(a) Application. Any land development activity on previously undeveloped land, and redevelopment or modification of developed land where the following conditions apply shall be required to comply with the provisions of this Chapter.
(1) Development which includes disturbance of ten (10) or more contiguous or discontinuous acres of ground surface associated with any land development project. Disturbance includes, but is not limited to, grading, clearing, or excavating the surface of the earth. All phases of a development, even though they occur at different time periods, shall be included in determining the application of these regulations.
(2) Development which includes disturbance (as defined above) of five (5) acres or more of ground surface which has been determined to be within the flood plain of Tinker's Creek.
(3) Development which includes disturbance (as defined above) of one (1) acre or more of land determined to be severely sloping as identified on the City's map of Steep Slope Topography.
(4) Development which includes disturbance (as defined above) of two (2) acres or more of land determined to be jurisdictional wetlands; or where disturbance of one-third (1/3) acre or more of wetlands is proposed with mitigation outside the corporate limits of the City of Twinsburg.
(5) Development which includes the filling, piping, relocating, or re-contouring of more than 500 linear feet of any perennial or intermittent stream located in or adjacent to previously undeveloped land.
(b) Environmental Assessment Required. An environmental impact assessment conforming with the minimum requirements of this Chapter shall be required and shall be provided as part of the Site Plan submittal for any land development proposals meeting the above standards for application of these regulations.
(c) Required Contents of Environmental Impact Assessments. Environmental Impact Assessments required under these regulations shall be prepared by qualified professional environmental scientists, or firms with qualified personnel with experience in preparing environmental impact studies. Impact assessments shall include the identification of existing physiographic, cultural and ecological conditions; shall identify proposed construction and development activity locations; and shall provide an assessment of the impacts of construction and development activity on the identified existing conditions. The following minimum existing conditions shall be considered. Impacts to these existing conditions shall be narratively and graphically described. If no impact is anticipated or if the applicant has determined that the condition or resource is not present at the project site the applicant shall so indicate, along with the basis for that determination:
(1) Cultural resources.
A. Prehistoric archaeology.
B. Historic archaeology.
C. Historic architecture.
(2) Ecological resources.
A. Aquatic.
B. Perennial and intermittent streams.
C. Aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates.
D. Vegetation.
E. Amphibians.
F. Potential endangered / threatened species.
G. Terrestrial.
H. Flora.
I. Fauna.
J. Wetlands (by type).
(3) Physiography.
A. Slope.
B. Drainage patterns.
C. Groundcover.
D. Soils characteristics.
1. Depth.
2. Permeability.
3. Erosion prone.
4. Engineering properties.
(4) Flood hazard.
(5) Land use (including adjacent sites).
(6) Zoning (including adjacent parcels).
(7) Visual character.
(8) Summary of proposed development activity and end use.
(9) Assessment of development activity and end use impacts on the above existing conditions.
(10) Mitigation measures proposed to reduce or eliminate detrimental impacts.
(11) Social Resource Impacts.
A. Residential units.
B. Population / employment generated.
C. Forecasted number of school age children.
D. Forecasted average and peak hour traffic volumes generated.
(12) Quantified revenue impacts.
A. Property tax revenues.
B. Personal property tax revenues.
C. Corporate and franchise tax revenues.
D. Income tax revenues.
(d) Review Process. Environmental assessments will be subject to staff review for completeness and thoroughness and will be forwarded to appropriate staff, boards and commissions at the discretion of the Planning Commission Chairman for review and comment. Staff reviews and comments will be forwarded to Planning Commission for consideration and evaluation. Recommendations for mitigation of impacts will be reviewed with the applicant.
(e) Relationship to Open Space Requirements. Where significant features have been identified in the environmental assessment process, or where mitigation measures have been recommended, efforts should be made to preserve features and comply with mitigation measures by incorporating them into required open space portions of the development.
(f) Variance from Required Standards. Planning Commission may grant variances of up to fifty percent (50%) related to setback requirements in any district for the purposes of accommodating preservation or mitigation efforts.
(Ord. 173-2000. Passed 12-17-00.)