City Code, ExplainedBetaPardon our dust while we build this out — expect some changes along the way.

This chapter sets the procedures and design standards the city uses to review and approve the subdivision of land and larger land development projects, including required streets, drainage, utilities, and lot layout.

Who this affects

Anyone dividing a lot or parcel into two or more lots, or undertaking group residential or nonresidential building development, must submit plans to the Planning Commission for review and approval before recording, and must pay review fees and install or bond for required improvements.

Key rules

• "No subdivision of any lot, tract or parcel of land shall be effected and no street, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main or other facilities in connection therewith shall be laid out, constructed, opened or dedicated for public use" except in accordance with this chapter.
• All subdivision plans must be submitted to and approved by the Planning Commission before recording.
• Subdivision plans and supporting data must be received at least 10 calendar days in advance of a Commission meeting to be considered at that meeting.
• The Commission must transmit proposed plans to the County Planning Commission and may defer action pending its report, unless 30 days pass without a response.
• Ten copies of the preliminary plan and ten copies of the final plan must be submitted to the Commission by the subdivider.
• Review fees apply: residential/conservation sketch plans $150, preliminary plans $250 plus $20 per lot or dwelling unit, final plans $300 plus $20 per lot or dwelling unit; commercial/industrial/mixed use uses the same base fees plus $20 per acre; plan revisions cost 50% of the required initial fee.
• A final plan must be submitted within one year after Commission action on the preliminary plan, or it is treated as a new preliminary plan.
• The Commission must notify the subdivider of approval or disapproval of the final plan within 90 days of official submission.
• The subdivider must file the approved final plan for recording with the Schuylkill County Recorder of Deeds within 90 days after final approval, or the approval expires.
• "All lots shall front upon a public street."
• "Double frontage lots are prohibited except where employed to prevent vehicular access to major traffic streets."
• The ratio of lot depth to width shall not be greater than 2.5 to 1, except as specified in the Zoning chapter.
• Streets shall be laid out to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles, and "no street shall intersect another at an angle of less than 60º."
• Clear sight triangles of 30 feet must be provided at intersections, and no building is permitted within them.
• New half or partial streets and new reserve strips controlling access to streets are generally prohibited.
• Dead-end streets are prohibited except as stubs for future extension or when designed as culs-de-sac.
• Cul-de-sac streets "shall not exceed 500 feet in length and shall furnish access to not more than 20 dwelling units," with a paved turnaround having a minimum radius of 40 feet.
• Blocks shall have a minimum length of 750 feet and a maximum length of 1,200 feet.
• Easements for utilities must be at least 10 feet wide plus the width of any required pipe or improvement.
• The subdivider must install all required improvements (streets, water, sewer, drainage) or post a performance bond or certified check covering the full estimated cost before final plan approval, plus a maintenance bond guaranteeing repair for one year after construction.
• The Commission may grant a variance where exceptional shape or topography would cause "extreme practical difficulties and undue hardship," provided it does not harm the public good or substantially impair the regulations' intent.
• Applications for modifications or variances must be submitted in writing when the preliminary plan is filed, stating the grounds and facts relied upon.

Notable and archaic details

• Hourly billable rates are specified by staff classification for improvement inspections, ranging from $28.00 (Engineering Aide) to $75.00 (Engineer V).
• Final plans must be submitted as a "clear and legible white print on linen" for recording, and sheet sizes are specified up to 34 by 44 inches.
• Monument specifications are highly detailed, including cut stone or concrete markers 5 inches by 5 inches by 3 feet long, or 2-inch galvanized pipe with a brass cap.