Pursuant to the authority vested in the Conway Planning Board by the voters of the Town of Conway and in accordance with the provisions of RSA Ch. 236, and Chs. 672 through 677, and subsequent amendments, and the Condominium Act of 1977 (RSA Ch. 356-B), the Planning Board adopts the following regulations governing the subdivision of land in the Town of Conway, New Hampshire.
The purpose of these regulations shall be to promote the development of an economically sound and stable community by protecting property values, the natural beauty and environment which provides the primary basis for the Town's tourist economy and the unique character of the area and residents; by encouraging subdivision that is in harmony, visually and aesthetically, with rural living and a recreational economy based on our natural resources; by preventing such scattered or premature subdivision of land as would involve danger or injury to health, safety or prosperity by reason of the lack of water supply, drainage, sewage disposal, transportation or other public services or necessitate excessive expenditure of public funds for the supply of such services; to assure the adequate provision of safe and convenient traffic access and circulation, both vehicular and pedestrian, through proper arrangement and coordination of streets and ways within a subdivision in relation to other planned streets; to promote the amenities of the Town through provisions for parks, playgrounds and other recreation areas, preservation of trees and natural or historic features; and secure equitable handling of all subdivision plans by providing uniform procedures and standards for observance, both of the subdivider and the Planning Board.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AASHTO
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
ABUTTER
Any person whose property is located in New Hampshire or Maine and adjoins or is directly across the street or stream from the land under consideration by the Planning Board. For purposes of receiving testimony only, and not for the purposes of notification, the term "abutter" shall include any person who is able to demonstrate that his land will be directly affected by the proposal under consideration. For the purposes of receipt of notification, in the case of an abutting property being under a condominium or other collective form of ownership, the term "abutter" means the officers of the collective or association, as defined in RSA 356-B:3, XXIII.
ACCESS ROAD
A private road or private roads for a subdivision, which provide ingress and egress for owners of lots or dwelling units in a subdivision to a public road. A network of private roads merging or interconnected so as to permit only one entry to a public road shall be construed as one access road.
AGGREGATE BASE
The layer of crushed gravel immediately below the pavement and above the aggregate subbase.
AGGREGATE SUBBASE
The layer of gravel immediately below the aggregate base and above subgrade.
APPROVAL
Recognition by the Planning Board, certified by written endorsement on the plat, that the final plat submission meets the requirements of these regulations and all other applicable ordinances and regulations.
APPROVAL, CONDITIONAL
An expression by the Planning Board that the preliminary layout appears to satisfy all requirements established herein for the preliminary layout submission phase. Conditional approval does not constitute, nor should it be construed as, approval, either implied or granted, of the final plat; nor does it bind the Planning Board to approval of the final plat; nor does it allow for the issuance of any municipal building permit; nor does it allow for any commencement of construction or development.
ARTERIAL ROADS
Major roads carrying traffic from collector and local roads and providing a means of travel from one part of Town to another.
AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC
An estimate of the daily volume of traffic utilizing a street. The value shall be determined by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and will be no less than eight trips per household in residential areas.
BOARD
The Planning Board of the Town of Conway, New Hampshire.
BOUNDARY (LOT) LINE ADJUSTMENTS
The exchange of abutting land among two or more owners, which does not increase the number of owners or the number of lots and does not create a nonconforming lot or add to the degree of nonconformity of existing lots.
BUILDING
Any combination of any materials, whether portable, movable or fixed, having a roof and enclosed within exterior walls built to form a structure.
BUILD OUT
Is intended to mean that point in time when all approved lots and/or units along a street have been completed and occupied.
COLLECTOR ROADS
Roads which service a number of local roads and/or convey traffic to/from arterial roads.
COMMON FILL
Earth material from either on-site or off-site that is free from frozen material, foreign debris, clay pockets, peat, organic matter, perishable rubbish and other deleterious materials. Material shall contain no rocks larger than half the compacted thickness of each lift, with a maximum rock of six inches; rocks shall be removed as required.
CROWN
The high point in the road cross-section, typically at the center of the road unless superelevated.
CURB
The granite edging of a sidewalk or paved street.
CURB RADIUS
That radius which pavement must obtain when a street flares into an intersection.
DEAD-END STREET
A minor street with entrance and exit at the same end. Such streets have a cul-de-sac at the end of the street. Dead-end streets are a type of local street.
DRAINAGE
All drainage systems, catch basins, drains, ditches, culverts, pipes, mains and other similar structures.
DRIVEWAY
An area located on a lot, tract or parcel of land and built for access to a garage or off-street parking space, serving not more than two lots, tracts or parcels of land. Driveways may be allowed for access to parking areas in unit subdivisions containing single-family, duplex and multifamily residential structures, provided that such driveways and parking areas shall meet commercial standards and such driveways may be a maximum of 200 feet in length.
[Amended 5-14-2020]
DWELLING
A building containing a dwelling unit or dwelling units.
DWELLING UNIT
One or more rooms arranged for the use of one or more individuals living as a single housekeeping unit, with cooking, living, sanitary and sleeping facilities.
EASEMENT
That land area created through authorization by a property owner for the use by another and for a specified purpose of any designated portion of his property.
EMBANKMENT
Generally common fill between the grubbed ground surface and subgrade.
ENGINEER
The Town Engineer, consultant or advisor, duly designated by the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen or their appointed agent.
FINAL PLAT
The final drawing or drawings on which the subdivider's plan of subdivision is indicated, prepared as required under the provisions of §§ 130-24 and 130-25.
FLOOD
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of streams or rivers or abnormally rising lake waters resulting from severe storms.
FLOODPLAIN, ONE-HUNDRED-YEAR
A land area adjoining a river, stream, watercourse, bay or lake which is likely to be flooded once every 100 years or has a one-percent chance of occurring each year as designated in Chapter 190, Zoning, of the Conway Code.
GRADE
The slope of a road, channel or natural ground.
HEADWALL
A structure protecting the exposed ends of drainage structures from erosion and directing the flow of water into the structure. Headwalls for road culverts are typically required to be constructed of reinforced concrete, mortared stone or granite slabs. Headwalls for driveway culverts may also consist of prefabricated end-sections with toe plate extensions.
HEALTH OFFICER
The Health Officer of the Town of Conway, New Hampshire.
INTERSECTION
That location where more than one street intersects. In no case shall more than two streets meet at an intersection.
INVERT
The elevation at which the bottom of a pipe is to be set.
LIMITS OF ROADBED
That area which the travel way, shoulders, sidewalks, ditches and slope grading encompass.
LOCAL ROAD
Roads that provide access to dwellings and businesses.
LOT
A parcel of land or any part thereof designated on a plat to be filed with the Register of Deeds by its owner or owners as a separate lot. For purposes of these regulations, a lot shall have boundaries identical to those recorded with the Register of Deeds.
LOT LINE
The property line dividing a lot from a street, right-of-way, a body of water or adjacent property.
LOT SIZE
The total horizontal land area within the boundaries of a lot, exclusive of any land area designated for street purposes.
MASTER PLAN
The Comprehensive Plan or plan of development for the municipality, as defined in RSA 674:2.
PARKING SPACE
An off-street space for exclusive use as a parking area for one motor vehicle, with a minimum size of nine feet by 18 feet to conform to Chapter 110, Site Plan Review, of the Conway Code.
PAVEMENT
Hot-laid bituminous pavement.
PLAT
A map or representation of land subdivided into lots, which shows the planned or mapped lines of future streets, street extensions, street widenings or street narrowings.
PRIVATE ROAD
Any road which has not been accepted as a Town road by the Town of Conway.
RIGHT-OF-WAY (ROW)
A general term denoting land, property or interest therein, usually in a strip, acquired for or devoted to transportation purposes.
ROAD
A public way designated for purposes of vehicular travel or vehicular and pedestrian travel, including the entire area within the right-of-way, avenues, boulevards, highways, streets and all other ways.
SEDIMENT
Solid material, both mineral and organic, that is in suspension, is being transported or has been moved from its site of origin by air, water or gravity as a product of erosion.
SHOULDER
That portion of a roadway between the edge of the wearing course and the top of the foreslope of a ditch or fill slope.
SIDEWALK
That portion of a street between the curblines, or the lateral lines of a roadway, and the adjacent property lines intended for use of pedestrians.
SIGHT DISTANCE, MINIMUM
That distance, achieved for both vertical and horizontal curves, at which a driver, whose eyes are at a height of 3 1/2 feet above the road surface, can see an object 1/2 foot in height on the road.
SITE
That portion of a lot, tract or parcel of land upon which a structure is placed, including all physical improvements.
SLOPE
The steepness of land surface. Slope is expressed as a percent by dividing the change in elevation by a given horizontal distance and multiplying by 100%.
SOIL TYPE
As defined by the Soil Survey of Carroll County, New Hampshire or as found by an on-site inspection by a soil scientist.
STREET
A state highway or a highway, road, avenue, lane and/or any other way which exists for vehicular travel, exclusive of a driveway serving not more than two adjacent lots or units. The word "street" shall include the entire right-of-way.[1]
SUBDIVIDER
The owner of record of the land to be subdivided, including any subsequent owner of record making any subdivision of such land or any part thereof, or the agent of any such owner.
SUBDIVISION
The division of a lot, tract or parcel of land into two or more lots, plats, sites or other divisions of land for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale, rent, lease, condominium conveyance or building development. It includes resubdivision and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the land or territory subdivided. The division of a parcel of land held in common and subsequently divided into parts among the several owners shall be deemed a subdivision. A boundary (lot) line adjustment shall be deemed a subdivision.
SUBGRADE
The elevation to which the embankment must be brought up prior to the installation of aggregate base.
TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION
As there is a wide variation of existing slopes in this region, streets must be designed to work with the existing topography. The terrain classification is representative of the existing topography of the area on which a street is to be constructed. The existing grade is measured perpendicular to the existing contours, averaged over a distance of approximately 1,000 feet centered on the road. When a question arises as to which classification a street should be, the Planning Board shall make the final determination.
A. 
LEVELExisting grades of 0% to 8%.
B. 
ROLLINGExisting grades of 8.1% to 15%.
C. 
HILLYExisting grades of more than 15%.
UNSUITABLE MATERIALS
Those materials which tend to deteriorate a street if left in place, such as loam, peat, vegetative or organic matter, roots, stumps, boulders, ledge, clay, muck and other material deemed unsuitable by the Town in the field.
VALUATION
As per the assessment records of the Town of Conway, factored up to 100% value.
[1]
Editor's Note: The definitions of "street, arterial," "street, collector" and "street, local," which immediately followed this definition, were repealed 4-11-2017 ATM by Art. 29.