The following minimum subdivision principles,
standards, and requirements will be applied by Township officials
in evaluating the plans for a proposed subdivision.
A.
Land shall be suited for the purpose for which it
is to be subdivided.
B.
Land subject to hazards of life, health and safety,
such as strip mine land, quarry land, open ditches and land subject
to flooding or subsidence, shall not be subdivided for residential
purposes. All such hazards shall be identified and eliminated by the
owner or developer and guarantees shall be provided to the Township
that adequate safeguards against such hazards have been provided.
C.
No land shall be subdivided in a manner that landlocks,
inhibits or compromises the use or future development of contiguous
or adjacent land areas or creates barriers or unnecessarily complicates
provisions for ingress and egress to surrounding areas.
A.
Proposed streets shall be properly related to Township,
county, and state road and highway plans that have been prepared and
officially adopted and/or filed as prescribed by law.
B.
Streets shall be logically related to the topography
to achieve usable lots and reasonable grades.
C.
Internal subdivision streets shall be laid out to
discourage unnecessary through traffic, but provisions to coordinate
adjacent area streets will be generally required.
D.
Where a subdivision plan abuts or contains an existing
or proposed arterial street, the Governing Body may require local
access streets, reverse frontage lots, or such other treatment that
will provide protection for abutting properties, reduction in the
number of intersections with arterial streets, and separation of local
and through traffic.
E.
New half or partial streets will not be permitted,
except where essential to reasonable subdivision of a tract in conformance
with the other requirements and standards of this chapter, and where,
in addition, satisfactory assurances for dedication of the remaining
part of the street is secured.
F.
Wherever a tract to be subdivided borders an existing
half or partial street, the other part of the street shall be plotted
within such tract.
G.
Dead-end streets shall be prohibited except as stubs
to permit future street extensions or when designed as culs-de-sac.
Permanent cul-de-sac streets may be permitted when it is clear that
through traffic at such a street end is not essential to the existing
or future street system in that district, or to the development of
adjacent properties in the area.
(1)
Such streets, where permitted, shall not exceed 600
feet including the turnaround at the closed end. The Planning Commission
may recommend a cul-de-sac longer than 600 feet if it is determined
(by the Planning Commission) that such additional length improves
the subdivision design, results in a better relationship of the proposed
development to the existing topography, and does not create any hardships
for the subdivision's residents or the Township. Temporary dead end
street stubs shall terminate with culs-de-sac if said street extensions
are not made within six months.
(2)
The turnaround shall have a cartway diameter of 70
feet and a right-of-way diameter of 80 feet.
(3)
The minimum grade of the turnaround portion of the
cul-de-sac shall be 1%.
(4)
The maximum grade of the turnaround portion of the
cul-de-sac shall be 5%.
(5)
The minimum width of all lots abutting a cul-de-sac
shall be 50 feet at the right-of-way line.
H.
If lots resulting from original subdivision are large
enough to permit additional subdivision, or if a portion of the tract
is not subdivided, adequate street rights-of-way shall be provided
as necessary to allow for future development activity.
I.
Reserve strips, restricting or controlling access
to adjacent streets or properties shall be prohibited.
J.
Street grades.
(1)
Center line grade shall be not less than 2%.
(3)
Vertical curves shall be used at changes of grade
and shall be designed in relation to the extent of the grade change.
(4)
Where the grade of any street at the approach to an
intersection exceeds 7%, a leveling area shall be provided having
not greater than 4% grades for a distance of 25 feet measured from
the nearest right-of-way line of the intersecting street.
K.
Street width.
(1)
Minimum street right-of-way and cartway width shall
be as follows: fifty-foot right-of-way and twenty-four-foot cartway.
(2)
Additional right-of-way and cartway width may be required
by the Governing Body for the following purposes:
(3)
Short extension of existing streets with lesser right-of-way
and/or cartway widths than prescribed above may be permitted; provided,
however, that no section of new right-of-way less than 50 feet in
width shall be permitted.
L.
Street intersections.
(1)
Multiple intersections involving junction of more
than two streets shall be prohibited. Where this proves impossible,
such intersections shall be designed with extreme care for both pedestrian
and vehicular safety.
(2)
Streets shall be laid out to intersect as nearly as
possible at right angles. No street shall intersect another at an
angle of less than 60º.
(3)
Streets entering opposite sides of another street
shall be laid out either directly opposite one another or with a minimum
offset of 150 feet between their center lines.
(4)
Minimum curb radii at street intersections shall be
15 feet for intersections involving only minor streets, 25 feet for
intersections including other type streets, or such greater radius
as is suitable to the specific intersection.
(5)
A clear sight triangle shall be maintained at all
intersections within an area formed by the intersecting street lines
and a line joining points on the street lines 75 feet from the corner.
(6)
Intersections of local streets with collector and
arterial streets shall be kept to a minimum, consistent with topography
and other local conditions. All subdivision intersections of less
than 150 feet shall be avoided. To the fullest extent possible, intersections
with collector and arterial streets shall be located not less than
800 feet apart, measured from center line to center line.
M.
Alleys shall not be permitted in any subdivision.
N.
Private streets (vehicular rights-of-way not dedicated
for public use), either new or existing, shall not be approved, nor
shall layout or improvements for lots abutting private streets be
approved, for more than a maximum total of five lots including any
residual. A portion of any such lot shall be within 1,000 feet from
a point of intersection with a public access road. When such private
streets are approved, they shall have a minimum fifty-foot right-of-way,
shall be installed in manner that will enable a mud-free condition
at all times and shall not receive maintenance, repair or other road
related services from the Township. Covenants, to be signed by property
owners using the private street and then incorporated into their deeds,
describing in detail who has the right to use the private street and
their maintenance responsibilities, shall be submitted with the subdivision
plan for approval. No extension of a private street shall be approved
until the original portion of the street complies with all requirements
of this chapter, including the fifty-foot right-of-way, and is dedicated
for public use.
[Amended 9-8-1999 by Ord. No. 3-99]
O.
Streets proposed for heavy commercial land development
purposes shall, if possible, be laid out to intersect directly with
arterial and collector streets. Insofar as possible, traffic circulation
systems for heavy commercial subdivisions shall be designed in a manner
to eliminate or discourage traffic flow through residential areas.
P.
Driveways (site ingress and egress).
(1)
All commercial ingress and egress (driveways) shall
be designed to provide optimum visibility and to minimize traffic
congestion in the vicinity of the development parcel. Traffic access
design shall conform to the following requirements:
(a)
(b)
Defined ingress and egress points shall be required
for all commercial development parcels.
(2)
All driveways shall be constructed so as not to interfere
with roadway drainage. Cross drains shall be constructed beneath the
driveway where required to provide adequate drainage.
A.
The following general provisions shall apply to all
subdivisions of land:
(1)
All lot area requirements and specified minimum yard
and setback designations shall be dimensioned from public rights-of-way
where applicable. No lot area requirement or setback shall be computed
from within a public right-of-way.
(2)
The frontage width of lots abutting a cul-de-sac shall
be determined as the width at the building line. The side yard and
setback requirements will be calculated from the midpoint of the structure
along the average length of both sides and the rear of the structure.
(3)
All lot lines shall be set perpendicular or radial
to the center line of the street whenever possible.
(4)
Lots abutting local streets shall front on the streets
that parallel the long dimension of the block, if possible.
(5)
All lots shall abut by their full frontage on a publicly dedicated street. Lots abutting on a private street or easement shall not be approved, except that lots developed on private streets in existence prior to the enactment of this chapter may be approved. Private streets shall not be extended to permit additional lot development. (See § 178-20N)
(6)
No land shall be graded, cut or filled so as to create
a slope exceeding a vertical rise of one foot for each two feet of
horizontal distance between abutting lots, unless a retaining structure
is installed in accordance with specifications approved by the Township
Engineer and the Governing Body.
(7)
The literal application of front yard setback requirements for single-family dwellings, as set forth in Chapter 200, Zoning, of the Code of Independence Township, may be relaxed by the Governing Body in predominantly developed areas, provided that:
(a)
Seventy-five percent or more of the established structures on the same side of the street in the immediate vicinity have front yard areas less than required by Chapter 200, Zoning;
(b)
For purposes of this setback relaxation, immediate
vicinity shall be interpreted as a block area not exceeding 800 lineal
feet which is between either two intersecting streets, or an intersecting
street and a cul-de-sac;
(c)
In the absence of typical block development
in open or rural areas, the immediate vicinity shall be determined
as developed parcels within 500 lineal feet of the subject property;
(d)
Where setback relaxations are granted, the front
yard setback requirements shall be established as the average setback
of all existing structures in the immediate vicinity;
(e)
The relaxation of setback requirements under this section shall be subject to the granting of a zoning variance from the Zoning Hearing Board and shall be employed only to achieve orderly development and not to circumvent the purpose and intent of Chapter 178, Subdivision and Land Development, or of Chapter 200, Zoning.
B.
Lots laid out for residential purposes shall be subdivided in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 200, Zoning, of the Code of Independence Township with respect to lot area, lot width, setbacks, yard requirements and other applicable requirements.
C.
Lots and tracts of land laid out for nonresidential purposes shall be subdivided in accordance with the provisions of the Chapter 200, Zoning, with respect to lot area, lot width, setbacks, yard requirements, and the following additional guidelines:
(1)
The location of areas designated for structures, internal
site accessways, off-street parking and loading areas and generalized
land use proposals shall be included as a part of all final plan applications
for nonresidential purposes.
(2)
The Planning Commission may recommend and the Governing Body may authorize block platting in place of lot platting for nonresidential purposes to provide the developer maximum flexibility, provided that no block shall be subdivided in such a way that any subsequent lots would be smaller than the minimum size authorized by Chapter 200, Zoning.
(3)
The developer shall demonstrate every effort to protect
adjacent existing or potential residential development sites through
the provision of guarantees or other appropriate procedures or amenities
designed and established for the purpose of mitigating adverse influences
resulting from business activities.
A.
Block length shall not ordinarily exceed 1,600 feet
nor be less than 500 feet depending on topography, adjacent road configurations
and other related criteria.
B.
Blocks shall be at least two lots in depth except
for reverse frontage lots.
C.
The depth-to-width ratio of usable lot length shall
be at a maximum of four to one except where said requirement proves
unreasonable due to unique topographic conditions or unique parcel
configuration which would create inaccessible or derelict land areas.
A.
Utility and public utility easements shall have a
minimum width of 20 feet and be placed at the side or rear of lots
if possible. When the Governing Body determines that conditions are
suitable for utilities and/or public utilities, an easement reservation
will be required.
B.
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse,
there shall be provided a drainage easement or right-of-way conforming
substantially with the line of such watercourse, and of such width
as will be adequate to preserve natural drainage and provide sufficient
width for maintenance by adjacent property owners, but not less than
20 feet. Where applicable, federal, state and local flood maps and
data shall be employed to determine the location of easements or rights-of-way
required by this chapter.
Sidewalks and crosswalks shall be installed
by the subdivider or developer along public streets or at other locations
deemed necessary for public safety if determined necessary by the
Governing Body because of safety or relationship to contiguous development.
Reserve strips surrounding property, or areas
reserved for any purpose that shall make any area unprofitable for
regular or special assessments, or that may revert to an untended
nuisance area, shall not be approved by the Governing Body.
A.
The subdivider may choose street names subject to
the approval of the Governing Body. No street, other than an extension,
may be given the name of an existing street in the Township's postal
service area.
B.
Streets laid out opposite another street shall be
given the same name or number of the opposite street.
C.
All house numbering systems shall be coordinated with
the numbering of existing development in the area and approved by
the Planning Commission and the Governing Body.
Subdividing land shall be done in a manner that
will not bar adjacent property owners from access to streets and ways
of alignment or otherwise preclude the development of surrounding
land areas.
A.
Provisions for improvement and maintenance of any
open space and recreation areas set aside as common space shall be
guaranteed by appropriate bonds or similar provisions satisfactory
to the Governing Body.
B.
Recreation and community facilities developed totally
or in part on land provided by a developer shall be established consistent
with the following criteria:
(1)
Facilities and areas shall be located in a manner
to best serve both the municipality and the future inhabitants of
the development or subdivision.
(2)
Facilities and areas shall be located on land that
is topographically suitable and safe from traffic and other safety
hazards and readily accessible to the general public.
A.
Trees, shrubbery and similar vegetation shall not
be established within a road right-of-way.
B.
Trees, shrubbery and similar vegetation shall not
be established in proximity to a road right-of-way in a manner that
interferes with clear sight access from the road cartway.
C.
In wooded areas or where other natural conditions
exist in such a manner that their presence adds to the desirability
of a subdivision, the Governing Body shall require that the subdivider
preserve as much of the original vegetation and natural conditions
as is economically feasible, and require that a minimum of grading
be done other than the grading and excavating that is required in
the construction of the improvements, in accordance with the standards
included herein.
D.
All development and earthmoving activities subject
to applicable law under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, Title 25, Chapter 102, Erosion Control, shall be complied
with.
