WASHINGTON COUNTY DIVISION OF PLAN REVIEW AND PERMITTING 80 West Baltimore Street Hagerstown, Maryland 21740-6003 Telephone: (240) 313-2460 FAX: (240) 313-2461 Hearing Impaired call 7-1-1 for Maryland Relay AGENDA OUTREACH MEETING October 21, 2011 9:00 A.M. **ADMINISTRATIVE ANNEX** CONFERENCE ROOM 1 80 West Baltimore Street, Hagerstown MD I. WELCOME II. OLD BUSINESS 1. Division of Plan Review and Permitting Review Fee Sheet III. NEW BUSINESS IV. OTHER 1. Update of Residential Stimulus Program 2. Commercial Stimulus Program 3. What is Required for a Stormwater Management Concept Plan Submittal? 4. Minimum Plan Review Submission Requirements 5. Standard Grading Plan Submittals 6. New Signature Blocks for Engineering Approval 7. Requirements of the Sight Distance Analysis submission for Entrance Permits 8. Upcoming 2012 Maryland Building Performance Standards (MBPS) and 2012 Model Performance Code Adoption Process 9. New Division Newsletter V. NEXT MEETING: January 20, 2012 www.washco-md.net 1
OUTREACH MEETING SUMMARY October 21, 2011 The quarterly Outreach Meeting at the Washington County Division of Plan Review and Permitting was held on Friday, October 21, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. in the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. NEW BUSINESS After you process a plan or permit through our office, please take time to fill out our online Customer Survey with your comments. The County has a Facebook page; please take a moment to Like us. Senior Planner Position Job Announcement effective October 21, 2011. If you are interested, please contact the Human Resources Department, the application is also available online. The Soil Conservation District is hosting an Urban Seminar on November 30, 2011. Dee Price is working on the Agenda which will go out around November 1 st. To date, the following presenters are: Jesse Salter with MDE speaking about general permit process from beginning to end; Dave Barnhart with the Health Department speaking on septics, karst, soil perks; Mark Stransky speaking on Floodplain and new D Firm maps; Kevin Wagner with MDE speaking on Floodplain issues (flood vents). Depending upon the number of presenters, if there is a full day, lunch will be provided and cost is to be determined upon full Agenda. STORMWATER CONCEPT PLAN SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS Environmental Site Design (ESD) Concept Plan Guidance for Submittals handout was distributed. The State of Maryland SWM Design Manual Chapter 5 supplement is not clear and there is not enough guidance as to what is required on the SWCP Submittal. A number of SWCP submittals have come in and reviews have been completed, but it is not clear what is required from MDE. MDE will come out for a tour on November 17 th, discuss the SWCP and look at some examples. The following needs to be included with each SWCP submittal: Fees - the minimum amount should be $415.00. Submittal checklist copy of the specific checklist for SWCP submitted, completed and signed. (3) Copies of plans, calculations and narrative. Geotechnical reports are not required for SWCP submittal. Title of the plan to be ESD Concept plan or SWMCP; the checklist will be modified in the future. No signature blocks need to be included - we do not sign these plans, the review with the applicant on Thursdays is our approval and is entered in the system. Separate sheet showing the proposed development, clearly showing the Limits of Disturbance and proposed impervious area - refer to the design manual table 5.2 (also included in packet) for suggestions on what resources should be shown and what types of ESD practices are acceptable. 2
The SWCP should show that the plan is meeting ESD/MDEP requirements, the minimum requirement is that water quality and recharge volumes are managed using an ESD practice; there is no waiver. Resource map that shows all the items referenced in Table 5.1 (included in packet). Bedrock, geology, sinkholes and depressions need to be identified and field verified. The Development Plan showing the proposed development. The Forest Stand Delineation is all that needs to be submitted at this stage and can be a draft of what is intended to be submitted or a formal FSD submittal can be provided with SWCP. MDE expects the concept plan to show that you are meeting 100% of the ESD volume, if it cannot be met, there needs to be strong explanation provided as to why not. SIGHT DISTANCE ANALYSIS NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRANCE PERMITS There are a number of situations where vertical sight distance is not being met for driveway entrance permits. The submittal requirements for an entrance permit, grading permit or minor subdivision plat have changed to include the vertical sight distance analysis. New requirements using the county typo are effective December 1, 2011. The following must be included for any sight distance analysis Submit Sight Distance Analysis for minor subdivision plat and proposed new driveway entrance locations. When there is a lot of record without an entrance and a building permit is being applied for, the lot is part of site distance and entrance permit application. Vertical profile of the road. Include the line of sight from the observer eye height to the object on the profile view. Minimum sight distance requirements for exiting vehicles is provided on Table 3B (intersection sight distance) for certain regulatory or posted speeds and on Table 3A requirements for vehicles turning into the entrance. Vertical profile from center line along the road and the line of sight must be shown, the line sight should not go outside the right of way. 3 photos (turning in, exiting (looking left and right), turn lane looking straight ahead. Sight Distance analysis is to be signed by PE or registered surveyor. Based on ASHTO Manual, the observer eye shall be located 14.5 feet back from edge of paving from right of way intersecting driveway or road. STANDARD GRADING PLAN SUBMITTALS FORM #2011-2 The Standard Grading Plan Application Form 2 was developed for use in those subdivisions where a fully engineered sediment and erosion control plan has already been approved by SCD and this plan shows how erosion and sediment control is to be provided for individual lots, single lots and more than one lot where contiguous development is occurring on the same lot. Subdivisions that should use form 2 are Westfield s, Maple Valley, Elmwood Farms, Claggetts Mill, Graystone, Black Rock, and Rose Hill Manor. SCD previously allowed adjacent and adjoining lot construction with a simple detail. Those details show super silt fence around the entire perimeter of each lot even if there are contiguous lots being developed at the same time. Form 2 should be used when a builder does not wish to re-design the erosion and sediment control but instead will use what has already been approved. Since Form 2 is basically a grading plan, it will not be reviewed by SCD and therefore there will be no SCD fees or signatures. If you are submitting a lot that is going to be developed in any of those 3
subdivisions and are planning to use the detail that is already shown, use Form 2. All other single lot, single family Grading Plans submitted must use Form 1. There is still some confusion in certain circumstances whether SCD reviews and approves Standard Grading Plans, soil erosion and sediment control, or just grading. Dee Price distributed a table for SCD s Plan and/or Fee Requirements. REVIEW FEE SHEET When completing the review fee sheet for DPRP submissions, please circle the following for these submittals: (1) Town Plan submittals SWCP use Item #5; (2) Town Plan submittals use SWM Item #36. The Division of Plan Review and Permitting is working on creating a Fillable form for public use. EXTENSION OF RESIDENTIAL STIMULUS The BOCC extended the residential stimulus program, crediting excise tax on residential permit applications, building permits, and additions which was to expire on October 31, 2011. The extension expires on June 30, 2012. Application and permit must be issued by June 30 th. The number of applications applied for by the same person was extended from 6 to 12. There is a maximum of $9,000 tax credit per permit. So far we have 160 permits participating. COMMERCIAL STIMULUS PROGRAM A Proposal by the Economic Development Commission to provide a Commercial Stimulus Program for pad ready sites has been presented to BOCC and is going back to presentation and hopefully an approval on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. For undeveloped parcels, parcels with buildings to be demolished, parcels with buildings that will be renovated or expanded and those have to be designated by the Comprehensive Plan as Industrial, Industrial Flex or Commercial and zoned for commercial or industrial use at the time of application, this program will apply and will be in effect for 3 years after it is approved by the BOCC. This program only applies for development or re-development of a parcel from an existing condition to the excavated sub-grade required for the building and site completion. If qualified, you will get an expedited review from the Washington County Development Advisory Committee; and application and review fees associated with the site plan approval will be deferred until the building permit application or upon termination of the program, whichever is first. Once you apply for a building permit application, if there are changes to the approved site plan and they are minor, the plan can go through a staff approval process and is not required to go back to the Planning Commission for approval. Parcels with approved site plans under this program will be credited against the County property tax available for 3 years only. Credit will be equal to 4/10ths of 1% of the construction cost of the new improvement on the pad that was approved under the commercial stimulus program. Fees are still due, they are just deferred until the building permit application. In the event that the excavated final grade is not completed within 2 years of the date of final site plan approval, the development and parcel shall lose its eligibility for the tax credit. Keep in mind that fees are separate and SCD fees still need to be paid up front. 4
NEW SIGNATURE BLOCKS Technical Memo # 21 New Signature Block was distributed. Starting December 1 st, 2011 for plans that are submitted to this office for engineering approval, Division of Plan Review and Permitting will require 1 signature block in place of the 2 signature blocks currently required. BUILDING CODE REVIEW COMMITTEE The State of Maryland held a public hearing a couple of weeks ago on their 2012 Model Building Performance Standards, and they intend to adopt these standards on January 1 st, 2012. The County will have 6 months after the state adoption to adopt our 2012 Building Code. A code review committee is being formed and an e-mail has gone out requesting any interested parties to serve on the committee. The committee is to include a representative from the following: architect, commercial / residential builder, EDC, Jennifer Smith, Brennan Garrett (Chief Plans Examiner), MD Building Officials Association, City of Hagerstown Code Official, Municipality (Government Official), Mechanical Expert and a structural engineer. The deadline for requesting to be on the committee was Tuesday, October 18 th and there are still openings. A commercial and residential builder, municipal official and mechanical expert are still needed. The committee schedule is very tight and rigorous, meeting weekly for 2 hours, starting Monday, October 31 st thru April. The committee will be going thru multiple chapters and focusing on the proposed changes of the code and existing code requirements that members might also wish to modify. The County, by state law, has to adopt the MD Accessibility Code, Energy Code as is. The County Committee will focus on the 2012 International Residential Building Code and the 2012 Building Codes. General Building Permit Review times from date of submittal are as follows: Standard Small Residential 1-2 weeks New House Construction 2-3 weeks Small Commercial 1-2 weeks Medium Commercial 2-3 weeks Large Commercial 3-4 weeks UPDATE ON CUSTOMER APPRECIATION WEEK Customer appreciation week (October 10-14, 2011) was successful; homeowners /contractors saved $80 on Residential Application and Tech Fees, and 163-175 customers took advantage of the savings totaling $8,620. There were (5) $50.00 vouchers awarded and used toward projects. Questions were posted and answered during a Facebook dialogue with the public. Due to its success, there are plans to do the same program again next year. If you are interested in getting your business name out to the press, this would be a great opportunity. The same program will be implemented for Commercial Builders expected to be in May 2012 during Building Safety Month. OTHER On the issue of Grading Certifications required to be submitted prior to issuance of U&O, during the winter months, it will be handled on a case by case basis. 5