Recent amendments to the Municipal Land Use Law further clarified the definition of "complete application" and required the adoption, by ordinance, of a checklist for determining complete applications.

The checklist for complete planning board applications is attached hereto as Appendix A.[1]

Any revisions to said checklist shall be made by ordinance.

Promote development that allows for a more efficient and environmentally sensitive use of land than would otherwise be possible;

Encourage large institutions, corporations, and developers to plan for long-term phased development that will permit the development of environmentally sensitive and economically feasible projects;

Promote the development of large-scale projects which, because of the integration of similar and/or symbiotic types of uses, will encourage a reduction in infrastructure impacts;

Coordinate job creation with consequent housing demand and implement the adopted Housing Element by nonresident contributors providing housing, including low and moderate income housing, or, at the developer's option, payments in lieu of housing;

Provide up to twenty-year vesting of zoning rights running with the land to applicants to insure economic stability and phased growth.

Sites must have a minimum of 250 acres of land area.

Sites must be located within either the RO or the IOP-G zoning districts.

General contours not to exceed ten-foot intervals;

Total tract area and the estimated acreage for each major component use of the development;

Proposed land use plan indicating the total tract area and general locations of the land used to be included in the development including any farmland to be preserved, the total number of dwelling units by types and locations, if applicable, and the total amount of nonresidential floor area for each use in the development. The land area to be occupied by each land use type shall be estimated together with the gross floor area and floor area ratios of each;

Proposed circulation plan showing the general location and types of transportation facilities including off-street parking, loading and pedestrian systems on-tract as well as proposed improvements to the existing transportation system, both on-tract and off-tract, and as may be required by the Mercer County Development District together with a traffic management plan for reducing peak hour traffic such as staggered work hours, flex time, van pooling, corporate sponsored transit plans, or similar programs. In any instance where the site abuts a railroad, consideration shall be given for locating a potential railroad station in the event passenger service is ever revived and the Transportation Development District requires a station;

Proposed open space plan showing the proposed area and general location of parks and any other land area to be set aside to open space, wetlands, other conservation areas, recreation areas and buffer areas together with a general description of the improvements proposed in each area and the proposed plan for the operation and maintenance of these areas;

Proposed schematic utility plan showing the need for and showing the proposed location(s) of the sewage collection and treatment system, water supply and distribution system, drainage facilities, proposed methods of handling solid waste disposal, and the recycling of recyclable materials, and a plan for the operation and maintenance of the proposed utilities;

Proposed schematic storm water management plan showing the proposed method of controlling and managing storm water on the site and, if appropriate, related off-tract storm water management facilities;

An environmental inventory including a description of the vegetation and any major wooded areas, soil types, topography, geology, surface hydrology, (wetland area and wetland buffer areas, stream corridors, floodways and flood hazard areas), climate and cultural resources of the site, existing man-made structures or features, and the probable impact of the development on the environmental attributes of the site;

A community facility plan indicating the scope and type of supporting community facilities included in the plan including, but not limited to, any sites for educational, cultural, historic, library, hospital, fire house, police station, and recreation uses;

A housing plan outlining the number of housing units to be provided and the extent to which any housing obligation assigned to the municipality pursuant to P.L. 1985,c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.) will be fulfilled by the development;

A local service plan indicating those public services which the applicant proposes to provide and which may include, but not be limited to, water, sewer, cable TV, solid waste disposal, recycling, emergency services, communication services and hazardous waste management;

A fiscal report estimating the demand on municipal services to be generated by the development and the financial impacts on the township and school district including a projection of tax revenues for the township, school district, and the county according to the projected timing schedule for completion of the development;

A proposed timing schedule, including the terms and conditions intended to protect the interests of the public and of the residents, if any, and nonresident users who occupy any section of the development prior to completion of each section as well as prior to the completion of the entire development. Each section of the development shall coordinate the developer's interest with the public's interest in such things as the size of each phase, financing costs, bonding, and mixed uses with logical infrastructure improvements that work properly in the event no subsequent section(s) of the development takes place. Logical infrastructure shall include, but not be limited to, the water distribution system, sewage collection and treatment facilities, coordinated on-site circulation systems, off-tract road improvements, dedicated open space, stabilized soil, and storm water control facilities.

A written proposed developer's agreement between the township and the developer or its assignees. A draft agreement shall be initiated by the applicant and the municipality based upon the approval of the general development plan prior to preliminary subdivision or site plan approvals of any phase of the development. The final agreement shall be executed prior to or at the time of final subdivision or site plan approval of any phase of the development. The municipal agreement should specify:

Nothing herein shall be construed to relinquish any rights of Hopewell Township under the law.

The submission shall be accompanied by a fee as required in the Fee Ordinance;

The general development plan shall be submitted prior to the granting of preliminary approval. The plan shall be submitted no later than 20 working days prior to the date of the planning board meeting. The submission shall consist of 15 copies of the required data;

The approving authority shall grant or deny the plan within 95 days of a complete application, or within such further time as may be consented to by the applicant. Failure of the planning board to act within the period prescribed shall constitute general development plan approval. A general development plan may be granted approval conditioned on the necessary county, State, municipal or other approving or licensing agencies acting favorably on or issuing permits and/or licenses prior to preliminary or final approval of either the entire development or any phase of the development;

Prior to plan approval, the approving authority shall schedule and conduct a public hearing on the matter. Notice shall be done in accordance with section 17-55, Notice of Hearing;

If, after approval of a general development plan, the applicant wishes to revise the timing schedule, or to vary the location or types of land uses, or to increase the density of dwelling units, if applicable, or to increase the floor area ratio of nonresidential uses, the plan may be revised or amended only upon an application by the developer approved by the approving authority except, however, that the developer may reduce the number of dwelling units, if applicable, of reduce the amount of nonresidential floor space by no more than 15% of the prior approved general development plan without requiring approval by the approving authority, except that there shall be no reduction in the level of improvements, off-tract contributions, participation in the housing program (other than developmental fees based upon the equalized assessed value of improvements to the property), or similar conditions set forth in the earlier plan approval unless and until there is a revised plan approved by the approving authority. A revision to the timing schedule shall be reviewed by the approving authority. Any delays in complying with the prior approved timing schedule that have been determined by the approving authority to have been caused by matters beyond the reasonable control of the developer shall result in an extension of all subsequent phases of the development by at least six months, unless more time is approved by the approving authority. Matters beyond the reasonable control of the developer shall include but not be limited to such things as delays in receiving governmental licenses and approvals where the developer made timely and complete submissions allowing for normal processing times, any lawsuits enjoining or delaying development from proceeding, strikes, war, national emergencies, or amended or new laws requiring new or amended applications for licensing or other governmental approvals and major national economic changes. Matters determined by the approving authority to have been within all or some control of the developer shall be judged on an individual basis;

Upon the completion of each section of the development, defined as having received every certificate of occupancy for every structure in each section, the developer shall notify the administrative officer, by certified mail, that the developer is fulfilling his obligations under the approved plan. If such notification is not received, the township shall notify the developer, by certified mail, in order to determine whether or not the terms of the agreement of the approved plan are being complied with;

If a developer does not complete any section of the development within eight months of the date provided in the approved plan, or within the amended time schedule as provided in subsection 17-126.7e above, or at any time the township has cause to believe that the developer is not fulfilling his obligations, the township shall notify the developer, by certified mail, and the developer shall have 30 days within which to give evidence that he is fulfilling his obligations pursuant to the approved plans. If, after a hearing on the matter, the township finds good cause to terminate the approval, it shall provide written notice of same to the developer and the approval shall terminate 30 days thereafter;

In the event a developer who has general development plan approval does not apply for preliminary approval of at least the first phase of the development within five years of the date of approval of the general development plan, the township shall have cause to terminate the approval;

In the event that a development is complete before the end of the term of approval, the approval shall terminate on the date upon which a certificate of occupancy has been issued for the final structure in the last section of the development in accordance with the timing schedule set forth in the approved general development plan and the developer has fulfilled all of his obligations pursuant to the approval.