Appointment of alternate members. The Council may appoint by resolution at least one but no more than three residents of the Municipality to serve as alternate members of the Board. The term of office of an alternate member shall be three years. When seated pursuant to the provisions of § 220-95, an alternate shall be entitled to participate in all proceedings and discussions of the Board to the same and full extent as provided by law for Board members, including specifically the right to cast a vote as a voting member during the proceedings, and shall have all the power and duties set forth in this chapter and as otherwise provided by law. Alternates shall hold no other office in the Municipality, including membership on the Planning Commission and Zoning Officer. Any alternate may participate in any proceeding or discussion of the Board but shall not be entitled to vote as a member of the Board unless designated as a voting alternate member pursuant to § 220-96B of this chapter.

Participation by alternate members. If, by reason of absence or disqualification of a member, a quorum is not reached, the Chairman of the Board shall designate as many alternate members of the Board to sit on the Board as may be needed to provide a quorum. Any alternate member of the Board shall continue to serve on the Board in all proceedings involving the matter or case for which the alternate was initially appointed until the Board has made a final determination of the matter or case. Designation of an alternate pursuant to this subsection shall be made on a case-by-case basis in rotation according to declining seniority among all alternates.

Officers. The Zoning Hearing Board shall elect from its own membership its officers, who shall serve annual terms as such and may succeed themselves.

Quorum. For the conduct of any hearing and the taking of any action, a quorum shall be not less than a majority of all members of the Zoning Hearing Board except, when member(s) of the Zoning Hearing Board are disqualified to act in a particular matter, alternate members shall be appointed to provide a quorum.

Hearing Officer. The Zoning Hearing Board may appoint a Hearing Officer from its own membership to conduct any hearing on its behalf, and the parties may waive further action by the Zoning Hearing Board and accept the findings or decision of the Hearing Officer as final.

Procedures. The Zoning Hearing Board may make, alter and rescind rules and forms for its procedures consistent with ordinances of the Municipality and laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Files and annual report. The Zoning Hearing Board shall keep full public records of its business and shall submit a report of its activities to the Council once a year.

Substantive challenges to the validity of any land use ordinance, except curative amendments brought before the Council.

Challenges to the validity of a land use ordinance raising procedural questions or alleged defects in the process of enactment or adoption, which challenges shall be raised by an appeal taken within 30 days after the effective date of the ordinance.

Appeals from the determination of the Zoning Officer, including but not limited to the granting or denial of any permit, or failure to act on the application therefor, the issuance of any cease and desist order or the registration or refusal to register any nonconforming use, structure or lot.

Appeals from a determination by the Municipality Engineer or the Zoning Officer with reference to the administration of any floodplain or flood hazard ordinance or such provisions within a land use ordinance.

Applications for variances from the terms of this chapter and flood hazard ordinance or such provisions within a land use ordinance pursuant to § 220-100.

Applications for uses by special exception under this chapter or floodplain or flood hazard ordinance or such provisions within a land use ordinance, pursuant to Article VI and § 220-34 of this chapter.

Appeals from the Zoning Officer's determination under Section 916.2 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247, as amended).

Appeals from the determination of the Zoning Officer or Municipality Engineer in the administration of any land use ordinance or provision thereof with reference to sedimentation and erosion control and stormwater management insofar as the same relate to development not involving subdivision and land development or planned residential development.

Appeals from decisions of the Zoning Officer with respect to requests for reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Amendments Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. In hearing such an appeal, the Board shall apply the criteria set forth in § 220-99 of this chapter. In granting a request for reasonable accommodation, the Board may attach such reasonable safeguards and/or limitations as it may deem necessary to properly implement this chapter and protect the public health, safety and welfare in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Housing Amendments Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. In handling a request for reasonable accommodation, the Board shall be governed by the provisions of this article to the fullest extent as may be consistent with the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

That there are unique physical circumstances or conditions, including irregularity, narrowness or shallowness of lot size or shape, or exceptional topographical or other physical conditions peculiar to the particular property, and that the unnecessary hardship is due to such conditions and not the circumstances or conditions generally created by the provisions of this chapter in the neighborhood or district in which the property is located.

That, because of such physical circumstances or conditions, there is no possibility that the property can be developed in strict conformity with the provisions of this chapter and that the authorization of a variance is, therefore, necessary to enable the reasonable use of the property.

That such unnecessary hardship has not been created by the appellant.

That the variance, if authorized, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood or district in which the property is located, nor substantially or permanently impair the appropriate use or development of adjacent property, nor be detrimental to the public welfare.

That the variance, if authorized, will represent the minimum variance necessary to afford relief and will represent the least modification possible of the regulation in issue.

Notice.

Conduct of hearing. The Board shall conduct hearings in accordance with the following requirements:

Where the Board fails to render a decision within the required forty-five-day period or fails to hold the required hearing within 60 days of the applicant's request for a hearing, the decision shall be deemed to have been rendered in favor of the applicant, unless the applicant has agreed in writing or on the record to an extension of time.

When a decision has been rendered in favor of the applicant because of failure of the Board to meet or render a decision, the Board shall give public notice of the decision within 10 days from the last day it could have met to render a decision. If the Board shall fail to provide such notice, the applicant may do so. Nothing in this section shall prejudice the right of any party opposing the application to appeal the decision to the Court of Common Pleas.

Parties to proceedings authorized in this article may utilize mediation as an aid in completing such proceedings. In proceedings before the Zoning Hearing Board, in no case shall the Zoning Hearing Board initiate mediation or participate as a mediating party. Mediation shall supplement, not replace, those procedures in this article once they have been formally initiated. Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted as expanding or limiting municipal police powers or as modifying any principles of substantive law.

Participation in mediation shall be wholly voluntary. The appropriateness of mediation shall be determined by the particulars of each case and the willingness of the parties to negotiate. The Municipality, in offering the mediation option, shall assure that, in each case, the mediating parties, assisted by the mediator as appropriate, develop terms and conditions for:

No offers or statements made in the mediation sessions, excluding the final written mediated agreement, shall be admissible as evidence in any subsequent judicial or administrative proceedings.

Fees. The Council may prescribe reasonable fees with respect to hearings before the Zoning Hearing Board or mediation. Fees for said hearings may include compensation for the Secretary and members of the Zoning Hearing Board, notice and advertising costs and necessary administrative overhead connected with the hearing. The costs, however, shall not include legal expenses of the Zoning Hearing Board, expenses for engineering, architectural or other technical consultants or expert witness costs.

Stenographer's appearance fee and transcripts. The appearance fee for a stenographer shall be shared equally by the applicant and the Board. The cost of the original transcript shall be paid by the Board if the transcript is ordered by the Board or Hearing Officer or shall be paid by the person appealing from the decision of the Board if such appeal is made and, in either event, the cost of additional copies shall be paid by the person requesting such copy or copies. In other cases, the party requesting the original transcript shall bear the cost thereof.

Expenditures. Members of the Board may receive compensation for the performance of their duties as may be fixed by the Council, but in no case shall it exceed the rate of compensation authorized to be paid to the members of the Council. Within the limits of funds appropriated by the Council, the Board may employ or contract for secretaries, clerks, legal counsel, consultants and other technical services.

No person shall file any proceeding before the Zoning Hearing Board later than 30 days after a preliminary or final application for development has been approved by an appropriate Municipality officer, agency or body if such proceeding is designed to secure reversal or to limit the approval in any manner, unless such person alleges and proves that he had no notice, knowledge or reason to believe that such approval had been given. If such person has succeeded to his interest after such approval, he shall be bound by the knowledge of his predecessor in interest.

The failure of anyone, other than the landowner, to appeal from an adverse decision on an application for tentative approval of a planned residential development or from an adverse decision by a Zoning Officer on a challenge to the validity of an ordinance or map filed pursuant to Section 916.2 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code shall preclude an appeal from a final approval except in the case where the final submission substantially deviates from the approved tentative approval.

All appeals from determinations adverse to the landowner shall be filed by the landowner within 30 days after notice of the determination is issued.

Upon filing of any proceeding and during its pendency before the Board, all land development pursuant to any challenged ordinance, order or approval of the Zoning Officer or of any agency or body, and all official action thereunder shall be stayed unless the Zoning Officer or any other appropriate agency or body certifies to the Board facts indicating that such stay would cause imminent peril to life or property, in which case the development or official action shall not be stayed otherwise than by a restraining order, which may be granted by the Board or by the court having jurisdiction of zoning appeals, on petition after notice to the Zoning Officer or other appropriate agency or body. When an application for development, preliminary or final, has been duly approved and proceedings designed to reverse or limit the approval are filed with the Board by persons other than the applicant, the applicant may petition the court having jurisdiction of the zoning appeals to order such persons to post bond as a condition to continuing the proceedings before the Board. The question whether or not such petition should be granted and the amount of the bond shall be within the sound discretion of the court.

All appeals from decisions rendered by the Zoning Hearing Board shall be taken to the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas and shall be filed within 30 days after the entry of the decision or, in the case of a deemed decision, within 30 days after the date upon which notice of said deemed decision is given as required by Subsection 908(9) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247, as amended).