended by changing it to read:

 

(d)        That if dedication be sought, the street shall conform to the current Township specifications.

 

Section 4.        SECTION 401.1  PLAN REQUIREMENTS

 

                        Section 401.1 is deleted in its entirety and replaced by the following:

 

401.1    SHEET SIZES FOR PLAN SUBMISSION

 

Plans for a proposed subdivision shall be clearly and legibly drawn to a scale of one (1) inch equals fifty (50) feet, except that:

 

A.                 If the average size of the proposed lots in the subdivision is five (5) acres or larger, the plan may be drawn to a scale of one (1) inch equals one hundred (100) feet.

 

B.                 Plans and all submitted prints shall be consistent with the standards of the Chester County Recorder of Deeds Office, which requires prints to be made on sheets no smaller than seventeen (17) inches by twenty-two (22) inches and no larger than thirty-four (34) inches by forty-four (44) inches.

 

C.                 Where necessary, to avoid sheets larger than the maximum prescribed, Final Plans shall be drawn in two (2) or more sections, accompanied by a key diagram showing relative location of the sections.

 


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Section 5.        SECTION 502  STREETS

 

                        Section 502.1.I is deleted in its entirety and replaced by the following:

 

I.                    Private streets may be permitted by the Board of Supervisors under the following circumstances:

 

1.                  Private streets shall be permitted to serve no more than twenty-four (24) existing or potential lots and only when proper maintenance is guaranteed by the developer and when in accordance with the requirements outlined below.

 

2.                  Lots fronting on private streets shall meet the minimum requirements of the Kennett Township Zoning Ordinance, as amended, with regard to lot widths and setbacks.

 

3.                  Design and Construction Standards

 

Private streets shall be constructed in accordance with the General Standards for public streets of 502.1.A through H and 502.2 through 502.8 except as specified in sub-sections a, b, and c below:

 

a.                   Private streets shall meet the cartway and right-of-way width requirements for private streets as specified in Section 502.2.

 

b.                  The maximum centerline grade of a private street shall not exceed twelve percent (12%) and shall have an average centerline grade over its entire length of ten percent (10%) or less.

 

c.                   The responsible Fire Company shall review the design of the street and provide a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors regarding the street’s adequacy in providing access for emergency vehicles.

 

4.                  Private streets shall be clearly identified as such on each Preliminary and Final Plan.  Streets shall be named in accordance with the requirements of Section 502.1.G.


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5.                  Ownership and Maintenance Agreements

 

a.                   Owners of lots fronting on or having access to a private street shall sign maintenance agreements acceptable to the Township.  Such agreements shall state that the owners are aware that the street is private and that no municipal services shall be provided.

 

b.                  Deeds transferring any lots served by such private streets shall identify the street as a private street to be privately maintained.

 

c.                   As a condition of Final Plan approval, an agreement providing for maintenance, repair, construction, and reconstruction, including drainage facility maintenance and snowplowing of private streets shall be submitted to the Township and recorded with the approved final plan.  The deed for each new or existing lot fronting on or having access to the private street shall reference the agreement.

 

d.                  Where a Homeowners Association is being formed in conjunction with the proposed subdivision, the street shall be maintained by said Homeowners Association.  Such maintenance requirements shall be incorporated into the regulations of the Association as specified in Section 1506 of the Zoning Ordinance.

 

6.                  Conditions for Future Public Dedication of a Private Street

 

Where a developer proposes to establish or continue a private street, the Board of Supervisors shall require the developer to submit, and also to record with the Final Plan, a copy of an agreement made with the Township Supervisors on behalf of himself and his heirs and assigns, signed by him, which shall establish the conditions under which the street may later be offered for dedication, and shall stipulate:

 

a.                   That an offer to dedicate the street shall be made only for the street as a whole.

 

b.                  That the Township shall not be responsible for repairing or maintaining any undedicated streets.

 

c.                   That the method of assessing repair and maintenance costs of undedicated streets be stipulated and shall be set forth in recorded deed restrictions so as to be binding on all successors or assigns.


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d.                  That, if dedication were sought, the street shall conform to the current Township specifications.

 

7.                  New Subdivisions Accessing Existing Private Streets

 

a.                   If a new subdivision is proposed to access an existing private road, the applicant shall meet current private road requirements for that portion of the road serving the new subdivision to a public road.

 

b.                  A lot or homeowner using the private road prior to current private road requirements shall continue to be responsible for road maintenance according to the terms of the maintenance agreements already in effect, or may enter into a new agreement for road maintenance with the new subdivision applicant.

 

 

Section 6.        SECTION 502.2  STREET WIDTHS

 

                        Section 502.2A is amended to add a minimum cartway for private streets as follows:

 

                        Street Type                                                      Required Width (in feet)

 

                        Private                          Right-of-Way                           50

                                                            Cartway                                   16

 

Section 7.        SECTION 502.4  STREET GRADES

 

                        Section 502.4.B is amended as follows:

 

B.                 Centerline grades shall not exceed ten percent (10%), except on major arterial streets which shall not exceed four percent (4%).

 


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ENACTED AND ORDAINED this 27th day of September, 2000.

 

                                                                                    KENNETT TOWNSHIP

                                                                                    BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                Michael E. Elling

 

Attest:

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                Charles G. Shoemaker

                                               

Secretary-Treasurer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Thomas W. Nale, III