(A) The “open space plan” addresses ways development regulations can be used to help provide adequate open space, recreational lands, conservation and recreation facilities.
(B) As part of this planning program and to comply with changes in state law, several revisions to the borough’s subdivision and land development ordinance (Chapter 154 of this code of ordinances) are needed to assist in providing needed recreation. These include the following suggestions:
(1) Require larger amounts of land per dwelling if land is only suitable for passive open space;
(2) Base the recreation fees on the average value of the amount of land that would otherwise be required; this is important to ensure fairness among developers, so that one developer is not required to dedicate very valuable land while another developer is only required to pay a small amount in fees;
(3) Establish a system to ensure fairness among developers who dedicate floodplains or wetlands versus those who dedicate prime developable land; and
(4) Establish a system to ensure that recreation fees are spent in an area that will be accessible to residents of the development that paid the fees except where a centrally located specialty recreation area is provided.
(C) The largest expense in development of athletic fields is often grading the land. The borough should consider allowing developers to accomplish grading on existing borough owned land, in return for reducing the amount of open space or fees that must be dedicated. Any such agreement should require the work to follow a detailed grading plan.
(Ord. passed 8-3-2015)