(A) Applicability. Preliminary plats shall be required for all major subdivisions.
(B) Application.
(1) Applications for preliminary plat approval shall be submitted to Planning Department on forms available in the Planning Department. Ten copies of the preliminary plat shall be filed with the application.
(2) Preliminary plats shall be drawn to scale no smaller than 1” = 100’. Where large areas are being platted, they may be drawn on one or more sheets, 22” x 34” in size. For small areas being platted, a scale of 1” = 50’ shall be used.
(3) Even though a subdivider intends to subdivide only a portion of a parcel or tract of land initially, the preliminary plat shall show a proposed street and lot layout, drainage plan and other requirements for the entire parcel or tract of land in which such portion is contained.
(4) The following information shall be required on each plat:
(a) The courses and distances of the perimeter of the land involved shall be shown with the courses marked to show which are actual field observations and which are computed;
(b) References to a known point or points such as street intersections and railroad crossings shall be shown;
(c) The total acreage of the land involved in the subdivision and the acreage above the Office of Coastal Resource Management critical line. Date of critical line certification shall be indicated. (Aerial photography may not be used to determine OCRM critical line location);
(d) The names of adjacent land owners and streets where known or available shall be given (with the tax parcel numbers) and all intersecting boundaries or property lines shall be shown;
(e) Proposed divisions to be created shall be shown, including the right-of-way widths, roadway widths and names of streets; the locations of proposed utility installations and utility easements; lot lines, dimensions and angles; sites reserved or dedicated for public uses; and sites for apartments, civic/institutional, commercial and industrial uses;
(f) The title, scale (including graphic scale), north arrow (magnetic, grid or true), date, name of subdivider and the name of engineer or surveyor with the state registration number shall be shown;
(g) All existing physical features of the land, including contours, drainage ditches, roads and wooded areas shall be shown. The contour interval shall be one foot, unless otherwise approved in advance of submission by the Public Works Director. All contour information shall be based on mean sea level datum and shall be accurate within one-half foot. The bench mark, with its description, and the datum used for the survey shall be clearly noted on the plat;
(h) General drainage features, including proposed drainage easements and detention/retention basins. Proposed cuts and fills shall be shown. Also the proposed direction of drainage on each street, ditch and lot shall be indicated by the use of arrows and proposed street names;
(i) The location of required landscape buffers, which shall not be located within drainage easements unless expressly approved by the Public Works Director;
(j) Jurisdictional wetlands, with the date of certification; and
(k) The notarized signature of the owner or their agent and a statement indicating ownership of the property and the plat shows their intent to subdivide the property.
(5) Accompanying data.
(a) The preliminary plat shall be accompanied by a statement as to the availability of and specific indication of the distance to and location of the nearest public water supply and public sanitary sewers.
(b) The preliminary plat shall be accompanied by a statement indicating what provisions are to be made for water supply and sewage disposal.
(6) Sight lines for inspection. Sight lines shall be cut a maximum of 200 feet apart for the purpose of making the topographic survey and to allow visual inspection of the property after application has been made for approval of the preliminary plat.
(C) Planning Director review and report. The Planning Director shall compile a staff report (which includes the comments and recommendations of the Public Works Department and other affected agencies) that reviews the preliminary plat application in light of all applicable requirements of this chapter. This report shall be forwarded to the Planning Commission.
(D) Planning Commission review and decision. Within the 60 days of receipt of a complete application, the Planning Commission shall review the proposed preliminary plat and act to approve, approve with conditions or deny the preliminary plat, based on whether it complies with all applicable requirements of this chapter.
(E) Effect of preliminary plat approval. Approval of a preliminary plat shall constitute general acceptance of the overall planning concepts for the proposed subdivision and is a prerequisite for the filing of a final plat application.
(F) Lapse of preliminary plat approval. An approved preliminary plat shall lapse and be of no further force and effect if a final plat for the subdivision (or a phase of the subdivision) has not been approved within two years of the date of approval of the preliminary plat. If the subdivision is to be developed in phases, a phasing plan shall be approved as part of the preliminary plat approval.
(G) Appeals. Any person with a substantial interest in a preliminary plat decision of the Planning Commission or any officer, board or bureau of the county may appeal the Planning Commission decision to the Circuit Court of the county. Appellants shall file with the Court Clerk a written petition plainly and fully setting forth how such decision is contrary to law. Such appeal shall be filed within 30 days of the date of the Planning Commission’s decision.
(H) Construction plans. After approval of a preliminary plat and before commencing any work within the proposed subdivision (including land clearing and grading), road plans and profiles and a detailed drainage plan prepared by an engineer registered in the state shall be submitted to the Public Works Director for review and approval in accordance with the county’s standard specifications for road and drainage systems.
(I) Inspections.
(1) Subdivision plats that are submitted for review are field inspected by planning and public works staff to ensure compliance with any applicable ordinance requirements and county standards.
(2) When no public sewer is provided to the proposed lot, a representative of State Department of Health and Environmental Control will visit the site and test the soil for minimum septic system requirements.
(3) Where subdivision streets and/or drainageways are being constructed, a Public Works Department inspector will make periodic visits to the site at no cost to the developer to ensure construction compliance with county-approved road and drainage plans. Public Works Department’s certification that all roads and drainage systems have been constructed in compliance with the plans is required prior to final approval of the development. This approval is necessary for both public and private developments.
(4) Fire protection and design to be approved by the Fire Department prior to preliminary plat approval.
(Ord. 20-8, passed 12-7-2000)