Any subdivider who proposes to develop a subdivision in the Town of Red Hook shall observe all general requirements for land subdivision as herein provided. Conservation subdivisions plats shall also adhere to the supplemental design standards set forth in § 120-21.
A. 
Character of land. Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that, in the opinion of the Planning Board, it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace and with a minimum of detrimental effects on the environment.
B. 
Preservation of any significant existing features. The Planning Board may require in the subdivision design and through the subsequent dedication of conservation easements the preservation of natural features which add value to residential developments and to the community, such as large trees or wooded areas, watercourses and waterfalls, historic or archaeological features and similar irreplaceable assets.
C. 
Conformance with Chapter 143, Zoning, and Master Plan. Subdivision plats and improvements provided shall conform to Chapter 143, Zoning, and shall be in harmony with the county and Town master plans. In addition, as an extension of the Town Master Plan, the subdivision plat shall be consistent with the intent and objectives of the several environmental and cultural protection programs which may be applicable to the proposed subdivision location. These programs include the Town's historic and coastal management districts, the Department of Environmental Conservation scenic district and scenic roads programs and any locally or state-designated critical environmental areas.
D. 
Minimum lot area and dimensions. No lot in a subdivision shall have less than the minimum lot area and other minimum lot dimensions required by Chapter 143, Zoning, for the district in which it is located unless otherwise provided in Chapter 143, Zoning, or as provided for residential cluster development by Article VIII of this chapter.
E. 
Plats with access through other municipalities. Whenever access to a subdivision occurs by crossing land in another municipality, the Planning Board may require assurance from said municipality that such access is adequately improved or that a legally adequate performance guaranty has been duly posted and is sufficient in amount to assure the construction of the necessary road or roads.
F. 
Resubdivision. Resubdivision of all or part of land covered by an existing plat which has been laid out prior to compulsory subdivision plat review, approval and filing shall comply with this chapter as now required. Such resubdivision shall include any change that affects any street layout shown on the plat, area shown thereon reserved for public use or open space purposes or the area or configuration of any lot or parcel shown thereon.
G. 
Preservation of topsoil. No topsoil shall be removed from any subdivision in the Town, except that in areas over which heavy equipment will be operated, the topsoil shall be stripped and stockpiled on the property. When final grades have been established and construction activities have been completed, the entire property shall be suitably graded and, to the extent practicable, recovered with topsoil except that portion of the site covered by buildings or included in the roads.
H. 
Watercourses. Where a watercourse separates a proposed street from abutting property, provision shall be made for access to all lots by culverts or other permanent drainage structures. Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way not less than 30 feet in width. All such structures and rights-of-way shall be of design and specification approved by the designated Town Engineer and the Town Highway Superintendent.
I. 
Floodplains. If any portion of the land within the subdivision is subject to periodic inundation or flood hazard caused by stormwater, this portion shall be clearly indicated on any submissions required by this chapter. In cases of doubt, the Planning Board may require the submission of a flood hazard boundary study delineating the limits of the one-hundred-year floodplain. Such study shall be conducted by a licensed professional engineer.
(1) 
Land subject to flooding and land deemed by the Planning Board to be otherwise uninhabitable shall not be platted for residential or commercial occupancy nor for any such other use that may increase danger to health, life or property or aggravate the flood hazard.
(2) 
Any subdivision, including all proposed improvements and construction, must comply with Chapter 77, Flood Damage Prevention, of the Town Code, and all further applicable provisions of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, including all amendments thereto.
The subdivider shall additionally conform to all subdivision design standards as herein provided. These standards shall be considered minimum standards and shall be modified or waived by the Planning Board only as specifically provided for in Article X, §§ 120-32 and 120-33, of this chapter.
A. 
Lots.
(1) 
Lots to be buildable. The lot arrangement shall be such that, in constructing a building in compliance with Chapter 143, Zoning, there will be no foreseeable prohibitions to development based upon soils, topography or other natural conditions, including the presence of wetlands or floodplain areas.
(2) 
Corner lots. Corner lots shall be of sufficient dimensions so that any structure placed thereon shall conform to the front building setback line on both streets, as well as side yard requirements, for the zoning district in which the lot is located.
(3) 
Minimum lot dimensions. Each lot shall be no smaller than the minimum lot area, lot frontage and lot width required by Chapter 143, Zoning, for the district in which the lot is located, except in the case of a conservation subdivision.
(4) 
Driveway grade and design. Driveway grades between the street pavement and the minimum building setback line shall not exceed 10%, with a suitable negative grade provided within 20 feet of the intersecting street pavement. The remainder of the driveway shall be designed and built to afford suitable access to the building site in accordance with the provisions of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and to prevent adverse impacts from either stormwater drainage or erosion on the public street or roadway.
(5) 
Access from public streets.
(a) 
The subdividing of land shall be such as to provide each lot with satisfactory access for routine and emergency purposes from the community's system of public streets and roadways. This access may be provided either directly or, in the case of an approved residential cluster or open space density subdivision, by suitably improved and maintained private streets.
(b) 
A lot of less than 300 feet frontage fronting on a county or state highway shall be designed so as to share a common curb cut with an adjacent lot if either adjacent lot has not been previously granted a curb cut permit. When more than three lots are proposed to be subdivided from a parcel with frontage on a county or state highway, frontage for all such lots shall be on internal streets, not on the county or state highway. Each lot permitted to front on a county or state highway shall provide for an improved on-site turnaround so as to obviate the necessity of any vehicle from backing onto such highway. Similar provision for on-site turnarounds on Town highways shall be encouraged.
(c) 
Any such common curb cut and/or common driveway shall be subject to reciprocal easements and suitable maintenance agreements which shall be noted by reference on the subdivision plat, reviewed and approved by the Planning Board and recorded in the Dutchess County Clerk's office. Any such common driveway shall be further subject to criteria that may be promulgated by the Planning Board for the design, construction and approval of common driveways.
(6) 
Access from private streets. Access from privately owned and maintained streets, as may be specifically authorized by the Town Board in accordance with § 280-a of the Town Law, shall be deemed acceptable only if such streets are designed and improved in accordance with Subsection B(5) of this section and means satisfactory to the Planning Board are provided for the long-term ownership and maintenance of said privately owned and maintained streets.
B. 
Streets.
(1) 
General objectives. Streets shall be of sufficient width, suitably located and adequately constructed to accommodate the prospective traffic and normal road maintenance equipment. The arrangement of streets shall be coordinated such that the streets compose a convenient system, cause no undue hardship to adjoining properties and render no property inaccessible from an existing street or from a proposed street in a subdivision for which a completion bond or similar performance guaranty has been posted.
(2) 
Arrangement of streets. To the extent practicable, the arrangement of streets in the subdivision shall provide for the continuation of principal streets of adjoining subdivisions and for proper projection of principal streets into adjoining properties which are not yet subdivided by use of stub streets in order to make possible necessary fire protection, movement of traffic and the construction or extension, presently or when later required, of needed utilities and services. Any stub street or other intended through street shall be constructed wholly to the property line and shall be provided with a temporary turnaround with a pavement radius of at least 50 feet. A note on the subdivision plat shall state that the land included within the turnaround which is outside the normal street right-of-way shall revert to abutters upon continuation of the stub street, with any excess pavement removed and the land area to be suitably regraded and seeded.
(3) 
Street connections. Subdivisions containing 13 or more single-family lots or, in the case of two-family and multifamily development, 13 or more dwelling units, shall have at least two connections with existing public streets, with streets shown on the Town's Official Map, as may be developed in accordance with § 270 of the Town Law, or streets shown on an approved subdivision plat for which a performance bond or similar performance guaranty has been posted.
(4) 
Cul-de-sac streets.
(a) 
Cul-de-sac streets shall not be created to provide access to residential lots except in situations where, in the view of the Planning Board, a through street cannot reasonably be provided due to the physical characteristics of the subdivision parcel and adjoining properties. Where a cul-de-sac street is authorized, either as a permanent dead-end street or as a temporary dead-end street pending completion of a through-road network, not more than 12 single-family residential lots may gain access from either the initial development or extension of such cul-de-sac street. In the case of two-family and multifamily development, not more than 12 dwelling units may gain access from either the initial development or extension of such cul-de-sac street.
(b) 
A cul-de-sac street shall be restricted to a maximum of seven-percent grade in all zoning districts and to a length of 1,500 feet in the LD Zoning District, 1,200 feet in the RD5 Zoning District, 1,000 feet in the RD3 Zoning District and 820 feet in all other zoning districts.
(c) 
A turnaround shall be provided at the end of any cul-de-sac or permanent dead-end street. Circular turnarounds shall have a right-of-way radius of at least 40 feet and a pavement radius of at least 30 feet. T- or Y-shaped turnarounds shall have a right-of-way at least 80 feet by 40 feet and the paved area shall be at least 60 feet by 20 feet. The cul-de-sac street shall otherwise be governed by all stated requirements of the Town's Street and Highway Specifications.
(5) 
Minimum design standards. Streets and related improvements shall be laid out and constructed in accordance with the minimum design standards prescribed in the Town Street and Highway Specifications of the Town of Red Hook, as adopted by the Town Board and incorporated by reference in this chapter.
C. 
Parks and public open space. Adequate lands for parks and other public open space purposes shall be provided in any subdivision of land for residential purposes throughout the Town of Red Hook.
(1) 
Amount of land dedicated.
(a) 
In general, the Planning Board shall require that 10% of the total land area within the subdivision be set aside and shown on the plat for park and open space purposes, including trails and other linkages between neighborhoods. All lands designated on the plat as park or open space must be deemed suitable for this purpose by the Planning Board based upon overall consistency with the Town Master Plan and a site-specific analysis of the lands' topographic, geologic, hydrological and locational characteristics.
(b) 
The Planning Board may establish such conditions on the subdivision concerning access, use and maintenance of such park and open space lands as deemed necessary to ensure the preservation of the lands, in perpetuity, for their intended purposes. Such conditions shall be clearly noted by the licensed land surveyor and/or professional engineer on the plat prior to final plat approval and subsequent recording of the plat in the office of the Dutchess County Clerk.
(2) 
Information to be submitted. In the event that an area to be used for park or open space is required to be shown, the subdivider shall submit, prior to final plat approval, to the Planning Board, drawings at a scale of not less than 20 feet to the inch of such area and the following features thereof:
(a) 
The boundaries of said area, giving lengths and bearings of all straight lines, and radii, lengths, central angles and tangent distances of all curves.
(b) 
Existing features, such as streams, ponds, clusters of trees, rock outcrops and structures, existing or proposed.
(c) 
Existing and, if applicable, proposed changes in the grade and contours of said area and of the area immediately adjacent for a distance of not less than 100 feet, with such contours to be at an interval of not more than two feet.
(d) 
Plans for improvements of said area, not limited to grading, seeding, fencing, landscaping, the provision of play and related equipment and the address of conditions relating to the protection of the public health and safety.
(3) 
Payment in lieu of dedication. In cases where, because of the size, topography or location of the subdivision or because of the area of the individual lots provided within the subdivision or of the proposed open space, the requirement for land dedication or reservation for parks and other open space purposes would be deemed unreasonable or undesirable by the Planning Board, the Planning Board shall alternatively require, under § 277 of the Town Law, that a payment be made into a special trust fund for Town recreation site acquisition and/or improvement in lieu of such land dedication or reservation within the subdivision. Such payment shall be a condition of approval of the final plat and shall be assessed on a per-lot or per-dwelling-unit basis in accordance with the subdivision fee schedule established and annually reviewed by the Town Board upon recommendation of the Planning Board. This fee shall not apply to any proposed lot presently developed with a residential structure and legally occupied within the past 12 months for residential purposes. No final plat shall be signed by the Chair of the Planning Board until such payment has been received by the Town and receipt thereof provided to the Planning Board.
D. 
Public improvements and utilities.
(1) 
Placement. Underground improvements required by the Planning Board in accordance with Article V, § 120-14, and franchise utilities shall be placed where appropriate within the street right-of-way. Where topography makes such placement impracticable, perpetual unobstructed easements at least 20 feet in width shall be provided for along lot frontages abutting the street lines, with satisfactory access to the street. Wherever possible, such easements shall be continuous from block to block and their layout shall be as regular as possible. Subject to the discretion of the Town Board, an underground public improvement or utility operated for revenue by the Town or by a special district may be installed by the Town in a private street, provided that an easement of satisfactory size is obtained for such improvement or utility. Before the street is paved, the subdivider shall install underground service connections for all required improvements and utilities to the property line of each lot within the subdivision.
(2) 
Service connections.
(a) 
Water. Where an appropriate public water main already exists and is physically and legally accessible, the subdivider shall connect into said main and provide a water connection for each lot in accordance with Article 12 of the Town Law, the Public Health Law and other applicable laws, rules and regulations. Where an appropriate water main does not exist or is not accessible, the subdivider shall install at his own expense such main, together with all necessary valves, cutoffs, fire hydrants, pumps, storage tanks, meters and other equipment necessary to make such water system conform to the standards of the Town.
(b) 
Sanitary sewers. Where an appropriate public sanitary sewer system is reasonably accessible physically and legally, the subdivider shall install, at his expense, the necessary connections into the system and provide a sewer connection of each lot.
(c) 
Storm drainage system.
[1] 
The subdivider shall install all necessary storm drainage sewers and appurtenant facilities at his expense, in accordance with standards of the Town and of all authorities having jurisdiction. Where an appropriate storm drainage system is reasonably accessible, the subdivider shall make proper connection thereto.
[2] 
Otherwise, the subdivider shall provide appropriate means and methods for stormwater runoff satisfactory to the Planning Board and all other authorities having jurisdiction. In either event, the storm drainage facilities provided shall be fully consistent with storm drainage design standards which may be promulgated and from time to time reviewed and modified by the Planning Board. The drainage system shall be large enough to accommodate potential runoff from the entire upstream drainage area, whether inside or outside of the subdivision. The designated Town Engineer shall approve the design and size of facilities based on anticipated runoff from a twenty-five-year storm under conditions of total potential development permitted by Chapter 143, Zoning, in the watershed. The cost of a culvert or other drainage facility in excess of that required for the particular subdivision may be deemed to be the responsibility of the Town or may be prorated among the upstream property owners.
[3] 
The subdivider's engineer shall also study and report on the effect of each subdivision on the existing downstream drainage system outside the area of the subdivision, and this report shall be reviewed by the designated Town Engineer. When it is anticipated that the additional runoff incident to the development of the subdivision will overload an existing downstream drainage facility during a twenty-five-year storm, the Planning Board shall notify the Town Board of such potential condition. In such case, the Planning Board shall not approve the plat until provision has been made for the alleviation, to the extent that may be practicable, of said condition.
E. 
Realignment or widening of existing streets. Where the subdivision borders an existing street proposed for realignment or widening, the Planning Board may require that land be reserved on the subdivision plat to permit the proposed improvement to be carried out. Similarly, the Planning Board shall require in its review of any subdivision plat abutting a user roadway, as defined under § 189 of the Highway Law of the State of New York, the reservation of 24.75 feet from the center line of such user roadway for highway purposes and recommend Town Board acceptance of such land when offered for dedication by the subdivider.
F. 
Pedestrianways.
(1) 
Adequate provision shall be made for the convenient and safe movement of pedestrians and bicyclists in any subdivision of land for residential, institutional or commercial purposes throughout the Town of Red Hook. All streets designated as through roads shall have an improved pedestrian path, sidewalk or bikeway provided on at least one side of the street. Any such sidewalk or pedestrian path shall be so placed that there will be a distance of not less than five feet between the sidewalk and the street pavement. A bikeway or combined bicyclist/pedestrian path, not less than four feet in width, may be alternatively situated adjacent to the street pavement and be visually separated therefrom by striping on both its inner and outer edges.
(2) 
To the extent considered practicable by the Planning Board and in consideration of public health, safety and convenience, the Planning Board may require that additional or alternatively located pedestrianways be provided within a subdivision to provide access to parks or public spaces, school sites, neighborhood shopping facilities or similar destinations. Any such pedestrianway may be situated within either a public right-of-way or established within a suitable easement.
G. 
Private water supply and sanitary sewage disposal facilities.
(1) 
Where public water supply and/or sanitary sewage disposal facilities are not available, the Planning Board shall ascertain, as part of subdivision plat review and approval process, that each prospective lot and dwelling unit may be adequately served by acceptable water supply and sanitary sewage disposal facilities and ensure that all such on-site water supply and sanitary sewage disposal facilities shall be designed and installed in accordance with the requirements of the Dutchess County Health Department.
(2) 
To the extent authorized by the Public Health Law and the Dutchess County Health Department, the Planning Board may, in accordance with Article X of this chapter, waive this requirement for proposed lots in excess of five acres and instead accept a note on the plat advising of applicable Health Department permit requirements which must be met prior to the issuance of a building permit by the Town of Red Hook. As a prerequisite to such waiver, the Planning Board shall require that certification be provided by a licensed professional engineer that an approvable individual sewage disposal system location exists on each of the proposed lots and that it is likely that a suitable individual on-site water supply may also be developed on each of the proposed lots.
(3) 
The Planning Board shall ensure that the visual impacts of septic systems that cannot be installed subsurface are mitigated to the greatest extent practicable.
H. 
Street trees. Trees shall be planted on both sides of a newly installed street or roadway in locations approved by the Planning Board except where unnecessary due to the presence of significant, preservable existing vegetation, which shall be specifically identified on the subdivision plat. Street trees shall generally:
(1) 
Be located near the property line and be spaced approximately 30 feet apart, subject to variations made necessary by driveways and street corners as well as by the species of trees planted.
(2) 
Have a caliper of three inches or larger measured at breast height and be not less than 10 feet in overall height.
(3) 
Be approved as to species by the Planning Board.
(4) 
Be installed and maintained so as to not restrict sight distance for either vehicles or pedestrians.
I. 
Agricultural buffer. When a parcel of land is proposed for subdivision for residential purposes, the Planning Board may require that buildings on such parcel shall be sited a minimum of 200 feet from the property line contiguous to land in the AB District or land in a New York State certified agricultural district. The two-hundred-foot buffer is a guideline to be applied when appropriate and with flexibility in the case of small lots where provision of a two-hundred-foot buffer may not be feasible. The Planning Board may require installation and maintenance of vegetative screening in the buffer area.
A. 
Dimensional standards. The dimensional standards set forth in § 143-33D of the Code shall apply to conservation subdivisions.
B. 
Open space. In exchange for flexibility in the design layout, a conservation subdivision shall permanently preserve a minimum percentage of the tract's total gross acreage as open space. Minimum percentages by zoning district are set forth in § 143-33D(1) of the Code. Parking areas and roads shall not be included in the calculation of the minimum open space.
C. 
Permanent protection of open space. Open space shall be permanently protected as provided in § 143-33E of the Zoning Law.
D. 
Documentation of ownership entity. If a homeowners' association, condominium or other legal entity is proposed, it shall be established to the satisfaction of the Planning Board and its attorney. Such entities shall be subject to all of the applicable provisions set forth in New York State laws and regulations. The applicant shall provide the Planning Board with a description of the organization of the proposed association, including its bylaws, and all documents governing ownership, maintenance and use restrictions for common facilities.
E. 
Open space standards.
(1) 
The required open space land consists of a combination of primary conservation areas and secondary conservation areas, as described in § 120-28A. Primary conservation areas shall be included in the required open space area to the greatest extent practical. The proposed subdivision design shall strictly minimize disturbance of the environmentally sensitive resources of the primary conservation areas, and the applicant shall demonstrate that such features will be protected by the proposed subdivision plan. Secondary conservation areas shall be included in the required open space area to the greatest extent practical such that protecting these resources will, in the judgment of the Planning Board, achieve the purposes of this section.
(2) 
Open space lands shall be laid out in a manner consistent with the Town's Comprehensive Plan to better enable an interconnected network of open space and to enable potential connections within the Town's long-range open space and trail networks as reflected in its adopted Open Space Plan, Official Map, and Trails Map, if any.
(3) 
Active agricultural land and associated agricultural buildings may be used to meet the minimum required open space land. The Planning Board may require that land used for agricultural purposes be buffered from residential dwellings, either bordering or within the tract, by a two-hundred-foot setback. The two-hundred-foot buffer is a guideline to be applied when appropriate and with flexibility in the case of small lots where provision of a two-hundred-foot buffer may not be feasible. The Planning Board may require installation and maintenance of vegetative screening in the buffer area.
(4) 
Open space land should generally remain undivided. No individual parcel of common open space shall be less than one acre except as to roadway median strips, traffic islands, walkways, trails, courtyards, village greens, play areas, recreation facilities, drainageways leading directly to streams, historic sites or unique natural features requiring common ownership protection.
(5) 
A portion of a house lot may only be used for meeting the minimum required open space land if permitted by the Planning Board, and only if such portion is permanently protected with a conservation easement in accordance with § 143-33E of the Town Code.
F. 
Recreation needs. In addition to the required open space, up to 10% of the total acreage may be required to be set aside for recreational use to meet the recreational needs of the residents of the proposed subdivision in accordance with § 120-20C of the Code. Subject to acceptance by the Town Board, land may be deeded to the Town for recreational purposes. This acreage may be used to provide potential connections within the Town's long-range trail network or for other recreational needs of the Town. Where such set aside or dedication of land is not deemed appropriate, a recreation fee in lieu of land, as set forth in the Town's fee schedule, shall be imposed to accommodate the foreseeable recreational needs of the proposed subdivision's residents. The Planning Board may determine whether the required open space meets all or some of the recreational needs pursuant to § 120-20C.
G. 
House lot standards. Development areas for the location of house lots include the necessary building envelope for each dwelling unit, constituting the remaining lands of the tract outside of the designated open space areas. House lots shall be designed in accordance with the following standards:
(1) 
House lots shall be located so as not to encroach upon primary conservation areas and in accordance with Step 4 of the four-step design process set forth in § 120-28 and illustrated in Appendix A.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is included at the end of this chapter.
(2) 
Views of house lots from existing roads shall be minimized by changes in topography, existing vegetation or additional landscaping.
(3) 
House lots shall generally be accessed from interior streets, rather than from roads bordering the tract. New intersections with existing public roads shall be minimized. Although two accessways into and out of subdivisions containing more than 12 dwellings are generally required for safety, proposals for more than two entrances onto public roads shall be discouraged if they would unreasonably disrupt traffic flow or unduly impact the environment.
(4) 
Setbacks for wells. If active agricultural lands constitute the open space, the minimum setback for wells from such active agricultural lands shall be 100 feet.
H. 
Streets and driveways.
(1) 
Common driveway access may be provided to serve up to four dwellings. Common driveways should be 16 feet wide or, at a minimum, provide for vehicle pull-offs that are 16 feet in width at intervals no less than every 500 feet.
(2) 
Streets shall meet the Town Highway Specifications, unless an open development area is established in accordance with § 280-a of the Town Law.
(3) 
New streets should align with existing intersections where possible.
(4) 
From an aesthetic and speed control perspective, curving roads are preferred in an informal rural conservation subdivision to avoid long straight segments. Shorter straight segments connected by ninety-degree and one-hundred-thirty-five-degree bends are preferred in a more formal or traditional arrangement in hamlets and adjacent to villages.
(5) 
Whenever appropriate, street systems should produce terminal vistas of open space in accordance with the conservation emphasis of the subdivision design and to positively contribute to the Town's open space goals.
(6) 
Single-loaded streets are encouraged alongside conservation areas to provide views of the conservation lands for residents and visitors.
(7) 
Street trees may be required, depending upon the open or wooded character of the parcel, in accordance with § 120-20H of the Town Code and survivability shall be assured in accordance with § 120-16.
(8) 
A pedestrian circulation and/or trail system shall be designated and installed sufficient for the needs of residents, as deemed practical by the Planning Board.
I. 
The Town of Red Hook encourages shared or community sanitary sewage disposal systems for conservation subdivision developments. Such systems may be located in the required open space lands, provided that such areas are not paved or covered with other impervious surfaces. Sanitary sewage disposal systems of an individual nature may also be located within or extend into required open space areas. Regardless of the type of subsurface sewage disposal methods employed, all required separation distances shall be observed and the ownership and maintenance responsibilities associated therewith shall be clearly defined in agreements submitted for approval as part of the subdivision application. No application shall be approved that does not provide lot buyers with both the legal authority and the responsibility, individually or collectively, to maintain all sewage disposal facilities on a continuing basis. This may include the creation of a special district under New York State Town Law or County Law.