A. 
Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace.
B. 
Subdivisions shall conform to the Official Map of the Town and Ulster County and shall be in harmony with the Town Development Plan, if such exist.
C. 
Land to be subdivided shall be laid out and improved in reasonable conformity with existing topography in order to minimize grading, cut and fill and to retain, insofar as possible, the natural contours, limit stormwater runoff and conserve the natural cover and soil. No topsoil, sand or gravel shall be removed from any lots shown on any subdivision plat, except for the purpose of improving such lots and for the laying out of streets shown thereon. Topsoil so removed shall be restored to a depth of six inches and properly seeded and fertilized on areas of such lots not occupied by buildings or structures. No excess topsoil so removed shall be disposed of outside of the boundaries of the Town, except upon the approval of the Town Board.
D. 
Existing features which would enhance to attractiveness of the site or the community as a whole, such as trees, watercourses, ponds, historic places and similar irreplaceable assets, shall be preserved, insofar as possible, through harmonious design of the subdivision.
E. 
All streets and other required improvements shall be constructed or installed to conform to Town specifications.
A. 
The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of all streets shall conform to the general plans of the Planning Board and shall be considered in their relation to existing and planned streets, to topographical conditions, to public convenience and safety and in their appropriate relation to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets.
B. 
Where such is not shown in the general plans of the Planning Board, the arrangement of streets in a subdivision shall either provide for the continuation or appropriate projection of existing principal streets in surrounding areas or conform to a plan for the neighborhood approved or adopted by the Planning Board to meet a particular situation where topographical or other conditions make continuance of or conformance to existing streets impracticable.
C. 
Minor streets shall be so laid out that their use for through traffic will be discouraged.
D. 
Where a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed arterial street, the Planning Board may require marginal access streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a nonaccess reservation along with the rear property line, deep lots with rear service alleys or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
E. 
Where a subdivision borders on or contains a railroad right-of-way, the Planning Board may require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such right-of-way at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land for park purposes in residential districts or for commercial or industrial purposes in appropriate regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separation.
F. 
Reserve strips controlling access to streets shall be prohibited, except where their control is definitely placed in the Town under conditions approved by the Planning Board.
G. 
Street jogs with center-line offsets of less than 125 feet shall not be permitted, except with the approval of the Planning Board.
H. 
A tangent at least 100 feet long shall be introduced between reverse curves on arterial and collector streets, unless not practical.
I. 
Curve angles.
(1) 
When connecting street lines deflect from each other at any one point by more than 5°, they shall be connected by a curve. The following curve functions shall be used in all street layouts. Curve functions apply to the center line of streets when practical or applicable.
(a) 
Angles less than 40°.
Central Angle
Tangent
(feet)
00° 01' to 15° 00'
100
15° 00' to 30° 00'
150
30° 00' to 40° 00'
200
(b) 
Angles greater than 40°. Intersecting angles greater than 40° will be given special consideration. The preceding functions are for the run of the street and do not apply to street intersections.
(2) 
Every curve shall show the following functions: central angle, tangent distance, radius and long chord.
J. 
Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles, and no street shall intersect any other street at less than 60°.
K. 
Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a radius of 15 feet or of a greater radius where the Planning Board may deem it necessary.
L. 
Street right-of-way widths shall be as shown in the general plans of the Planning Board and, where not shown therein, shall be not less than as follows:
Street Type
Right-of-Way Width
(feet)
Collector
60
Minor, for row houses and apartments
60
Minor, for other residences
50
M. 
Half streets shall be prohibited, except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of this chapter and where the Planning Board finds it will be practicable to require the dedication of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided. Wherever a half street is adjacent to a tract to be subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within such tract.
N. 
Dead-end streets designed to be so permanently shall not be longer than 400 feet and shall be provided, at the closed end, with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of at least 120 feet.
O. 
No street names shall be used which will duplicate or be confused with the names of existing streets. Street names shall be submitted for the approval of the Planning Board.
P. 
Street grades.
(1) 
Street grades, wherever feasible, shall not exceed the following, with due allowance for vertical curves of a minimum length equivalent to 15 times the algebraic difference in the rate of grade:
Street Type
Grade
Collector
6%
Minor
8%
(2) 
No street grade shall be less than 1%.
Q. 
Alleys.
(1) 
Alleys shall be provided in commercial and industrial districts, except that the Planning Board may waive this requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading and parking consistent with and adequate for the uses proposed; except when justified by unusual conditions, alleys will not be approved in residential districts.
(2) 
The width of any alley shall be at least 20 feet.
(3) 
Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided, but where necessary, corners shall be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movement.
(4) 
Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turnaround facilities at the dead end, as determined by the Planning Board.
R. 
Provisions shall be made for bicycle paths and/or lanes in all subdivisions with 50 or more lots.
A. 
Easements across lots or entered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided for utilities, where necessary, and shall be at least 20 feet wide.
B. 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway or channel of streams, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially to the lines of such watercourse and further width or constructions, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose.
In accordance with § 277 of the Town Law, the Planning Board may require either the reservation of land for park or recreational purposes or the payment of a fee to the general fund to be used for recreational purposes in the area of the subdivision.
A. 
The Planning Board may require the reservation of land for a park or recreational purposes on the plat, but in no case to be more than 10% of the gross area of the subdivision. In general, such reservation shall have an area of at least 10 acres and have adequate street access.
B. 
Where the Planning Board determines that a suitable park or parks of adequate size cannot be properly located in any such plat or are otherwise not practical, the Planning Board may waive the requirement of land reservation on the condition that the subdivider deposit a cash payment with the Town Clerk in lieu of land reservation. Such payment shall be placed in a trust fund to be used exclusively for the purchase and development of neighborhood sites for parks, playgrounds or other recreational purposes. The amount of such payment shall be as determined from time to time by resolution of the Town Board.
[Amended 5-20-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987]
Permanent monuments approved by the Superintendent shall be placed at convenient locations within the subdivision so that at least three monuments at one time are visible from each other. In no case shall there be less than three permanent monuments per subdivision. Monuments shall be set so as to prevent movement by frost upheaval and other pressures. Markers of iron pipe or iron rod at least 30 inches in length shall be placed at all points where road lines intersect plat boundaries and at all lot corners. Location of the placement of monuments shall be certified by a licensed land surveyor with coordinates on said monuments relating to subdivision boundaries.
The lengths, widths and shapes of blocks shall be determined with due regard to:
A. 
Provision of adequate building sites suitable to the special needs of the type of use contemplated.
B. 
Zoning requirements (if and when adopted) as to the lot size and dimensions.
C. 
Needs for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic.
D. 
Limitations and opportunities of topography.
A. 
The size, width, depth, shape and orientation of the lot and minimum building setback lines shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision and for the type of development and use contemplated.
B. 
Lot dimensions shall conform to the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance (if and when adopted).[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 110, Zoning.
C. 
Residential lots, where not served by public sewers, shall not be less than the size required by the Ulster County Board of Health.
D. 
The area shall be sufficient to provide adequate parking space as required by the Zoning Ordinance (if and when adopted).[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 110, Zoning.
E. 
Approval of the plat by the Planning Board shall not be taken as approval of any lot which may later prove to be nonconforming with the Zoning Ordinance (if and when adopted).[3]
[3]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 110, Zoning.
F. 
Corner lots for residential use shall have extra width to permit appropriate building setback from and orientation to both streets.
No final slope on the property shall exceed a ratio of 1.3, unless it is sodded and/or supported by a retaining wall of adequate design.