The City Council may by ordinance adopt or amend an official map of the City which shall reflect the appropriate provisions of the City of Plainfield, which shall reflect appropriate provisions of the City's master plan, provided that the City Council may adopt an official map or an amendment or revision thereto which, in whole or in part, is inconsistent with the appropriate designations in the sub-plan elements of the master plan, but only by the affirmative vote of a majority of its full authorized membership with the reasons for so acting recorded in the minutes when adopting the official map. Prior to the hearing on the adoption of any official map or any amendment thereto, the City Council shall refer the proposed official map or amendment to the Planning Board pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.

The official map shall be deemed conclusive with respect to the location and width of streets and public drainage ways and the location and extent of flood control basins and public areas, whether or not such streets, ways, basins or areas are improved or unimproved or are in actual physical existence. Upon receiving an application for development, the City may reserve for future public use, the aforesaid streets, ways, basins, and areas in the manner provided in N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.

The approval by the City by ordinance under the provisions of any law other than as contained in this article of the layout, widening, changing the course of or closing of any street or the widening or changing the course of any public drainage way or changing the boundaries of a flood control basin or public area, shall be subject to relevant provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.

For purpose of preserving the integrity of the official map of the City, no permit shall be issued for any building or structure in the bed of any street or public drainage way, flood control basin or public area reserved pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-32 et seq. as shown on the official map, or shown on a plat filed pursuant to this chapter before adoption of the official map, except as herein provided. Whenever one or more parcels of land, upon which is located the bed of such a mapped street or public drainage way, flood control basin or public area reserved pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-32 cannot yield a reasonable return to the owner unless a building permit is granted, the Board of Adjustment may, in a specific case, by an affirmative vote of a majority of the full authorized membership of the Board, direct the issuance of a permit for a structure in the bed of such mapped street or public drainage way or flood control basin or public area reserved pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-32 which will as little as practicable increase the cost of opening such street, or tend to cause a minimum change of the official map and the City shall impose reasonable requirements as a condition of granting the permit so as to promote the health, morals, safety and general welfare of the public.

The Board of Adjustment shall not exercise the power otherwise granted by this section if the proposed development requires approval by the Planning Board of a subdivision or site plan in conjunction with which the Planning Board has power to direct the issuance of a permit pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-60.

No permit for the erection of any structure shall be issued unless the lot abuts a street giving access to such proposed structure. Such street shall have been duly placed on the official map or shall be:

Where the enforcement of the above section hereof would entail practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship, or where the circumstances of the case do not require the structure to be related to a street, the Board of Adjustment may upon application or appeal, vary the application of the above section hereof and direct the issuance of a permit subject to conditions that will provide adequate access for firefighting equipment, ambulances and other emergency vehicles necessary for the protection of health and safety and that will protect any future street layout shown on the official map or on a general circulation plan element of the City's master plan.

The application process identified in Article VIII of this chapter shall apply to applications or appeals pursuant to this article.

The Board of Adjustment shall not exercise the power otherwise granted by this section if the proposed development requires approval by the Planning Board of a subdivision, site plan or conditional use in conjunction with which the Planning Board has power to direct the issuance of a permit pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-60.