A. Purposes.
The following provisions are primarily intended to avoid erosion, sedimentation, stormwater management and winter driving hazards, particularly considering the Township's climate, in addition to serving the overall purposes of this chapter.
B. Regrading.
The regulations for non-man-made slopes of over 15% shall apply based upon slopes that existed as of the effective date of this chapter. This section shall not regulate slopes that were clearly man-made prior to the adoption of this chapter.
C. Slopes over 25%.
A new principal building shall not be located on a slope greater than 25%.
D. Single-family dwellings and steep slopes.
The following provisions shall only apply to any lot that is submitted for preliminary subdivision approval after the effective date of this section, or which is submitted for final subdivision approval if a preliminary plan submittal was not required, if the lot contains areas with slopes of 15% or greater that may be disturbed:
(1) Any lot proposed to be used for a single-family detached dwelling shall include a proposed building area with a minimum of 3,000 square feet of land area. Such building area shall not include land area restricted by the minimum yard areas, unless a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet or less applies. Such building area shall contain the proposed location of the dwelling. The dwelling shall be built within the proposed building area shown on the plan, except as may be approved under Subsection F.
(a) If such building area for each lot includes an average slope of greater than 15%, then the minimum lot area shall be one acre, unless a larger lot area is required by another section of this chapter.
(b) Through designations on the Township-approved site plan, an applicant may limit the area upon which new principal buildings are permitted. By committing to not place a principal building on slopes over 15%, the applicant can avoid the larger lot size requirement of this subsection.
(c) If the total of all areas on a tract of 15% or greater slope that are proposed to be disturbed involve less than 500 square feet, then the requirements of this Subsection D shall not apply.
(2) Access. Each lot shall be accessible from an existing or proposed street by means of a driveway with a maximum grade of 15%. The Township may require submission of a grading, stormwater and erosion control plan where necessary to manage driveway construction on steep slopes.
E. Steep slopes and other uses.
A lot shall only be used for a building for principal uses other than single-family detached dwellings if the proposed building area includes an average slope of less than 15%.
(1) For such uses, the building area shall include locations of all proposed buildings and parking areas and outdoor storage areas and an area of 20 feet around buildings, parking and storage areas. Such building area shall also contain the proposed locations of any primary and alternate on-lot septic systems.
(2) Access. Each principal building and each parking area shall have vehicle access from an existing or proposed street by means of a driveway with a maximum grade of 10%.
F. Changes to building area.
The building area may show the outer extent of areas being considered for a proposed building, without showing an exact location, provided all of those potential areas still meet the requirements of this section. An applicant may change the proposed building area after subdivision approval is granted, provided that the applicant proves that the new building area will still comply with this section. However, the building area shall not be so large as to attempt to circumvent the average slope provisions of this section that apply to a building site.
G. Site plan and tree protection.
If an applicant proposes to alter or build upon slopes of 15% or greater, then a site plan shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer. A separate site plan is not required if the same information was included in an approved subdivision or land development plan.
(1) Site plan. The site plan shall show:
(a) The proposed lot lines;
(b) The existing and proposed contours; and
(c) Existing and proposed building locations, and the outer perimeter of the proposed building area as described above.
(2) Mature trees. Where building or alteration is proposed on slopes of over 15%, the applicant shall prove, to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer, that the removal of healthy trees with a trunk width of over six inches (measured at a height 4.5 feet above the ground level) and other attractive natural vegetation will be minimized. The Zoning Officer may ask for reviews by the Township Engineer or Planning Commission. The site plan shall show wooded areas to be removed or preserved and methods to be used to make sure trees are protected by temporary fences or other measures during the construction process.
