Sites to be developed shall be of such character that they can
be safely used for building purposes without danger to the public
health or safety or peril from fire, flood or other causes. New development
shall be compatible with the rural, small town character of the community.
The Planning Board's review of site plans shall include (as
applicable) the following:
A. Location, arrangement, size, design and general site compatibility
of buildings, lighting and signs;
B. Adequacy and arrangement of vehicular traffic access and circulation,
including intersections, road widths, pavement surfaces, dividers
and traffic controls;
C. Location, arrangement, appearance and sufficiency of off-street parking;
D. Adequacy of snow storage, stormwater and drainage facilities;
E. Adequacy of water supply and sewage disposal facilities.
F. Adequacy of site design for fire protection;
G. Adequacy and arrangement of pedestrian access;
H. Compatibility with and protection of adjacent uses;
I. Consideration of aesthetics in the project design; and
J. Reduction of potential nuisances such as noise, smoke and glare.
In general, sites to be developed should avoid areas where the
following conditions are present:
B. Bedrock less than five feet from the surface and areas of frequent
rock outcrops;
C. Areas of high groundwater (seasonal or permanent);
D. Soils with excessively slow or fast percolation;
F. Regulated freshwater wetlands (New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers).
To help ensure that new development is compatible with the rural,
small town character of the Town, the Planning Board shall apply the
following design guidelines to its review of site plans:
A. Whenever feasible, retain and reuse old farm roads and country lanes
instead of constructing new roads and driveways;
B. Whenever feasible, new buildings should be placed at the edges of
fields or in cleared areas next to fields instead of in the middle
of fields. Septic systems and leach fields, however, may be located
in fields;
C. Unless buildings are designed traditionally and located close to
the road in the manner historically found in rural areas and small
towns, use existing vegetation and topography to buffer and screen
them;
D. Minimize clearing of vegetation;
E. Whenever feasible, situate parking lots to the side and rear of buildings;
and
F. Lighting should be designed and arranged so as to minimize glare
on adjacent properties and onto public places.
Site plan approval should be conditional upon the applicant(s)
obtaining any necessary curb-cut permits. In addition, site plans
should comply (if applicable) with the following site access guidelines:
A. Access drives shall be constructed and maintained so as to provide
for year-round access;
B. In cases where sites have frontage on more than one road, the principal
point of access shall be from the secondary road (whenever feasible);
C. Driveways shall be combined (whenever feasible) to minimize the number
of access points onto roadways;
D. There shall be a maximum to two driveway entrances per developed
lot;
E. No driveway center line shall intersect a street line less than 70
feet from the intersection of any two roadways; and
F. Driveway grade and width shall be such that adequate and safe access
is provided for emergency and service vehicles during all seasons.