§ 902. Site Plans.
902.01. Intent and Purpose. This Section shall apply to all site plans as defined in Article II. The site plan procedures shall be required in order to ensure that site-specific development projects meet the requirements of this Ordinance prior to the issuance of a building permit. It is the intent of this Section that the site plan review process be a part of the building permit application process, and that the site plan shall be the instrument by which improvements to the site will be constructed and inspected prior to occupancy of the development.
902.02. Development Requiring Site Plan Approval. Prior to issuance of a building permit, all proposed non-residential construction, as well as all residential development types, other than single family detached structures, shall be subject to site plan review by the Planning Commission. This shall include clubhouses or other ancillary facilities within a residential subdivision.
Site plan approval shall also be required for the subdivision of an existing development site of a type subject to site plan requirements, and/or an expansion, reduction or reconfiguration of any such development type. For any proposal in which these requirements are unclear, the Planning Commission shall determine whether site plan approval is necessary.
902.03. Site Plan Review Follows Other Reviews. Any development proposal requiring a review by another board, commission or department, such as request for variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment, shall be reviewed by the other entity and the findings made available to the Planning Commission prior to conducting the site plan review.
902.04. Review of Site Plans. Except at set out in Section 903 "Conditional Uses", no public notice or hearing is required for site plan consideration in connection with an application for a building permit or certificate of occupancy by the Planning Commission. However, such matters shall be handled in a public session, as part of a previously prepared agenda. All matters relating to Planning Commission consideration of site plans shall be a public record and approval shall require formal action of the Planning Commission.
Site plans submitted for review shall be approved or disapproved by the Planning Commission. When a site plan is disapproved, the reason(s) for the disapproval shall be provided in writing to the applicant within ten (10) days of the hearing at which the decision to disapprove was made.
The following criteria shall be used in determining whether to approve a site plan:
A.
Completeness of application information as required under Section 902.13;
B.
Consistency with adopted policies and standards of Comprehensive Plan and other adopted policies and standards;
C.
Uses are permitted on the development site under the provisions of this Ordinance;
D.
Whether the site plan meets applicable design standards established by this Ordinance;
E.
Availability and adequate capacity of public facilities to serve the development, such as roads, sewer, water, schools, solid waste disposal, and fire protection (including access to the site for emergency vehicles); and
F.
Compatibility with surrounding land uses (this criterion shall apply only where a site plan proposes a conditional use pursuant to Section 903).
Upon receipt of an application for Site Plan Review, the Planning Commission shall undertake a study of the proposed development. The site plan review process may, at the discretion of the Planning Commission, include review and comment by other departments or agencies. The
Planning Commission may approve, approve with conditions or disapprove the site plan. The Planning Commission shall provide written notification to the applicant of the Planning Commission's review determination.
If the site plan is disapproved, the applicant shall be notified of any changes or modifications that are required to the proposed site plan to achieve conformity with the requirements of this Ordinance. The Building Official shall not issue a building permit until the site plan is modified, resubmitted and approved.
If the site plan is approved with conditions, the applicant shall be notified of the conditions. The owner/developer shall have the option to revise the site plan to eliminate the cause of the conditions or to amend the plan to comply with the mitigation conditions required by the Planning Commission. If the site plan is modified in either manner, it shall be resubmitted to the Administrative Officer for review to determine that the plan is in compliance with the required conditions prior to issuing a building permit.
If the Planning Commission approves the site plan, then the Administrative Officer shall stamp the plans "Approved" and provide the Building Official with an approved set of plans from which he shall issue a building permit for the approved site plan.
902.06. Review Procedures. Five (5) full size (24" x 36") prints and ten (10) 11" x 17" copies of the site plan, a completed application form and all other necessary attachments and the requisite application fee shall be submitted to the Administrative Officer to initiate processing of the site plan. Additional plans shall be provided for review by appropriate state, regional and county agencies upon staff request.
A.
Site Plan Preparation Requirements. Where the proposed development site is three (3) acres in size or larger, the site plan shall be prepared and sealed by an architect, professional engineer or surveyor. At the Planning Commission's discretion, the same requirement may be applied to sites of less than three (3) acres where the plan proposes high-intensity uses or activities that may have a substantial impact on surrounding properties.
Sketch plans and drawings submitted with variance or other zoning-related applications shall not be accepted for review as a site plan unless they are prepared in accordance with the guidelines of this Section and contain all required information. In all cases, engineering plans addressing drainage, road construction and other technical aspects of development design shall be sealed by a civil engineer registered in the State of Alabama.
B.
Development Site Requirements. For development sites of one (1) acre or more, full engineering drawings or a Project Engineer's Statement must be submitted by an engineer registered in the State of Alabama. The City Engineer, or other duly authorized official, may choose to require additional information as necessary.
C.
Completeness of Plans. Site plans submitted without complete information in accordance with Section 902.13 shall not be reviewed by, or placed on the Planning Commission Agenda.
D.
Staff Review. The Administrative Officer or other duly authorized official(s) shall review the site plan with specific regard to this Ordinance and other regulations of the City of Arab. The staff review shall identify matters of development policy concern to which the applicant shall address particular attention.
E.
Revised Plans. Following submission of a complete application package for site plan review, and at such time as the Planning Commission determines that all staff comments have been adequately addressed, and that the requirements of all applicable City, State and Federal regulations have been met, it shall approve the site plan.
902.07. Approval of Site Plans. No site plan shall be approved which is inconsistent with any term contained in this Ordinance unless a variance has been authorized in accordance with Section 1007 of this Ordinance.
Upon approval of a site plan, a minimum of five (5) copies of the approved site plan shall be submitted to the Administrative Officer prior to issuance of a building permit. Any additional copies as may be required by the City shall also be submitted as outlined above. The Administrative Officer shall stamp approved, date and have the Chairman of the Planning Commission sign the site plan copies. The copies of the site plan shall then be forwarded to the appropriate officials as determined by the Planning Commission. A minimum of two (2) copies of the site plan shall be reserved for the use of the Planning Commission or other duly authorized officials.
902.08. Effect of Site Plan Approval. Upon final approval of a site plan, no structures, uses, or development of any kind shall be permitted on a development site except in accordance with the site plan and related approved plans for development phasing, building construction, grading drainage, and other site design elements.
902.09. Expiration of Site plan Certificate of Approval. Approved site plans shall remain valid for 12 months after final approval, and a building permit for the development may be obtained at any time during that period.
The Planning Commission may make an extension of site plan approval for a single period up to six (6) months from the date when a site plan would otherwise expire. An extension may be granted only if the Planning Commission concludes that the applicant or developer has proceeded with due diligence and in good faith, and that conditions have not changed substantially so as to warrant a new application. All such requests for extensions must be submitted in writing not less than 30 days prior to the expiration of the approved site plan stating the reason for the time extension request.
Requests for extensions in excess of six (6) months shall not be granted. Instead, the applicant shall submit a new application for review according to the requirements of this Section.
Upon approval of the site plan, the applicant may proceed to submit detailed construction drawings to the Building Official or other duly authorized official for permitting. These shall include, but are not limited to, detailed building plans, grading plans, drainage and stormwater management facilities, erosion control plans, road and driveway construction specifications, and tree removal plans.
Nothing contained herein shall preclude the Building Official from accepting for review and processing building construction plans related to the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems prior to final approval of a site plan, subject to such conditions as may be established by that department relative to processing of site plans prior to final approval.
In such instances, no building permit will be issued until the Planning Commission has acted upon the site plan, the Administrative Officer has stamped it approved and it is on file in the office of the Building Official.
All building and construction permits issued for any project requiring site plan review shall be consistent with the stamped approved site plan. The approval of a site plan shall not under any circumstances be construed to waive or otherwise diminish the applicable City requirements for construction or installation of structures or materials. Whenever a conflict between the site plan and such construction details occurs, the more restrictive or that requiring the higher standard shall prevail.
902.10. Amendment or Withdrawal of Site Plan. A site plan may be amended upon the request of the applicant as follows:
A.
A revised site plan shall be submitted to the Administrative Officer for review by the Planning Commission in the same manner as the original application.
B.
The amendment shall be reviewed using the same process and subject to approval, disapproval, or approval with conditions in the same manner as the original site plan submission.
C.
The Planning Commission will review the revised plan in the same manner as the original submission and render a written decision to the owner/developer.
D.
A site plan, under which no work has occurred, may be withdrawn upon request of the applicant by written notice to the Building Official.
902.11. Non-Compliance. Failure to comply with a stamped approved site plan or any of the conditions upon which such approval was contingent, including time limits for performance, shall be cause to deny issuance of a building permit or, where a building permit has been issued pursuant to a stamped approved site plan, to render such permit invalid. Any action, construction, development or use of property undertaken in violation of the provisions of this Section for a site plan shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance and may be subject to a stop-work order.
902.12. Development Site To Be Unified. The development site shall be designed to provide all required amenities and facilities. No such required features shall be located off-site or on adjacent properties which are leased, rented, or otherwise proposed for use on an informal basis, except as provided in Section "Shared Parking" 614.07. The entire site shall have the zoning designation required to accommodate the principal use.
No development site, once granted site plan approval, shall be divided except through the site plan amendment process established in Section 902.10.
902.13. Site Plan Preparation Requirements. A site plan must accurately show all relevant information about a proposed development to permit it to be reviewed against the requirements of this Ordinance, and to provide a permanent record as to the type and characteristics of development approved on the site. Site plans shall be drawn, on an overall sheet size not to exceed 24 by 36 inches, to one of the following scales:
1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:40, 1:50, 1:60, 1:100
When more than one (1) sheet is needed, a series of drawings showing different elements of the site design, such as landscaping, utilities, or topography may be submitted. Where such a series is submitted, the top sheet shall include an index of all other sheets in the series. These shall be bound in a single package, with each sheet labeled as to what it shows and its number in the series (e.g., Landscaping Plan, Sheet 2 of 3)
Unless specifically waived by the Planning Commission, the following information shall be shown on all site plans:
A.
Written Information:
1.
Site plan name.
2.
General statement indicating the character of the use(s) proposed for the site.
This shall include information describing the size and/or intensity of the use, such as the number of employees at largest shift, seating capacity, number of students, number of hospital beds or motel rooms, etc. All other relevant information not otherwise specified in this checklist shall be provided in the General Statement, such as variances on the property, nonconforming status, etc.
3.
Property owner's name, address and Telephone number; and the designated project applicant or representative if other than the property owner.
4.
Name address, and telephone number of any professional involved in design of the project, (i.e. engineer, surveyor, architect, landscape architect, etc.)
5.
Total size of the tract expressed in square feet and acres (to nearest tenth).
6.
Zoning district assigned to the subject property and all adjoining properties.
7.
Number of units proposed (residential only).
8.
Impervious surface area in square feet, impervious surface ratio (ISR), maximum and proposed.
10.
Floor area in square feet and floor area ratio (FAR).
11.
Details of all bufferyards and landscaping required, if any.
12.
Number of parking spaces required and proposed (must show calculations based on requirements of Article VI).
13.
Building height.
14.
Applicable endorsement, dedications, and/or certifications from the following:
a.
Arab Electric Co-op
b.
City of Arab Water Board
c.
City of Arab Sewer Board
d.
Marshal County Gas District
e.
City Engineer of the City of Arab
f.
Marshall County Health Department
B.
Graphic Information.
1.
Vicinity map showing the site in relation to adjoining properties, streets, and other landmarks such that its location within the City can easily be determined.
2.
North arrow, scale and date prepared.
3.
Certified boundary survey of the tract prepared by a surveyor registered with the State of Alabama, indicating an existing lot of record.
4.
Location, number of floors or stories, height and dimensions of all structures.
5.
Location of all impervious surfaces
6.
All flood-prone areas as delineated by the Flood Insurance Rate Maps published by FEMA, including a notation of the 100 year flood elevation.
7.
All wetlands and watercourses, including lakes, streams, etc.
8.
Steep slopes greater than 30 percent.
9.
Areas and dimensions of general required landscaping and bufferyards pursuant to Article V "Landscape and Bufferyard Requirements".
10.
Areas and dimensions of landscaping for off-street parking areas pursuant to Article V, "Landscape and Bufferyard Requirements".
11.
Location, dimensions and directional flow of all parking spaces, loading berths and driveway aisles. One-way aisle must be appropriately labeled.
12.
Location of all curb cuts and their distances from nearest adjacent curb cuts or street intersections.
13.
Phase lines, if the development is to be constructed in phases.
14.
Existing and proposed utility easements.
15.
All existing and proposed street right-of-way reservations and easements.
16.
Finished floor elevations of all structures.
17.
All existing and proposed utility lines, including sewer, water, gas and electricity.
18.
Location and screening of solid waste receptacles.
C.
Items to be Submitted to the Engineer.
1.
Runoff calculations and stormwater management facilities.
2.
Routing of stormwater on the site, both by pipe system and surface flow.
3.
Details for on-site stormwater detention or retention facilities.
4.
Road and parking area design and construction information.
5.
Information on existing and proposed utility facilities including, but not limited to:
a.
Water and sewer lines with sizes noted, including cutoff valves, manholes, cleanouts, meter boxes, drains, etc.
b.
Fire hydrants
c.
Electric power poles, lines and transformer vaults
d.
Storm sewer locations and capacities
e.
Erosion control and grading plan
6.
Information on on-site fire protection systems.
7.
Any other information required by the City Engineer.