Subdivision and Land Development Plan Review Requirements

Per the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), the county planning agency is required to review all subdivision and land development plans located in municipalities which have an adopted subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO).  During the process, the county planning agency acts strictly as an advisory board and has no governing power to approve nor deny plans.  Only the elected municipal board (Council and Supervisors) have the governing powers to approve or deny plans. 

All plans in municipalities with an adopted SALDO shall be submitted to the Cambria County Planning Commission’s (CCPC) office for review.  According to the MPC, plans should be submitted to the county planning agency and municipal planning agency (if applicable) concurrently and before the plan goes before the municipality’s elected board.  This is to assure that the municipal elected board has an opportunity to review the comments that the county agency provides before voting to approve or deny the plan. 

Sewage Facilities Planning Modules Review Requirements

The CCPC is further required to review all residential and commercial Planning Modules (commonly referred to as Component 4B, County Planning Agency Review), prior to submission to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This component is used to obtain the comments of planning agencies and/or health departments having jurisdiction over the project area. DEP requires the county planning agency to review modules within a 60 day time period. Once the CCPC has completed review of a module, applicants must submit the entire component package to the municipality having jurisdiction over the project area for review and action. If approved by the municipality, the proposed plan, along with the municipal action, will be forwarded to the approving agency (DEP, or delegated local agency). 

Should DEP require revisions to the module upon their review, applicants must resubmit the amended module to the CCPC for further review and will be considered a new submission. Furthermore, any modules resubmitted six months after the first review of the module will also be considered a new submission. Resubmissions for either of these purposes will incur an additional review fee.

Subdivision and Land Development Plan Review Instructions

Plan Submissions:

• Plans submitted for review must include at least one copy of the plan drawn by a registered public land surveyor or engineer, and a review fee as defined in the CCPC’s plan fee schedule.
• Plans being submitted to our office for a second time will apply to the CCPC’s plan resubmission policy. (see below)
• Plans may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in person at the CCPC offices located at 401 Candlelight Drive, Suite 213, Ebensburg, PA 15931.  For contact-free and/or after hours drop offs and pickups, a drop box is available in the vestibule of 401 Candlelight Drive.
•  If an applicant wishes to have a signed plan returned by mail, the CCPC asks that the applicant provide a pre-paid shipping label. 

Payment:

• Signed Plans must be paid for in full before they will be returned to the applicant.
• At this time, the CCPC accepts only check or cash payments in the exact amount of the fee.  Credit card payments are not being accepted at this time, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
• Payments may be mailed to the CCPC’s office prior to plan pickup, or submitted when picking up the plan. 
• The fee schedule for plan reviews can be accessed by clicking here.

Plan Review Turnaround Times:

The MPC requires the county planning agency to review plans within a 30 day time period.  The CCPC strives to provide swift review turnarounds, and plan reviews are typically completed within seven to ten business days, however, the CCPC cannot guarantee a plan will be reviewed by a specific date and recommends that the applicant allow for the entire 30 day review period. Reviews are done in the order in which they were received and will not be expedited. 

Subdivision and Land Development Plan Review Resubmission Policy

This policy pertains to all subdivision and land development plans which have been reviewed and signed by the CCPC, and subsequently resubmitted to our office for an additional review or signature.

Plans meeting the following conditions will be automatically considered new submissions and subject to applicable review fees as such:

• Plans resubmitted with any changes six months or more after the signature date of the first review of the plan. 
• Any plan being resubmitted due to failure to be recorded within the time period set forth in the municipal subdivision and land development ordinance (if applicable) which results in the municipal action becoming null. 

Any resubmissions prior to those dates will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as follows:

Plans with major changes that alter the overall intent of the original plan will also be considered a new submission and will be subject to review fees as such. Major changes include but are not limited to:

• Total number of lots being created or merged.
• Major reconfigurations of the proposed lots.
• Addition of proposed structures and appurtenances not included in the prior plan.

Plans with minor changes which do not alter the overall intent of the original plan will not be considered a new submission and will not be subject to an additional fee.  Minor changes include but are not limited to:

• Revisions recommended by the CCPC or the municipality to bring the plan to compliance with the applicable ordinances.
• Small changes in the locations of lot lines or area of the planned lots and the correction of typographical errors.

CCPC staff reserve the right to use their judgement when considering changes not specifically noted in this policy.