A. 
General standards. The following requirements and guiding principles for land division shall be observed by all subdividers.
(1) 
Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to the public health, safety or welfare.
(2) 
Lot lines shall, where possible, follow municipal boundaries rather than cross them.
(3) 
Subdivision streets and other infrastructure design and construction shall comply with the regulations of the Town's Highway Development Policy. The Planning Board reserves the right to demand more exacting specifications.
(4) 
Subdivisions, streets and parks shall conform to and be in harmony with the current Master Plan and Chapter 280, Zoning.
B. 
Unique conditions. If the Planning Board finds that due to exceptional and unique conditions of topography, location, shape, size, drainage or physical features of the site, or because of the special nature and character of surrounding developments, the minimum standards specified herein would not reasonably protect or provide for the public health, safety or welfare, requirements may be waived or special requirements may or imposed by the Planning Board in addition to or in substitution for the minimum standards to protect the public.
A. 
Planning Board permission. The Planning Board may permit or require a residential cluster development when:
(1) 
The natural and scenic quality, vital environmental features and resources of the land can be permanently preserved and maintained by clustering;
(2) 
The overall aesthetic aspects of residential development in the area will be enhanced;
(3) 
The overall population density of the subdivision will not be increased;
(4) 
The adequate and economical provision of streets and utilities will be facilitated; or
(5) 
The health and general welfare of the community will be promoted.
B. 
General conditions.
(1) 
Every residential cluster development shall include a provision for the preservation of open undeveloped area(s) within such subdivision as detailed in Subsection C.
(2) 
Where any lot is reduced in area below the minimum otherwise required by Chapter 280, Zoning, the minimum area requirement of open space shall be increased by the amount of such lot reduction.
(3) 
The number of building lots in the proposed subdivision shall not exceed that otherwise permitted by Chapter 280, Zoning.
(4) 
Minimum lot sizes and dimensions for single-family detached dwellings shall conform to the standards for residential cluster development as specified in § 280-28 of Chapter 280, Zoning.
C. 
Open space requirements.
(1) 
The open space provided shall be comprised of one or more undivided parcels of land, of which at least one shall have a minimum area of three acres, exclusive of street rights-of-way.
(2) 
The Planning Board may require that at least 2/3 of the open space be active open space.
(3) 
Open space established as part of a residential cluster development shall be conveyed to and held in corporate ownership in such manner as approved by the Planning Board and the Town Attorney.
(4) 
The use of open space shall be determined by the Planning Board and shall be limited to recreational and agricultural purposes. No structure shall be erected upon such open areas except such as shall be determined by the Planning Board to be incidental to such recreational or agricultural use.
(5) 
The Planning Board may require the subdivider, developer or other owner of such subdivided tract to make, execute, deliver or file such instrument or instruments as the Planning Board shall determine to be reasonably necessary to protect and/or restrict the use of such open space in accordance with this section.
D. 
Determination of number of lots. To determine the number of lots allowed in a residential cluster development design:
(1) 
The subdivider shall submit to the Planning Board a concept plan which includes a noncluster subdivision design demonstrating the number of buildable lots on the entire parcel without use of a cluster technique; and
(2) 
The subdivider shall submit to the Planning Board at the same time a concept plan demonstrating how the land would be developed with a cluster development design.
(3) 
The Planning Board shall not permit a development to have more buildable lots in a residential cluster development than would be permitted in a noncluster development.
[Amended 9-17-2002 by L.L. No. 8-2002]
A. 
General standards for street layout. The arrangement and location of all subdivision streets shall be designed:
(1) 
To create a safe vehicular and pedestrian traffic system, which affords satisfactory access for emergency vehicles and maintenance equipment.
(2) 
To mitigate the impact to adjacent properties and to minimize the impact on off-site properties from traffic generated by the development.
(3) 
To efficiently route traffic between the development and collector or arterial highways.
(4) 
To provide new collector highways to serve the development and possible future developments, if necessary.
(5) 
To complement adjacent street systems and possible street systems of future nearby developments.
(6) 
To limit the impact on collector streets, by avoiding access to collector streets except at highway intersections, located to maximize safety.
(7) 
To connect neighboring developments by bicycle/pedestrian paths or greenways, in order to promote and support the objectives of the Town's bicycle path master plan, and provide safe nonmotorized access between the development and neighboring developments and possible future developments and parks, recreational sites and school playgrounds.
(8) 
To minimize the number of cul-de-sac streets.
(9) 
To respect the topography and preserve environmental features of the site, such as streams, dunes, steep slopes, wetlands, large trees and attractive green areas.
(10) 
To conform to the design criteria of Subsections B through D of this section and of the Highway Development Policy.
B. 
Street design and specifications.
(1) 
The design and construction of all subdivision streets shall comply with the design standards and regulations of the Highway Development Policy.
(2) 
Maximum street grades shall be 8%, 3% within 120 feet of an intersection and 1 1/2% within 40 feet of an intersection.
(3) 
Where a street does not extend to the boundary of the subdivision and its continuation is not needed for access to adjoining property, it shall be separated from such boundary by an easement having a distance not less than 20 feet so as to allow access to the street edge or utilities for maintenance purposes.
(4) 
Streets with divided pavements, boulevards or center malls shall be discouraged.
(5) 
Where the subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed major street, the Planning Board may require marginal access streets.
(6) 
Where a tract is subdivided into lots substantially larger than the minimum size required in the zoning district in which a subdivision is located, the Planning Board may require that the streets and lots be laid out so as to permit future resubdivision in accordance with the requirements contained in these regulations.
(7) 
If the adjacent property is undeveloped and a temporary dead-end street must be installed, the right-of-way and improvements shall be extended to the property line. A temporary circular turnaround of a minimum of 80 feet in radius shall be provided on all temporary dead-end streets, with the notation on the plat that the land outside of the street right-of-way shall revert to abutting lots whenever the street is continued.
(8) 
The Planning Board may limit the length of temporary dead-end streets.
(9) 
Streets shall be designed for a vehicle speed of 30 miles per hour, and their designs shall adhere to the following minimum design standards unless otherwise directed by the Planning Board.
(10) 
All subdivision streets and culs-de-sac shall comply with the following standards, unless such standards are waived by the Planning Board.
Standard
Street
Cul-de-sac
Minimum right-of-way (R-O-W) width
60 feet
60 feet
Minimum pavement width
30 feet
30 feet
Maximum grade
8%
8%
Minimum grade
0.8%
0.8%
Minimum radius of R-O-W at intersection
25 feet
25 feet
Minimum radius of curves, at 250 feet
250 feet
Minimum outside radius of cul-de-sac R-O-W
--
80 feet
Angle at intersection of street center lines
90º
90º
(11) 
The design and construction of all sidewalks shall comply with the requirements in Chapter 227 of the Guilderland Town Code.
C. 
Intersections.
(1) 
A distance of at least 200 feet shall be maintained between offset intersections, measured from center line to center line.
(2) 
Within 100 feet of any intersection, streets shall be at right angles (90º).
(3) 
All street intersection corners shall be rounded by curves of at least 25 feet in radius at the property line.
(4) 
Within triangular areas formed by the intersection of two street lines and a third line joining them at points at a distance of 35 feet away from their intersection, the visibility for traffic safety shall be maintained by keeping the triangular area free of fences, signs, walls, hedges or other landscaping.
(5) 
Cross (four-cornered) street intersections shall be avoided insofar as possible, except at major traffic intersections.
D. 
Culs-de-sac.
(1) 
General standards.
(a) 
A circular turnaround shall be provided at the end of a permanent cul-de-sac street, with a radius of 80 feet.
(b) 
A circular turnaround shall be provided at the end of a temporary, cul-de-sac street. Deed requirements for the temporary turnaround shall be in a form acceptable to the Town Attorney.
(c) 
Streets shall contain no divided pavements, boulevards or center malls, except that landscaping may be permitted in the centers of turnarounds of cul-de-sac streets. Such landscaping shall be maintained by the adjacent landowners; if the landscaping falls into disrepair because of the failure of adjacent property owners to maintain it, the Town Highway Department may, at its own discretion, replace the landscaping with blacktop.
(2) 
Cul-de-sac design.
(a) 
The length of a cul-de-sac not serviced by public water shall be limited to 600 feet.
(b) 
The number of lots allowed on a cul-de-sac serviced by public water will generally be limited to 13 including any lots with property lines adjacent to the cul-de-sac, whether these lots access the cul-de-sac or not.
(c) 
The number of lots allowed on a loop street will generally be limited to 21 including any lots with property lines adjacent to the loop, whether these lots access the loop or not.
(d) 
Approval of more than 13 lots for a cul-de-sac serviced by public water or 21 lots on a loop street will be determined based on unique circumstances of the property and/or of the subdivision. It is the burden of the subdivider to provide any evidence of uniqueness or special circumstances.
(e) 
The Planning Board may approve a subdivision with only one access with the number of lots greater than normally allowed if a future second access can be provided. The Planning Board may limit the number of building permits that may be issued until the second access is installed and dedicated.
E. 
Street names and addresses.
(1) 
All streets and shared accessways shall be named, and such names shall be subject to the approval of the Town Assessor and the Planning Board.
[Amended 2-6-1996]
(2) 
Names shall be sufficiently different in sound and in spelling from other street names so as not to cause confusion.
(3) 
A street which is a continuation of an existing street shall bear the same name.
(4) 
Street addresses shall be determined by the Town Assessor and must be included on the final plat.
A. 
Block design.
(1) 
The length, width and shape of blocks shall be determined with due regard to:
(a) 
The provision of adequate building sites suitable to the special needs of the use contemplated.
(b) 
Chapter 280, Zoning, requirements as to lot size and dimensions.
(c) 
The need for convenient access, circulation and safety of street traffic.
(d) 
The limitations and opportunities of topography.
(2) 
Block lengths should not exceed 1,200 feet.
B. 
Lot design.
(1) 
Lots shall be arranged so there will be no foreseeable difficulties, for reasons of topography or other conditions, in securing building permits to build on all lots in compliance with Chapter 280, Zoning.
(2) 
Side lot lines should be either at right angles to the street on which the lot faces or radial lines in the case of curvilinear streets.
(3) 
Each lot shall have satisfactory access to an existing public street or to a proposed street within the subdivision. For the purposes of this section, each lot proposed must directly abut on a street and have sufficient frontage to allow the ingress and egress of fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and other emergency vehicles. A frontage of 20 feet shall generally be considered sufficient for that purpose.
[Amended 2-6-1996]
(4) 
Where driveway accesses for several adjoining lots to a major street are necessary, the Planning Board may require that such lots be served by a marginal access street in order to limit possible traffic hazards on such street.
(5) 
The Planning Board may require that lots which are at least double the minimum required area for the zoning district be arranged so as to facilitate satisfactory future subdivision and may require a conceptual street layout where necessary to serve such a potential future subdivision.
(6) 
Where a watercourse separates the buildable area of a lot from the adjoining street, provision shall be made for installation of a culvert or other structure, as approved by the Superintendent of Highways.
C. 
Keyhole lots.
[Amended 2-6-1996]
(1) 
General standards. Any subdivision that proposes keyhole lots must conform to the following:
(a) 
A keyhole lot shall conform to the requirements of § 280-36 of Chapter 280, Zoning.
(b) 
The access for each keyhole lot shall be part of the lot, in fee simple ownership. This requirement may be waived by the Planning Board if there is an existing common right-of-way.
(c) 
Any subdivision containing more than one lot sharing a common access must have the Town Assessor review the plans, before final approval, to name the access way for 911 purposes.
(d) 
If a subdivider proposes a layout with one or more keyholes lots where the width at the building line is not parallel to a public street, the subdivider shall first submit a plan showing the maximum number of buildable lots that would be permitted with the width at the building line parallel to a public street. In no case may the density of development be greater than would be permitted in the district by strict application of the width of building line being parallel to the street.
(e) 
The keyhole access should meet the existing road at 90º, be generally level within 40 feet of the intersection and have a grade no greater than 10%.
(f) 
When two or more keyhole lot accesses abut each other, the Planning Board may require that the lots share a common curb cut.
(g) 
The Planning Board may not allow the number of lots, keyhole or otherwise, on a cul-de-sac or loop street to exceed the number determined according to § 247-25D.
(h) 
For any major subdivision in which keyhole lots are requested, the subdivider shall provide a concept plan which shows the maximum number of buildable lots that would be permitted without the keyhole lots. The Planning Board shall not permit a major subdivision to have more buildable lots designed with keyhole lots than would be permitted in a design without keyhole lots.
(2) 
Planning Board Review. Keyhole lots shall only be permitted where the Planning Board determines:
(a) 
That for reasons of topography, land form, existing lot pattern of unusual size or shape of a parcel, there is no reasonable or practical alternative to creating a keyhole lot;
(b) 
That the basis for the formation of a keyhole lot must not be to circumvent the need for the construction of a road;
(c) 
That the creation of the keyhole lot must not be to increase density;
(d) 
That the location of the keyhole lot will not in itself create any problems with road access or traffic conflicts;
(e) 
That the keyhole lot when developed will not pose any hindrance to fire-fighting personnel; and
(f) 
That the keyhole lot be in conformity with the surrounding neighborhood and will not preclude the development of adjacent properties.
(3) 
Standard notes. The following notes must be included on the final plat of any subdivision containing a keyhole lot.
(a) 
Standard note for keyhole lot subdivisions. Final location and orientation of each house is subject to the approval of the Chief Building Inspector at the time the building permit is issued. Foundation location surveys (plot plans) are to be provided and approved prior to proceeding with framing in order to ensure compliance with the original approval.
(b) 
Standard note for 500 feet (or longer) driveways. A driveway over 500 feet in length must be accessible and able to carry a fifty-thousand-pound, thirty-foot-long vehicle, as determined by the Fire Chief of the fire district in which the keyhole lot is located.
(c) 
Standard note for address identification. The street number of a dwelling situated on a keyhole lot shall be permanently and conspicuously displayed on a sign, with lettering no less than three inches in height, and placed no more that 25 feet from the road pavement. The sign shall be displayed for both directions of travel and be visible at night.
A. 
General standards.
(1) 
Storm drainage systems shall be designed in accordance with the Highway Development Policy.
(2) 
Storm drainage systems shall be designed based on anticipated runoff from a ten-year storm, and detention basins shall be designed based on anticipated runoff from a fifty-year storm.
(3) 
The subdivider's engineer shall study and report the effect of the subdivision on the existing downstream drainage facilities outside the area of the subdivision. This study will be reviewed by the Town-designated engineer and the Planning Board.
B. 
Review and approval. Storm sewer design is subject to review by the Town-designated engineer prior to final plat approval. The Planning Board will seek the opinion of the Town-designated engineer as part of its subdivision processing responsibilities.
A. 
General standards
(1) 
All sanitary sewer systems shall be designed in accordance with the Highway Development Policy and appropriate Albany County Health Department regulations.
(2) 
Sanitary sewers shall be designed for the estimated ultimate tributary population. Stormwaters, roof drainage, groundwaters and foundation footing drains shall be prohibited from the sanitary sewers and house service connections.
(3) 
All pipes shall be sized in accordance with proven engineering practices capable of handling expected flows, both present and future.
B. 
Review and approval. Sanitary sewer design is subject to review by the Albany County Health Department, Superintendent of Water and Wastewater Management and the Town-designated engineer prior to final plat approval. The Planning Board shall seek the opinion of these departments as part of its subdivision processing responsibilities.
A. 
General standards.
(1) 
All water supply systems shall be designed in accordance with Town standards and appropriate Albany County Health Department regulations.
(2) 
Water mains shall be designed to provide anticipated usage demands and consistent water pressure for household use and fire service for the proposed subdivision and all expected future demands.
B. 
Review and approval. The Superintendent of Water and Wastewater Management and Town-designated engineer will review the size and design of the facility based on the capacities of existing pipes that will be used to connect proposed systems into the current municipal system.
A. 
Existing features which would add value to residential developments, such as trees, watercourses and falls, historic locations and similar irreplaceable assets, shall be preserved, insofar as possible, through harmonious design of the subdivision.
B. 
In preparing a lot for construction of a structure, the owner or developer shall remove only those trees necessary to make the construction feasible; all other vegetation shall be left in place and shown on site plans. No lot shall be cleared completely of existing trees except on the approval of the Planning Board.
C. 
No portion in excess of 25% of any approved plat shall be stripped of its cover at any time. This prohibition shall include land to be used for streets. The Planning Board, either directly or through a designated agent, shall inspect the site and may require interim seeding or other controls to prevent erosion.
D. 
Trees shall be located at least five feet outside rights-of-way to provide for utility easements.
E. 
On-site topsoil shall be conserved, and no topsoil shall be removed off site. Topsoil shall be respread onto each building lot before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
[Amended 2-6-1996]
A. 
Angle of repose.
(1) 
No structure shall be built or encroach upon any area lying between a continuous watercourse and the angle of repose reserve.
(2) 
No structure shall be built or encroach upon any area lying between an intermittent watercourse and the angle of repose reserve unless approved by the Planning Board. Such approval shall be based on the Planning Board's site inspection of the intermittent watercourse and evidence submitted by the subdivider concerning the protection of the slope and watercourse.
(3) 
No habitable structure shall be placed within the angle of repose reserve setback.
(4) 
Any variance from these requirements shall be made by applying for a variance to the Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the provisions of § 280-51 of Chapter 280, Zoning.
B. 
Protected slopes.
(1) 
No structure shall be built or encroach upon any area lying within the protected slope reserve.
(2) 
No habitable structure shall be placed within the protected slope reserve setback.
(3) 
The subdivider shall provide slope stability data, grading plans and erosion control plans for all slopes 12º or greater. The Planning Board reserves the right to limit construction activity on any such slopes deemed undesirable for development based on engineering and environmental considerations.
C. 
Watercourses.
(1) 
No structure may be built within the watercourse setback of a continuous watercourse except man-made ponds not fed or drained by a running stream.
(2) 
No structure may be built within the watercourse setback of an intermittent watercourse unless approved by the Planning Board. Such approval shall be based on the Planning Board's site inspection of the intermittent watercourse and evidence submitted by the subdivider concerning the protection of the watercourse.
(3) 
No portion (tile field, seepage pit or equivalent) of a subsurface sewage disposal system shall be constructed or placed within 250 feet of a watercourse feeding into the Watervliet Reservoir or within 500 feet of said reservoir.
A. 
Land to be reserved.
(1) 
Except as provided in Subsection B, lands comprising of at least 5% but not to exceed 10% of the total area to be subdivided shall be reserved for park purposes in a location with suitable public access.
(2) 
Land may be reserved for parks, playgrounds or recreational purposes in accordance with the Master Plan or other local plans. The required reservation of such lands for recreational purposes must be specifically located and designated on the final subdivision plat.
B. 
Waiver. In cases where the Planning Board and/or Town Board determines that a park of adequate size cannot be properly located in the subdivision or is otherwise not practical due to the size, topography or location, the Planning Board may waive the requirement that the subdivision plat show land for such purposes.
C. 
Fee in lieu of parkland reservation. When the Planning Board and/or Town Board determines that the reservation of land for a park is not desirable, the subdivider or developer shall pay a fee into a park and recreation fund. The amount of this fee[1] will be as set by resolution of the Town Board from time to time. This money, paid when application is made for a building permit, shall be placed in a Trust and Agency Fund to assist in the purchase and/or capital improvements of existing and/or proposed parks.
[Amended 6-21-1994]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. A285, Fees.
A. 
The outside boundaries of the subdivision shall be located on the ground, and the corners of the original parcel subdivided shall be marked by capped iron rods or concrete monuments.
B. 
Sufficient monuments shall be placed to properly reproduce each and every street laid out within the subdivision. Street monuments shall be placed in the immediate vicinity of all intersections and at intervals not exceeding 500 feet along the street rights-of-way with lengths of over 1,000 feet. A monument shall be placed at the center of all culs-de-sac and/or turnarounds. The proposed location of monuments shall be shown on the subdivision plat and are subject to approval by the Town-designated engineer.
C. 
Capped iron rods shall be a minimum thickness of 5/8 inches and a minimum length of 30 inches. The cap (plastic or metal) shall have as a minimum the name of the surveyor or surveying company indicated on the top. Monuments shall be concrete, with reinforcing rods, four inches square and four feet in length. A galvanized or stainless steel pin shall be anchored on center in the top of the monument. The top of the monument shall be set flush with the finished grade.
D. 
All monumentation shall be set under the direction of a licensed New York State land surveyor. A certificate signed by said land surveyor certifying the setting of all required monumentation must be provided to the Town of Guilderland prior to release of the last escrow account to the developer.
E. 
Prior to certificates of occupancy being issued, the front corners of each lot must be marked by a capped iron rod or a concrete monument.