Town of Tonawanda, NY Article V Design Standards and Required Improvements

§ 185-32 General road standards.

A. The arrangement, width, location and extent of all proposed roads shall conform to and be in harmony with the Comprehensive Plan and Official Map of the town or shall conform to the recommendation of the Town Engineer based on existing and planned roads, topography, public safety, convenience and proposed uses of the land.

B. Partial roads of less than full width are prohibited.

C. Marginal access roads may be required parallel to major highway rights-of-way. Marginal access roads shall be separated from major highways by a distance which allows for an appropriate use of the intervening land. Such distance shall also be determined with regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separation.

D. Reverse frontage lots may be required along major highway rights-of-way. An access control easement of up to 10 feet in width may be required along major highways, sufficient to prohibit access from reverse frontage lots to major highways.

E. Stub roads providing access to parcels adjacent to the subdivision may be required. Turnarounds may not be required for stub roads which do not provide access to dwellings within the subdivision.

F. Roads shall intersect at right angles where possible. Roads shall not intersect at angles of less than 60°. Right-of-way lines at right angled intersections shall be rounded by curves of at least a fifty-foot radius. All other intersections shall be rounded by curves suitable to the Town Board.

G. Road jogs with center line offsets of less than 125 feet shall be avoided.

H. Deadend roads shall not exceed 8,700 feet in length or 20 dwelling units and shall be provided with a turnaround suitable for snowplowing and the turning of school buses and emergency vehicles.

I. New road names shall not duplicate the names of existing or platted roads. Extensions of existing roads shall bear the name of the extended road. Signs bearing road names shall be erected by the subdivider at all intersections.

J. House numbers shall be consistent with the numbering system currently in effect.

K. Roadside trees shall not be planted in such a way as to impair safe driver visibility at intersections nor within the road right-of-way without written approval.

L. The Town Highway Superintendent and the Town Engineer shall be consulted by the Town Board for an advisory opinion prior to the approval of any plat containing a new road.

M. Road design standards are as follows (refer to attached drawing of typical sections):

(1) Minimum width of right-of-way:

(a) Minor roads: 66 feet.

(b) Major roads: 90 feet.

(2) Minimum width of pavement:

(a) Minor roads: 28 feet.

(b) Major roads: 48 feet

(3) Minimum width of shoulders: six feet (not required with curbing).

(4) Minimum radius of horizontal curves:

(a) Minor roads: 300 feet except for road intersection corners.

(b) Major roads: 1,000 feet.

(5) Minimum length of vertical curves:

(a) Minor roads shall be such that at least 225 feet of line of sight exists measured 3.5 feet above the road surface.

(b) Major roads: 325 feet.

(6) Minimum length of tangents between reverse curves:

(a) Minor roads: 300 feet, except where excessive grades may be reduced to reasonable grades by shortening tangent.

(b) Major roads: 500 feet.

(7) Maximum grade:

(a) Minor roads: 8% or 10% on short runs.

(b) Major roads: 6% to 8%.

(8) Minimum grade: 0.4%.

(9) Minimum braking sight distance:

(a) Minor roads: 225 feet.

(b) Major roads: 475 feet

§ 185-33 Road construction standards.

A. Road improvements shall be installed by the subdivider.

B. Roads shall be built as follows:

(1) The subgrade shall be rough graded the full width of the road right-of-way and compacted the full width between the outer edges of the curbs and gutter. The subbase shall consist of a suitable gravel and stone material approved by the Town Engineer and compacted to a depth approved by the Town Engineer.

(2) The base course shall consist of a Type 1 asphalt concrete base course as approved by the Town Engineer at least four inches in depth after compaction.

(3) The binder course shall consist of a Type 3 asphalt concrete binder course as approved by the Town Engineer at least two inches (21/2 inches for a major road) in depth after compaction.

(4) Surface course shall consist of a Type 7F asphalt concrete top course approved by the Town Engineer at least one inch (11/2 inches for a major road) in depth after compaction.

C. Drainage. Storm drains shall be made of precast concrete.

D. Any islands, malls, pillars, etc., shall be approved by Town Engineer and maintained by the developer or subdivision association.

E. Off-street parking. The maintenance, including snow removal, of any off-street parking shall be the responsibility of the property owner or association.

§ 185-34 Pedestrianways.

A. In order to facilitate safe and convenient pedestrian access from roads to schools, parks, play areas or nearby roads, perpetual unobstructed easements of at least 20 feet in width may be required beyond that required for the road right-of-way.

B. Sidewalks are required as approved by the Town Engineer.

C. Sidewalks shall be installed at the expense of the subdivider and shall conform to the specifications of the Town Engineer.

D. All required sidewalks shall be of concrete or of a material approved by the Town Engineer and shall have a minimum width of four feet in residential areas and five feet in park, school, commercial and industrial areas. Concrete shall be a minimum thickness of four inches except where crossing a driveway where a minimum thickness of six inches is required.

§ 185-35 Utilities.

Public utility improvements may be required and shall be installed as follows:

A. Fire protection. Hydrants shall be of a size, type and location specified by the Town of Tonawanda Water Department and New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.

B. Streetlighting. Poles, brackets and lights shall be of a size, type and location approved by the local power company.

C. Electricity and cable television. Power lines shall be placed underground and shall conform to Public Service Commission standards. Underground private electrical services crossing town rights-of-way shall be properly protected in accordance with town water, sewer and engineering regulations.

D. Utility services shall be located as approved by the Town Engineer.

§ 185-36 Water supply.

If, in the opinion of the Town Board, it is feasible and desirable to require a public water supply system, such system shall be installed at the expense of the subdivider to the approval of the Town Board. Such system design and installation shall be approved by the Town Engineer and be in accordance with New York State Department of Health regulations.

§ 185-37 Sewage disposal.

If, in the opinion of the Town Board, it is feasible and desirable to require a community sanitary sewer system, such system shall be installed at the expense of the subdivider to the approval of the Town Engineer in accordance with plans approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation or the New York State Department of Health, as appropriate.

§ 185-38 Lot requirements.

A. Each lot shall directly adjoin and access a public or approved private road, as required by § 280-a of the Town Law of the State of New York. Each lot shall include at least 15 feet of road frontage and driveway suitable for access by emergency vehicles. Easements may be considered for access. A private road constructed to the standards of § 185-33 of this chapter may be required.

B. Corner lots shall have sufficient width to allow appropriate building setbacks from and orientation to all adjoining roads.

C. All lot dimensions and area shall conform to the Town Zoning Law.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 215, Zoning.

D. Lots fronting on two roads, other than corner lots, shall be avoided.

E. Extremely elongated lots having a depth-to-width ratio greater than 5:1 shall be avoided.

F. Side lot lines shall be approximately at right angles to straight roads or radial to curved roads. Lot lines shall generally not meet each other at less than an angle of 75° or greater than an angle of 105°. Lot lines shall be straight on large lots, except where the topography of the site would make this impractical.

G. Each lot shall have a buildable area, free from development restrictions such as wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes, rock outcrops or insufficient soils for building purposes.

§ 185-39 Unique and natural features; requirements of preservation.

A. Unique physical features such as historic landmarks and sites, rock outcrops, desirable natural contours and similar features shall be preserved where possible.

B. Streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands shall remain unaltered and shall be protected by easements.

C. All surfaces shall be graded and restored, leaving no unnatural mounds or depressions.

D. Topsoil moved during construction shall be stockpiled and reclaimed for use, then stabilized by seeding and plantings.

E. The removal or damage of existing trees and shrubs shall be minimized.

§ 185-40 (Reserved) [1]

[1] Edtior's Note: Former § 185-40, Stormwater management, was repealed 11-19-2007 by L.L. No. 11-2007. See now Ch. 73, Stormwater Management.

§ 185-41 Sites for community purposes.

A. Consideration shall be given to the allocation of areas suitably located for community purposes. Such areas shall be made available by one of the following methods:

(1) Dedication to the town.

(2) Reservation for the use of property owners by deed or covenant.

(3) Payment to the town of a sum to be determined by the Town Board. Such sum shall constitute a trust fund to be used by the town exclusively for neighborhood park, playground or recreational purposes, including the acquisition and maintenance of property.

B. The Town Board may require the reservation of other areas or sites of a character, extent and location suitable to the needs of the town as water plants, sewage treatment plants and for other community purposes.

§ 185-42 Land unsuitable for subdivisions.

As a safety measure for the protection of the health and welfare of the people of the town, that portion of a proposed lot which is found to be unsuitable for subdivision due to harmful features (e.g., drainage problems) shall not be subdivided until adequate methods are formulated by the subdivider and approved by the Town Engineer.

§ 185-43 Waiver of standards.

The Town Board may waive, subject to appropriate conditions, the provision of any or all of such improvements as, in its judgment of the special circumstances of a particular plat or plats, are not required in the interest of the public health, safety and general welfare or which, in its judgment, are inappropriate because of inadequacy or lack of connecting facilities adjacent or in proximity to the subdivision.