Planning Board Application Process
The Planning Division Office disseminates Planning Board Applications and associated instructions to residents, developers, attorneys, engineers and others for subdivision of land or for preparation of commercial site plans. When an application is filed, the Planning Division distributes copies of the application and associated plans to the Planning Board professionals for their review.
At the Planning Board's monthly Technical Review meeting the applicant and his or her engineer meet with the Planning Board professionals to discuss how well the application conforms to Marlboro Township's Code. The Planning Board professionals recommend required changes and the applicant is given an opportunity to resubmit a revised set of plans at a subsequent monthly Technical Review meeting. Until the plans are "clean" they remain with the Technical Review committee. Once an applicant's plans are deemed acceptable by the Planning Board professionals, the application is scheduled for a review by the Planning Board at a regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting.
Applications for major subdivision and site plans are done in two phases where the applicant must first attain preliminary approval and meet all the conditions associated with that approval before applying for final approval. The actual processing time of any given application is dependent on the developer and the outside approvals that are needed. It is not unusual for an application to take one and a half to two years before final approval is granted.
The Public is informed of Planning Board requirements by either meeting with the Planning Division Administrative Officer or by purchasing a copy of the Planning Board code book from the Municipal Clerk's Office. Decisions of the Planning Board can be appealed to the Governing Body or through the Court System. After an approval is given, if a resident feels that a developer is not complying with the resolution of approval, they are asked to contact the Engineering Division who is responsible for assigning inspectors to watch over all construction projects. Non-Compliance is generally not an issue since compliance issues are handled at the Technical Review Committee level.
A time for public comment is provided during the beginning portion of each meeting. This is an opportunity to speak about overall issues faced by our residents. Generally, the time to question or comment a specific ongoing application is during the application process. Following the applicant’s presentation, including any professional consultants present on their behalf, and the board’s questions on behalf of the township, a time for public questioning is provided. Prior to the board’s final decision, a period of comment on the application is open to the public.