[Amended 8-12-1997 by Ord. No. 97-5]
All required improvements shall be installed by the subdivider at his cost. In cases where specifications have been established by the Virginia Department of Transportation for streets, curbs, drainage facilities, utility service for power and water, etc., or by local ordinances and codes, such specifications shall be followed. The subdividers bond shall not be released until construction has been inspected and approved by the appropriate engineer. All improvements shall be in accordance with the following requirements.
[Amended 8-12-1997 by Ord. No. 97-5]
All streets in the proposed subdivision shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the following minimum requirements by the subdivider at no cost to the locality.
A. 
Alignment and layout.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
(1) 
The arrangement of streets in new subdivisions shall make provision for the continuation of and connection to existing streets in adjoining areas. The street arrangement must be such as to cause no unnecessary hardship to owners of adjoining property when they plat their own land and seek to provide for convenient access to it. Streets shall follow the layout of the Shenandoah County Comprehensive Plan including street master plan diagrams.
(2) 
Where, in the opinion of the agent, it is desirable to provide for street access to adjoining property, proposed streets shall be extended by dedication to the boundary line of such property.
(3) 
Half streets along the boundary of land proposed for subdivision will not be permitted. Whenever possible, streets should intersect at right angles.
B. 
Service drives.
(1) 
Whenever a proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a public highway, provision may be required for a service drive or marginal street approximately parallel to such right-of-way at a distance suitable for an appropriate use of the land between such highway and the proposed subdivision. Such distances shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for ingress and egress to the main thoroughfare.
(2) 
The right-of-way of any public highway or street projected across any railroad or public highway shall be of adequate width to provide for the cuts and fills required for any separation of grades.
C. 
Approach angle. Streets shall approach other streets at an angle of not less than 80° unless the agent, upon recommendation of the highway engineer, shall approve a lesser angle of approach for reasons of contour, terrain or matching of existing patterns. An exemption shall be provided if a lesser angle is identified in an officially adopted Street Master Plan as part of the Shenandoah County Comprehensive Plan.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
D. 
Minimum width. The minimum width of proposed streets, measured from lot line to lot line, shall be shown as required by the Virginia Department of Transportation Subdivision Street Requirements unless otherwise exempted by § 142-202.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
E. 
Construction requirements. Except as otherwise provided for herein, all subdivision streets and roads shall be constructed in accordance with the Virginia Department of Transportation Subdivision Street Requirements. Subject streets shall be dedicated for inclusion into the state secondary road system.
[Amended 12-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-14]
F. 
Culs-de-sac. Culs-de-sac should be avoided whenever possible as streets and alleys should be used as first options. If necessary, then they shall be designed to have one end permanently closed to vehicles but with a sidewalk connecting it to nearby streets. It shall be no longer than 1,500 feet to the beginning of the turnaround. Each cul-de-sac must be terminated by a turnaround, the design of which shall be as approved by the highway engineer.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
G. 
Alleys. All blocks must have an alley. Alleys shall be privately maintained and considered part of private common areas. Alleys should run parallel to the length of blocks and bisect their width to allow for access for purposes such as rear garages, accessory dwellings, and parking. All alleys must connect one street to another street and no alley can have a dead end. Entrances to alleys shall be level with entrances to alleys across the road to promote connectivity. Alleys shall be traversable by an automobile.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
H. 
Reserve strips. Reserve strips controlling access to streets shall be prohibited.
[Amended 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
I. 
Lot access.
[Amended 12-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-14]
(1) 
Except as provided herein, all lots shall front on and have direct access to a public street that is included in the Virginia State Secondary System or is to be constructed to meet Virginia Department of Transportation Subdivision Street Requirements for inclusion in the Secondary System according to an approved subdivision plat. All lots created after the date of this amendment[1] shall meet the minimum frontage requirement for the zone, as measured from the front setback line from the public road. Spur lots are not permitted.
[1]
Editor's Note: August 12, 1997.
(2) 
Exceptions to the above requirement are as follows:
(a) 
Lots of record as of the date of this amendment (August 12, 1997) that are served by an existing private street or private access easement may continue to be served by that private street or easement.
(b) 
Lots created after the date of this amendment may front on and have direct access to a private access easement, provided that the following standards are met:
[1] 
The private access easement may serve no more than two lots. If an existing private street or access easement, already serves two or more lots, no additional building lots may be served by that street or easement.
[2] 
The number of private access easements that are allowed is as follows:
Size of Lot of Record
(acres)
Number of Private
Access Easements
Allowed
2.755 to 24
1
25 to 49
2
50 to 99
3
100 to 149
4
150 or more
5
[3] 
Private access easements shall have a minimum right-of-way or access easement width of 40 feet.
[4] 
Each private access easement shall connect directly to a public street.
[5] 
The maximum length of the private access easement shall be 1,500 feet.
[6] 
The minimum travelway width shall be 12 feet.
[7] 
Minimum two-foot-wide graded shoulders shall be provided on both sides of the travelway.
[8] 
Side ditches, relief ditches and culverts shall be provided at appropriate locations to accommodate pre- and post-construction drainage.
[9] 
Utility easements not less than 15 feet in width shall be provided adjacent to both sides of the private access easement.
[10] 
Adjacent parallel private access easements shall not be permitted.
[11] 
A "turnaround" of a hammerhead design, or other design deemed appropriate by the agent, must be provided at the end of any access easement of equal to or greater than 150 feet in length.
[12] 
Private access easements shall be identified on the plat and in the deeds for the lots, and all plats and deeds shall contain the following statement:
ATTENTION: The access serving this lot (these lots) is private, and its maintenance, including snow removal, is NOT a public responsibility. It shall not be eligible for acceptance into state secondary system for maintenance until such time as it is constructed and otherwise complies with all requirements of the Virginia Department of Transportation for the addition of subdivision streets current at the time of such request. Any costs required to cause this street to become eligible for addition to the state system shall be met from funds other than those administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation or by Shenandoah County.
(c) 
Lots created for an open space cluster subdivision in the C-1 or A-1 Districts after the date of this amendment may front on and have direct access to a rural private street, provided that the following standards are met:
[1] 
The private street may serve no more than 25 total lots. All such lots must be created in accord with the Zoning Ordinance requirements set forth in Chapter 165.
[2] 
Private rural streets shall have a minimum right-of-way (access easement width) of 50 feet.
[3] 
The maximum length of a private rural street shall be 3,125 feet.
[4] 
The minimum travelway width shall be 14 feet.
[5] 
Minimum three-foot-wide graded shoulders shall be provided on both sides of the travelway. For road sections with grades of 6% or greater, shoulders shall be treated with a prime and double seal, to prevent excessive shoulder erosion.
[6] 
Side ditches, relief ditches and culverts shall be provided at appropriate locations to accommodate pre- and post-construction drainage.
[7] 
Utility easements not less than 15 feet in width shall be provided adjacent to both sides of the required right of way.
[8] 
Adjacent parallel private access easements shall not be permitted.
[9] 
Maximum grade is 12%, but may be increased to 15% for short distances upon approval of the agent.
[10] 
For streets serving 10 or fewer lots, the minimum pavement section shall consist of a two-inch thick bituminous surface course on a six-inch thick aggregate base course, on a properly compacted subgrade, sufficient to support the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) H-20 live load. For streets serving more than 10 lots, the minimum pavement section shall consist of two-inch-thick bituminous surface course on an eight-inch-thick aggregate base course, on a properly compacted subgrade, sufficient to support an AASHTO H-20 live load. Priming with asphalt material at an application rate meeting VDOT specifications is required on an aggregate base course if the total asphalt thickness is less than four inches. The aggregate base layer shall extend to the face of each ditch for the purpose of day lighting drainage.
[11] 
Language shall be incorporated into the deed and/or plat that states: "The streets in this subdivision do not meet the standards necessary for inclusion in the system of state highways and will not be maintained by the Department of Transportation or the county and are not eligible for rural addition funds or any other funds appropriated by the General Assembly and allocated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board."
[12] 
A "turnaround" of a hammerhead design, or other design deemed appropriate by the agent, must be provided at the end of any private road equal to or greater than 150 feet in length.
[13] 
Private subdivision street connections to state-maintained highways must meet VDOT requirements.
J. 
Street names and addresses. Proposed streets in the subdivision shall be named in accordance with Chapter 138, Street Names and Building Numbers, of the Code of Shenandoah County. Prior to recordation of the final plat, the subdivider shall pay a street establishment and addressing fee, which shall cover the cost of entering the street and lot addresses into the County map address computer files.
K. 
Identification signs. Street identification signs of a design specified in Chapter 138, Street Names and Building Numbers, of the Code of Shenandoah County shall be installed by the developer at all intersections at his expense.
L. 
Traffic calming. New streets within the interior of a residential subdivision shall have a design speed of 25 miles per hour or less and shall employ traffic-calming measures as outlined in VDOT's Traffic Calming Guide for Neighborhood streets, including any amendments or replacements thereto.
[Added 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
A. 
Inspection. As required by this chapter all monuments must be installed by the subdivider and shall meet the minimum specifications. Upon completion of subdivision streets, sewers and other improvements, the subdivider shall make certain that all monuments required by the agent are clearly visible for inspection and use. Such monuments shall be inspected and approved by the agent before any improvements are accepted by the governing body.
B. 
Location of concrete monuments. Concrete monuments four inches in diameter or square, three feet long with a flat top, or three-fourths-inch iron pipe 24 inches long, shall be set at all street corners at all points where the street line intersects the exterior boundaries of the subdivision and at right angle points and points of curve in each street. These monuments or pins shall be set flush with the finished grade.
C. 
Location of iron pipe. All other lot corners shall be marked with iron pipe not less than three-fourths (3/4) inch in diameter and 24 inches long and driven so as to be flush with the finishing grade. When rock is encountered, a hole shall be drilled four inches deep in the rock, into which shall be cemented a steel rod one-half (1/2) inch in diameter, the top of which shall be set flush with the finished grade.
[Amended 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4]
A. 
Where public water is available, the service shall be extended to all lots within a subdivision, including fire hydrants installed by the subdivider in accordance with the design standards and specifications for water, construction and improvements in Shenandoah County, and meeting the approval of the agent. Every subdivision not governed by § 142-22B containing 15 or more lots to which public water cannot or will not be provided shall be supplied by the subdivider with a complete central water supply and distribution system to serve each and every lot.
B. 
No subdivision shall be allowed in any Residential District (R-l, R-2, R-3 or R-4) unless public water is available to the subdivision and service shall be extended to all lots within a subdivision in accordance with the design standards and specifications for construction and improvements in Shenandoah County, and meeting the approval of the agent. However, any parcel of land which is zoned residential (i.e., located in an R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4 District) as of May 1, 2003, to which public water cannot or will not be provided shall be exempt from the requirements of this § 142-22B.
[Amended 3-26-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-01]
[Amended 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4]
A. 
Where public sewerage facilities are available, the service shall be extended to all lots within a subdivision in accordance with the design standards and specifications for construction and improvements in Shenandoah County, and meeting the approval of the agent, and private disposal systems shall not be permitted. In case of a subdivision not governed by § 142-23B in which the size of lots are less than 20,000 square feet, if such lot sizes are permitted by Chapter 165, Zoning, a plan for the satisfactory and sanitary means of sewage disposal shall be submitted by the subdivider, subject to the approval of the health official.
B. 
No subdivision shall be allowed in any Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4) unless public sewer is available to the subdivision and service shall be extended to all lots within a subdivision in accordance with the design standards and specifications for construction and improvements in Shenandoah County, and meeting the approval of the agent. However, any parcel of land which is zoned residential (i.e., located in an R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4 District) as of May 1, 2003, to which public sewer cannot or will not be provided shall be exempt from the requirements of this § 142-23B.
[Amended 3-26-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-01]
[Amended 6-25-2002 by Ord. No. 02-11; 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4; 12-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-14; 4-14-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-11]
Subject to the requirements of § 142-23, nothing in this regulation shall prevent the installation of privately owned individual water and/or sewage disposal facilities in areas where public water and/or sewerage facilities are not available; provided, however, that pit privies will not be allowed, and other private installations must meet all requirements of the State Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Department and any other state or local regulation having authority over such installation. All septic fields for individual sewage disposal facilities must be located on the lot which the septic field serves, except for the following: i) lots for which an exception is granted by the Board of Supervisors in cases of unusual situations or substantial injustice or hardship, or ii) cluster lots in the A-1 and C-1 Districts which may be served by septic fields located on contiguous conservation lots as provided in § 165-71 of the Zoning Ordinance. Any such off-lot septic field must be located within a utility easement which shall be sufficient for access, repair and maintenance of the field, and the boundaries of which shall be shown on the boundary survey.
The subdivider shall provide all necessary information needed to determine what improvements are necessary to properly develop the subject property, including contour intervals, drainage plans and flood control devices. The subdivider shall also provide plans for all such improvements together with a properly qualified certified engineer's or surveyor's statement that such improvements, when properly installed, will be adequate for proper development. The County may submit storm drainage plans to the County's consulting engineer for review. In instances where roads are to be included in the state highway system the plans are to be submitted to the VDOT engineer. The subdivider shall provide any other information required by the reviewing engineer. The subdivider shall reimburse the County for engineering costs incurred during the review process.
The installation of adequate fire hydrants in a subdivision at locations approved by the agent may be required, provided that necessary public water is available. When public water is not available, dry hydrants may be required to provide access to ponds or other water sources for fire emergencies. The agent shall consult with the proper authority before approving such hydrant locations.
[Amended 8-12-1997 by Ord. No. 97-5]
The agent may require that easements for drainage through adjoining property be provided by the subdivider. Easements of not less than 15 feet in width shall be provided for water, sewer, power lines and other utilities in the subdivision unless specifically exempted by the agent.
A. 
Before any subdivision plat will be finally approved by the agent the subdivider shall, in lieu of construction, furnish a performance bond in an amount calculated by the agent to secure the required improvements in a workmanlike manner, and in accordance with specifications and construction schedules established or approved by the appropriate engineer, plus a ten-percent allowance for administrative costs, inflation and potential damage to existing roads or utilities, which such bond shall be payable to and held by the governing body.
B. 
In the event that Shenandoah County has accepted dedication of a road for public use and such road, due to factors other than its quality of construction, is not acceptable into the secondary system of state highways, the agent may require the subdivider or developer to furnish the County with a maintenance and indemnifying bond, with surety satisfactory to the agent and in an amount sufficient for and conditional upon the maintenance of such road until such time as it is accepted into the secondary system of state highways. "Maintenance of such road" shall be deemed to mean maintenance of the streets, curb, gutter, drainage facilities, utilities and other street improvements, including the correction of defects or damages and the removal of snow, water or debris, so as to keep such road reasonably open for public usage.
C. 
The agent shall provide periodic partial and final release of any required bond, escrow, letter of credit or other performance guaranty within 30 days after receipt of written notice by the subdivider or developer of completion of part or all of any facilities required to be constructed hereunder unless the agent notifies said subdivider or developer in writing of nonreceipt of approval by applicable state agency or town, or of any specified defects or deficiencies in construction and suggested corrective measures prior to the expiration of the thirty-day period.
Fifteen blue or black line prints of the plans and specifications for all required physical improvements to be installed shall be prepared by an engineer and shall be submitted to the agent for approval or disapproval by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors within 45 days. If approved, one copy bearing certification of such approval shall be returned to the subdivider. If disapproved, all papers shall be returned to the subdivider with the reason for disapproval in writing. In the event that no action is taken in 45 days, the subdivider or developer may petition the court for approval of the plat as provided for in § 15.2-2258 through 15.2-2261 of the Code of Virginia.
[Added 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4; amended 3-26-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-01; 12-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
In all subdivisions of more than four parcels located in any Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4), the following additional requirements shall be satisfied:
A. 
All utilities shall be located underground.
B. 
All portions of stormwater management systems located along new streets shall be located underground and shall meet the requirements of § 142-26. Curb drop inlets shall be installed at street intersections and at such intermediate locations as required to collect surface water.
C. 
Curb and gutter shall be installed along both sides of all streets within the subdivision. Curb and gutter shall meet VDOT standards and specifications and any standards and specifications which are adopted by the Board of Supervisors prior to the filing of the preliminary plat by the subdivides Adequate provisions shall be made for driveway entrances.
D. 
Street trees shall be planted 30 feet on center in planting strips with a width of six feet along both sides of all streets within a subdivision and along the side of each street touching the subdivision. Street trees may be shifted to a central median but must still follow the order of improvements.
E. 
Streets with a design speed greater than 20 miles per hour shall have bike lanes with a minimum width of five feet installed on the outside of street tree planting strips along both sides of all streets within a subdivision and along the side of each street touching the subdivision in accordance with VDOT standards and specifications and any standards and specifications which are adopted by the Board of Supervisors prior to the filing of the preliminary plat by the subdivider. Bike lanes shall be curb separated from the sidewalk to avoid collisions between cyclists and pedestrians. Bike lanes may be shifted to a central median but must still follow the order of improvements.
F. 
Streets with a design speed greater than 15 miles per hour shall have sidewalks with a minimum width of six feet installed on the outside of bike lanes or street trees along both sides of all streets within a subdivision and along the side of each street touching the subdivision in accordance with VDOT standards and specifications and any standards and specifications which are adopted by the Board of Supervisors prior to the filing of the preliminary plat by the subdivider. Sidewalks may be shifted to a central median but must still follow the order of improvements.
G. 
Streetlights shall be on the outside of sidewalks in a three-foot reserved zone installed along all streets within the subdivision in accordance with any VDOT standards and specifications and any standards and specifications which are adopted by the Board of Supervisors prior to the filing of the preliminary plat by the subdivider. Streetlights shall be downfacing to reduce light pollution. Streetlights and the three-foot reserved zone may be shifted to a central median but must still follow the order of improvements.
H. 
Benches and bike racks shall be provided every 100 feet within the three-foot reserved zone along with the streetlights along both sides of all streets within a residential subdivision and along the side of each street touching the residential subdivision. This requirement only applies to residential subdivisions with new streets exceeding 100 feet in length. Benches and bike racks may be shifted to a central median but must still follow the order of improvements.
I. 
The subdivider shall provide all necessary information needed to determine whether the design of the improvements required by this section are sufficient to develop the subject property in accordance with local, state and federal requirements. The subdivider shall also provide plans for all such improvements together with a properly qualified certified engineer's statement that such improvements, when properly installed, will be adequate for proper development and in accordance with local, state and federal requirements. The county may submit such plans to the County's consulting engineer for review and approval. In instances where roads are to be included in the state highway system, the plans are to be submitted to the VDOT engineer. The subdivider shall provide any other information required by the reviewing engineer. The subdivider shall reimburse the County for engineering costs incurred during the review process.