The purpose of development impact review is to provide for detailed analysis of certain land uses which, because of their scale or intensity of use, have the potential for significant impact on the health, safety or general welfare of town residents, including negative effects on the environment, abutting property values, demand for town services and infrastructure, and traffic safety.
(A) Application. The provisions of this section shall apply to any major subdivision/land development project and any use subject to development plan review (DPR). However, the Planning Board may waive this requirement by majority vote and written decision, upon a finding that the impacts of the proposed use are too minimal to warrant a development impact review. The Planning Board shall inform the applicant at the time of initial review if a development impact review is required.
(B) Requirements. Applicants within the scope of this section shall comply with the following:
(1) Impact statement. The applicant shall submit to the Planning Board an impact statement, prepared with the assistance of qualified consultants, which shall evaluate the potential impact of the development upon:
(a) Traffic and parking conditions on site and within the surrounding area;
(b) Municipal utilities and services, including water supply, sewage disposal, storm drains, police, fire protection, emergency services, schools, and other town services;
(c) The physical and ecological characteristics of the site and surrounding land, including wetlands, floodplain, vegetation, wildlife habitat, and other environmental conditions;
(d) The character of the community, including scenic, historic and archaeological conditions; scale, placement, lighting, parking, and use of open space.
(C) Independent analysis. The Planning Board, with the advice of the Planning Department, may select one or more consultants to prepare an analysis of the impact statement required by this section. Both the impact statement and the consultant analysis shall be considered by the Planning Board in its review of the application.
(D) Payment for impact statement and review.
(D) Payment for impact statement and review.
(1) The cost of all studies and investigations reasonably necessary to prepare impact statements required under this section shall be borne by the applicant. The cost of hiring a consultant(s) to review the impact statement shall be borne indirectly by the applicant through payment of a fee to the town upon submission of the application, in addition to the filing fee. The initial impact review fee shall be determined based on a cost proposal provided by the town’s consulting engineer for completing the review. All additional costs incurred beyond those identified in the engineer’s initial proposal shall also be the responsibility of the applicant, to be paid to the town prior to the Planning Board taking final action on the application.
(2) Any portion of the fees collected under this section that remain unused shall be refunded to the applicant upon expiration of the final appeal period.
(Ord. passed 10-30-06; Am. Ord. 07-15, passed 12-3-07; Am. Ord. 2013-11, passed 8-19-13; Am. Ord. 2018-4, passed 3-5-18)