The Planning Board, in considering an application for the subdivision of land, shall be guided by the policy considerations specified in § 109-3 of this chapter and the standards contained in this article.
Existing features which would add value to residential development, such as large trees, watercourses, historic spots and similar irreplaceable assets, should be preserved, insofar as possible, through harmonious design of the subdivision.
A.
Relation to topography. Streets shall be logically related and conform insofar as possible to the original topography. They shall be arranged so as to obtain as many as possible of the building sites at or above the grades of the streets. A combination of steep grades and sharp curves shall be avoided.
B.
Block size. Block dimensions shall be at least twice the minimum lot depth and generally not more than 12 times the minimum lot width required by this regulation. In long blocks the Planning Board may require the reservation through the block of a twenty-five-foot-wide easement to accommodate utilities or pedestrian traffic. Blocks at least 900 feet long are recommended, with an easement in blocks exceeding 1,200 feet.
C.
Intersections. Intersections of major streets by other streets shall be at least 800 feet apart, if possible. Cross-street (four-cornered) intersections shall be avoided, except at important traffic intersections. A distance of at least 150 feet shall be maintained between offset intersections. Within 40 feet of an intersection, streets shall be approximately at right angles (but in no instance shall the angle be less than 70º) and grades shall be limited to 1 1/2%. All street intersection corners shall be rounded by curves of at least 25 feet in radius at the property line.
D.
Visibility at intersection. Within the triangular area formed at corners by the intersecting street lines, for a distance of 40 feet from their intersection and the diagonal connecting the end points of these lines, visibility for traffic safety shall be provided by excavating, if necessary. Nothing in the way of fences, walls, hedges or other landscaping shall be permitted to obstruct such visibility.
E.
Design standards. Streets shall meet the following standards:
Street Classification* | ||
|---|---|---|
Requirements | Minor | Collector and Secondary |
Minimum width of right-of-way | 60 feet | 66 feet |
Minimum width of pavement | 20 feet | 30 feet |
Minimum radius of horizontal curves | 150 feet except for street intersection corners | 400 feet |
Minimum length of vertical curves as measured from center line of right-of-way | 100 feet, but not less than 20 feet for each 1% algebraic difference of grade | 200 feet, but not less than 60 feet for each 1% algebraic difference of grade |
Minimum length of tangent between reverse curves | 100 feet except where excessive grades may be reduced to reasonable grades by shortening tangent | 200 feet |
Maximum grade | 10% | 8% |
Minimum grade | 1% | 1% |
Minimum sight distance (vertical) | 150 feet | 250 feet |
*Note: Standards are not shown for arterial streets as they would in all probability be built by the state or county. | ||
F.
Continuation of streets into adjacent property. Streets shall be arranged to provide for the continuation of principal streets between adjacent properties where such continuation is necessary for convenient movement of traffic, effective fire protection and efficient provision of utilities. If the adjacent property is undeveloped and the street must be a dead-end street temporarily, the right-of-way and improvements shall be extended to the property line. A temporary circular turnaround with a minimum radius of 60 feet shall be provided on all temporary dead-end streets, with the notation on the plat that land outside the street right-of-way shall revert to abutters whenever the street is continued.
G.
Permanent dead-end streets (culs-de-sac). 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 a distance of not less than 100 feet. Reserve strips of land shall not be left between the end of a proposed street and an adjacent piece of property; however, the Planning Board may require the reservation of a twenty-foot-wide easement to accommodate pedestrian traffic or utilities. A circular turnaround with a minimum right-of-way radius of 75 feet shall be provided at the end of a permanent dead-end street. For greater convenience to traffic and more effective police and fire protection, permanent dead-end streets shall, in general, be limited in length to 800 feet.
H.
Street names. All streets shall be named, and such names shall be subject to the approval of the Town Planning Board. Names shall be sufficiently different in sound and spelling from other street names in the Town so as not to cause confusion. A street which is a continuation of an existing street shall bear the same name.
I.
Improvements.
(1)
Streets shall be graded and improved with pavement, street signs, sidewalks, streetlighting standards, curbs, gutters, trees, water mains, sanitary sewers, storm drains and fire hydrants, except where the Planning Board may waive, subject to appropriate conditions, such improvements as it considers are not requisite in the interest of public health, safety and general welfare.
(2)
Underground utilities required by the Planning Board shall be placed between the paved roadway and street line to simplify location and repair of the lines, and the subdivider shall install underground service connections to the property line of each lot before the street is paved.
A.
Arrangement. The arrangement of lots shall be such that there will be no foreseeable difficulties, for reasons of topography or other conditions, in locating a building on each lot and in providing access to buildings on such lots from an approved street.
B.
Access across a watercourse. Where a watercourse separates the buildable area of a lot from the access street, provision shall be made for the installation of a culvert or other structure of a design approved by the Superintendent of Highways.
C.
Side lot lines. Side lot lines shall be at right angles to street lines unless a variation from this rule will give a better street or lot plan.
D.
Access from major streets. Lots shall not, in general, derive access exclusively from a major street.
A.
Parks and playgrounds.
(1)
The Planning Board may require adequate, convenient and suitable areas for parks and playgrounds or other recreational purposes to be reserved on the plat but in no case more than 10% of the gross area of any subdivision. The area shall be shown and marked on the plat "reserved for park or playground purpose."
(2)
If the Planning Board determines that a suitable park or parks of adequate size cannot be properly located in any such plot or is otherwise not practical, the Board may require as a condition to approval of any such plat a payment to the Town in the amount of 10% of the appraised market value of the land to be subdivided. Such money shall be used by the Town for park and recreation purposes, including the acquisition of property.
(3)
Prior to final approval of any plat which shall contain a proposal to reserve any area in the proposed development for parks or playgrounds, a plan setting forth the proposed development, ownership, use and maintenance of such area shall be submitted to and approved by the Town Board. The Town Board may, as a condition of its approval, establish such additional conditions as it deems necessary to assure the preservation of such lands for their intended purposes and further to assure that the use and maintenance of such area shall not become an undue burden or liability upon the Town or injurious to neighboring property values. If the Town Board deems it not to be in the public interest of the Town to reserve such lands for park or playground purposes, it may refuse to approve such plat.
B.
Realignment or widening of existing streets. Where the subdivision borders an existing street and the Town or Wayne County has plans for realignment or widening of the street that would require reservation of some land of the subdivision, the Planning Board may require that such areas be shown and marked on the plan "reserved for street alignment (or widening) purposes."
C.
Utility and drainage easements. Where topography or other conditions are such as to make impractical the inclusion of utilities or drainage facilities within street rights-of-way, perpetual unobstructed easements at least 20 feet in width for such utilities shall be provided across property outside the street lines and with satisfactory access to the street.
D.
Easements for pedestrian access. The Planning Board may require, in order to facilitate pedestrian access from streets to schools, parks, playgrounds or other nearby streets, perpetual unobstructed easements at least 20 feet in width.
E.
Responsibility for ownership of reservations. Ownership shall be clearly marked on all reservations.