(A) Purpose and process.
(1) A preliminary plat is a major step in the subdivision review process. The purpose of the preliminary plat is to submit enough information to answer the question “Should this use, designed in this manner, be constructed on this site?” prior to complete engineering drawings and studies being prepared. Approval of a preliminary plat constitutes authorization to proceed with preparation of the final plat, engineering plans and specifications for public improvements, but does not assure approval or acceptance.
(2) An application and appropriate number of presentation copies as determined by the department and one copy in digital form of a preliminary plat, with required materials (§ 152.07(B) and (C)) and filing fee shall be filed at the department. Only complete submittals shall be accepted.
(3) Staff shall review the application, distribute copies to reviewing agencies, obtain comments and schedule a staff conference with the applicant to review all comments with the applicant and to make any requests for additional information or materials.
(4) The staff shall present the preliminary plat, including general review comments, to the Planning Commission at a regularly scheduled meeting. Before taking action on a preliminary plat, the Planning Commission shall consider all review comments presented by staff, and the applicant. The preliminary plat and the recommendation of the Planning Commission shall be considered by the Council at a regularly scheduled meeting.
(5) An approval of a preliminary plat by the Council is valid for 12 months from the date of the approval. A 12-month extension may be granted by the department upon receipt of a letter from the subdivider prior to the expiration date indicating proper cause.
(B) Preliminary plat contents.
(1) In addition to the items listed in § 152.06 for sketch plan contents, the following is also required for the preliminary plat:
(a) Topography by contours relating to U.S.G.S. survey datum, or other datum approved in writing by the Town Engineer, to be shown on the same map as the proposed subdivision layout. Location and elevation of the benchmark used should also be shown on the plat. Acceptable contour intervals: grades up to 5%, two feet; 5% to 15% grades, five feet; grades over 15%, ten feet. Source and date of topography shall be noted on the Preliminary Plat. Datum basis shall be noted. Whenever practical, elevations should be based on U.S.G.S. or N.G.S. datum. At least one permanent benchmark shall be included as part of the Preliminary Plat. Regular U.S.G.S. topographic maps, enlargements or similarities of same will not be acceptable as the source of topography. Topography shall extend at least 300 feet into all adjoining properties. This requirement may be waived on a case-by-case basis by staff.
(b) Drainage related items. Flood hazard and 100-year floodplain areas, if any, shall be delineated on the preliminary plat and finished floor elevations for building pads shall be identified for all lots impacted by flood hazard areas. All lots impacted by flood hazard areas must have an established restrictive building envelope that is outside the delineated flood hazard area.
(c) Location, widths, ownership status and names of all existing streets and improvements therein; railroads; recorded utility or other easements or rights-of-way, including any existing facilities therein; public areas; all existing structures, with an indication of whether or not they are to remain; and municipal corporation lines within or adjacent to the tract. Access road to the proposed subdivision shall be described to its intersection with a public road right-of-way.
(d) Name, book and page numbers of any recorded subdivisions within or having a common boundary with the tract, or notation "unsubdivided" where appropriate.
(e) Location, width and names of proposed streets, alleys, drainage ways, cross-walks and easements including all connections to adjoining platted or un-platted tracts. A typical cross-section shall be depicted on the plat where applicable describing the aforementioned improvements.
(f) Lot layout. Including minimum building setback lines related to all streets; typical lot dimensions (scaled); minimum lot sizes; dimensions of all corner lots and lots on curvilinear sections of street; each lot numbered individually and total number of lots shown.
(g) Designation of all land to be dedicated or reserved for public or semi-public use, with use indicated, and designation of existing use of property immediately surrounding the plat area.
(h) If plat includes land for which multi-family, commercial or industrial use is proposed, such areas shall be clearly designated together with existing zoning classification, present district boundary lines and status of any pending zoning change.
(i) Sewage disposal. It shall be the responsibility of the subdivider to furnish the department such evidence as may be required for its satisfaction as to the design and operation of sanitary sewage facilities proposed. A statement as to the type of facilities proposed shall appear on the preliminary plat. Subdivisions Utilizing Individual On-site Wastewater Systems: Where the proposed sewage disposal system will be by individual on-site wastewater systems, the results of the testing in accordance with current ADEQ requirements and rules shall be submitted with the preliminary plat. Where alternative on-site wastewater systems are proposed, necessary supporting information shall be provided for review and approval in concert with preliminary plat evaluation.
(j) Water supply. If the project lies within the Prescott Active Management Area boundaries, the subdivider shall comply with all regulations of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. It shall also be the responsibility of the subdivider to furnish the Environmental Unit of Yavapai County such evidence as that unit may require for its satisfaction as to the facilities for supplying domestic water. A statement as to the type of facilities proposed shall appear on the preliminary plat.
(k) Solid waste disposal. Subdivider shall indicate distance and location of refuse disposal area. In addition, method of collection must be indicated.
(l) Engineering plans submitted in support of the preliminary plat shall be prepared under the direction of and signed and sealed by a Registered Professional Engineer.
(C) Supplementary submittal requirements for preliminary plat. Supplemental submittals at this stage, such as grading, drainage or road plans, should be preliminary plans, not construction plans. They are the type of plans needed to evaluate the sustainability of the preliminary plat and allow the reviewing agencies to make reasonable decisions. The plans may generally be prepared using scaled distances and elevations taken from the topographic map used for the preliminary plat. When possible, they should be at the same scale as the preliminary plat. All supplemental submittals must be consistent with each other and the preliminary plat. The following material shall accompany the submission of all preliminary plats. If this data is not included on the preliminary plat, then a minimum of two copies are required.
(1) A preliminary title report or a policy of title insurance issued by a title insurance company within the preceding 30 working days to the owner of the land, covering the land within the subdivision and showing all record owners, liens, and encumbrances. The preliminary title report shall contain Schedule "B" indicating the status of legal access to the proposed subdivision.
(2) A letter detailing how the application is in compliance with its zoning classification and with any stipulations of conditional zoning of the property if applicable.
(3) Preliminary draft of proposed deed restrictions or protective covenants to be incorporated in the final plat submittal, including provisions for use and maintenance of any commonly owned facilities.
(4) A statement regarding availability of utilities and the direction and distance thereto and preliminary letters of serviceability shall be submitted in conjunction with the application.
(5) A list of the proposed street names.
(6) A statement regarding a request and associated justification for any waiver or variance from construction standards or these regulations such road design, flood control, and the like, specifying each requested waiver or variance.
(7) Preliminary grading plan. A preliminary grading plan shall be required when cuts or fills will exceed five feet in height or will extend outside of the normal street right-of-way. The preliminary grading plan shall be in sufficient detail to convey the extent of grading activities such that their impact can be evaluated by the reviewing agencies. The plan shall include existing and finish grade contours and limits of cut and fill areas. Driveway and building locations shall be shown when topographic or other constraints will require specific locations or site grading. A geotechnical report shall accompany the grading plan to support the slope stability assumptions of the grading plan, unless permitted by the Town Engineer to be submitted with the final plat submission.
(8) Preliminary road plans. Grades shall be given to the nearest whole percent grade. A profile sheet coinciding with the roads as shown on the preliminary plat or separate plan and profile sheets shall be prepared at a scale sufficient to allow evaluation of the proposed roads. Proposed drainage structures within the right-of-way shall be shown on the preliminary road plans. The preliminary grading plan may be shown on the preliminary road plans if all of the grading will be related directly to the roads. The reviewing agency's interest in these plans are:
(a) Height, stability and slope of cut/fills;
(b) Affected drainage patterns;
(c) Potential roadway geometric problems;
(d) Impacts of the roads on adjacent lots, property and access;
(e) Relationship of drainage to roadways;
(f) Other items that may be specific to the roads in the specific subdivision.
(9) Preliminary utility plans. A preliminary utility plan shall be prepared to illustrate the proposed location of utilities and verify that the necessary easements and rights-of-way are proposed on the preliminary plat. It is recognized that final utility locations are decided by the individual utilities, but the objective of the preliminary utility plan shall be to encourage cooperation in planning by the various utilities.
(10) Preliminary drainage plans. The preliminary drainage plan shall be part of a Phase II Drainage Report in accordance with the requirements of the Flood Control District and the Yavapai County Drainage Criteria Manual. The plan may include a drainage report, floodplain delineation and floodplain study depending on the size of the project and its location topographically as well as geographically.
(11) Traffic impact analysis. Generally the following criteria are considered when determining if a traffic impact study is warranted:
(a) Significant changes in land uses are proposed or higher density zoning is sought.
(b) Arterial highway access is requested or the existing location of access to the property is changed.
(c) The proposed increased activity or intensity of development will significantly impact vehicular or pedestrian traffic on major roads.
(d) A total of 100 or more vehicular trips during an a.m. or p.m. peak hour will be generated by the proposed development.
(e) In instances where the interior subdivision streets do not intersect or adjoin a state or county highway the level of detail for the traffic study and its contents shall be at the discretion of the Town Engineer.
(12) Additional information as may be necessary to assure that the proposed preliminary plat conforms to the provisions of these regulations.
(Ord. 09-51, passed 4-21-2009)