A Preliminary Plan of a subdivision may be submitted by an applicant to the Board for discussion and approval, modification or disapproval by the Board. The submission of such a Preliminary Plan enables the applicant, the Board, other municipal agencies and officials and the owners of property abutting the subdivision to discuss and clarify any problems the proposed subdivision may present before a Definitive Plan is prepared.

It is suggested that the applicant first read these Rules and Regulations carefully and thoroughly and then meet informally with the Board with a sketch of the area of the proposed subdivision to obtain information about the subdivision requirements of the area. Any uncertainties and ambiguities about the Rules and Regulations or the requirements in the Appendices should be raised during this initial consultation. Informal discussions with other Town officials also may prove helpful at this phase of the development.

It is strongly recommended that a Preliminary Plan be filed in every case. In accordance with M.G.L. c. 41, s.81-S, in the case of a non-residential subdivision, the submission of a Preliminary Plan is required. However, the submission of a Preliminary Plan for subdivision showing lots in a residential zone is left to the discretion of the applicant.

Any person who desires approval of a Preliminary Plan for the subdivision of land shall:

4.2.1 File with the Board and with the Board of Health, an application - Form B (see Appendix)

4.2.2 Submit with the application a reproducible Preliminary Plan, prepared in accordance with the form described under Section 4.3, and thirteen (13) contact prints to the Board and two (2) contact prints to the Board of Health;,

4.2.3 Submit with the application a base filing fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) plus one Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per lot;

4.2.4 File, by delivery or registered mail, a written notice to the Town Clerk, stating the date of submission of the Preliminary Plan.

The Preliminary Plan shall contain the following information:

4.3.1 Subdivision name, boundaries, north arrow, date, zoning district(s), Water Supply district(s) and scale;

4.3.2 Name(s) and address(es) of record owner(s), applicant(s), engineer and land surveyor;

4.3.3 Names of all abutters within three hundred (300') feet of the lot which is the subject of the application, as they appear on the most recent tax list;

4.3.4 Location, names and present exterior pavement and right-of way widths of existing and proposed streets and ways within the plan and in the immediate vicinity. indication of whether the existing street is subject to the Scenic Road Act - M.G.L. c.40, s 15-C, location and identification of all existing utilities within the plan and immediate vicinity;

4.3.5 Lot lines with approximate dimensions and areas. Each lot shall be numbered;

4.3.6 Public areas abutting or within the subdivision;

4.3.7 Existing and proposed topography sufficient to establish drainage patterns and profiles and water bodies;

4.3.8 Major features of the land, such as existing structures, wells, septic systems, walls, fences, monuments, wooded areas, outcroppings, ditches, swamps, water bodies, and natural waterways intended to receive drainage effluent;

4.3.9 A statement with respect to cut and fill operations, including a general assessment of the net import or export of fill from the subdivision;

4.3.10 Areas of the Plan designated as wetlands, as defined by the Ipswich Wetlands Protection By-law and/or designated as floodplain, in accordance with the Federal Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM);

4.3.11 Existing and proposed center line profile of all proposed streets and ways;

4.3.12 Proposed drainage systems with easements, sewer and water mains, hydrants, gas lines, and electric, telephone and equipment;

4.3.13 Existing and proposed easements and rights-of-way applicable to the area shown on the Plan.

One print each of the Preliminary Plan shall be forwarded forthwith to the Department of Public Works, Department of Public Safety, Fire Chief, Department of Public Utilities, Town Engineer, Conservation Commission and any other applicable Town board and/or commission for their information and review. (These plan sets are intended to be part of the submission required under Section 4.2.2.) Within twenty (20) days of forwarding the Preliminary Plan, each Town agency will report its findings and recommendations to the Board.

Within forty-five (45) days after submission of a Preliminary Plan, the Board shall notify the applicant and the Town Clerk, by certified mail, either that the plan has been approved, or that the plan has been approved with modifications suggested by the Board or agreed upon by the person submitting the plan, or that the plan has been disapproved. In the case of a disapproval, the Board shall state in detail its reason therefor. The Board shall notify the Town Clerk of its approval or disapproval, as the case may be. Except as otherwise provided, the provisions of the Subdivision Control Law relating to a plan shall not be applicable to a Preliminary Plan, and no Register of Deeds shall record a Preliminary Plan. The approval of a Preliminary Plan does not constitute approval of a subdivision but does facilitate the procedure in securing the approval of a Definitive Plan.

Approval of a Preliminary Plan does not constitute approval of a subdivision and a Preliminary Plan can not be recorded in the Registry of Deeds or the Land Court.