In all land developments and subdivisions developed after the
effective date of this chapter, certain improvements shall be installed
in accordance with design specifications set forth herein. Whenever
the Township standards, in applicable zoning ordinances, building
codes, road ordinances, or other ordinances, resolutions, or regulations
require standards that exceed these minimum standards, those Township
standards shall apply. Whenever the standards of this chapter exceed
those of the other municipal ordinances, the standards of this chapter
shall apply.
The following general standards shall apply to all types of
development. The Township will study the following factors affecting
the suitability of a proposed subdivision or land development:
A. Land deemed by the Township to be uninhabitable for any reason shall
not be planned for residential occupancy, nor for such other uses
as may increase danger to heath, life, property or groundwater, but
such land within a plan shall be set aside for such uses as will not
endanger life, property, or further aggravate or increase the existing
menace.
B. Areas characterized by steep slopes (slopes generally greater than
20%) geologic formations, sinkholes, wetlands, or other such features
which restrict the usability of the land shall not be subdivided or
developed.
C. In determining the suitability of land for subdivision, the Township
shall refer to applicable studies by the County Planning Commission,
state, and federal agencies, including the soil survey prepared by
the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
D. The layout or arrangement of the subdivision or land development
shall conform to the Blair County Comprehensive Plan, and to any regulations
or maps adopted in furtherance thereof. In addition, the layout or
arrangement of the subdivision or land development shall conform to
any local level comprehensive plan or other applicable ordinances
which may exist.
E. Where evidence indicates that the minimum lot size requirements specified
in other sections of this chapter or in any applicable zoning ordinance
are not adequate to permit the installation of individual on-lot water
and/or sewerage disposal facilities, along with an area to be set
aside for a replacement sewage absorption bed, the Township shall
require that the Township Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) or the
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) make such tests as are
necessary to determine the adequacy of the proposed facilities in
relation to the provisions of the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act
537, as amended, plus other applicable state or local regulations.
The Township shall review and shall make a final determination on
the adequacy of the proposed facility.
F. No subdivision showing reserve strips controlling the access to public
ways will be approved, except where the control and disposal of the
land comprising such strips are definitely placed within the jurisdiction
of the Township under agreement meeting the approval of the Township.
G. Lot lines shall, where possible, follow municipal and county boundary
lines rather than cross them.
H. All subdivisions and land developments shall be designed in accordance
with recommendations received from the Township Engineer.
All subdivision or development of land requiring a driveway shall be in accordance with Chapter
211, Driveways, as amended.
Streetlights. At the discretion of the Township Supervisors,
streetlights may be required to be installed by the developer. The
developer shall be responsible for making the necessary arrangements
with the applicable agencies, and whether or not streetlights are
initially installed, the developer shall be responsible for providing
utility easements for future streetlighting installations.
Within the Township, the width and area of lots shall be no
less than provided in any application or ordinance. Insofar as it
is practical, side lot lines should be right angles to straight street
lines or radial to curved street lines. Lot lines should tend to follow
municipal boundaries rather than cross them in order to avoid interjurisdictional
problems.
A. Frontage. All lots shall meet the following frontage requirements:
(1) All lots shall front upon a public street existing or proposed;
(2) Double or reverse frontage lots shall be avoided except where required
to provide separation of residential development from major streets
or to overcome specific topographic problems.
(3) A maximum of four lots can use a shared driveway.
(4) The maximum number of lots permitted to have frontage on a turnaround
of a cul-de-sac is four.
B. Size. All lots shall meet the following minimum requirements:
(1) Each lot shall front a minimum of 15 feet upon a public street and
extending back therefrom at a minimum width of 15 feet, so as to provide
each such lot, tract or parcel of land with access, which is used
solely and exclusively for ingress, egress and regress from such lot,
tract or parcel of land to such public street.
(2) In all sections of the Township not served by public sanitary sewer
nor public water facilities, each lot shall have a minimum width of
150 feet at the building line and a minimum area of 43,560 square
feet. In addition, in sections of the Township requiring the utilization
of on-lot sewage disposal, the minimum lot size shall be large enough
to accommodate the original absorption bed, and a tested, preserved,
and reserved area for a replacement absorption bed.
(3) In all sections of the Township served by either public water supply
or public sewerage, each lot shall have a minimum width of 100 feet
at the building line and at least 21,780 square feet in area per single-family
dwelling, not less than 12,000 square feet in area per living unit
for duplex dwellings with a width of not less than 75 feet at the
building line, and not less than 7,500 square feet in area per living
unit for row houses and apartments.
(4) In all sections of the Township served by both public water supply
and public sewerage, each lot shall have a minimum width of 75 feet
at the building line and a minimum area of 9,000 square feet.
(5) Corner lots for residential use shall have a width at the building
setback line of at least 20% greater than the aforementioned required
widths to permit appropriate building set back from and orientation
to both streets, providing that corner lot width need not exceed 100
feet.
C. Setback lines. Structures built on lots shall meet the following
setback lines depending upon the availability of public water and
sanitary sewer service. In all sections of the Township served by
sanitary sewer and public water facilities, structures shall be constructed
no closer than 35 feet from front, 15 feet from side, and 25 feet
from rear property lines. In sections lacking public water and/or
sanitary sewer service, setbacks shall be adequate to permit the proper
installation and functioning of such systems, and be at least the
depth of those for lots having public water and sewer service. Accessory
structures with a maximum area of 200 square feet and a maximum height
of 12 feet can be placed within the side or rear setback providing
that the structure is placed no closer than eight feet to any property
line.
The following shall apply to easements within all subdivisions:
A. Drainage easements with a minimum width of 15 feet shall be provided
along all lot lines, interior and exterior. Easements for sanitary
sewer and water systems shall be as prescribed by the applicable municipal
authority. No structures or trees shall be placed within such easements.
B. Emphasis shall be placed upon the location of easements centered
on or adjacent to side and rear lot lines.
C. Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel,
or stream, there shall be provided a drainage easement conforming
substantially with the watercourse, drainageway, channel, stream or
floodway boundary. Unless otherwise specified, the boundary of the
floodway is as indicated on maps and flood insurance studies provided
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In an area where
no FEMA maps or studies have defined the boundary of the one-hundred-year
floodway, it is to be assumed, absent evidence to the contrary, that
the floodway extends from the stream to 50 feet from the top of bank
of stream.
D. There shall be a minimum distance of 100 feet, measured in the shortest
distance between each proposed dwelling unit and any petroleum products
or natural gas transmission, high pressure line, or high tension electric
line which may traverse the subdivision.
In reviewing subdivision plans, the Township will consider the
adequacy of existing or proposed community facilities to serve the
additional dwelling units proposed by the subdivision. The reservation
of land for community facilities will be requested when appropriate;
therefore, the subdivider shall give earnest consideration to reserving
land for parks, playground, churches, schools, and other community
facilities. If a facility of this type has been planned by any group
or agency in any area that is to be subdivided, the subdivider shall
ascertain from such organization whether or not it plans to use the
site.
The following public utilities, when required, shall meet the
indicated standards below:
A. Water. Where public water lines are required in a new subdivision,
they shall be in conformity with the Areawide Water Plan for Blair
County and any applicable water plans developed for the entity providing
the service in which the proposed subdivision is located. Whenever
the entity providing the service has no standards, or has standards
below those of the Department of Environmental Protection, the standards
of the Department of Environmental Protection shall apply.
B. Sanitary sewer. Where public sewer lines are required in a new subdivision,
they shall be in conformity with the Areawide Sewer Plan for Blair
county and any applicable sewer plans developed for the municipality
in which the proposed subdivision is located. The design specifications
of all sewer lines installed shall meet the minimum standards set
forth by the entity providing the service. Whenever the entity providing
the service has no standards, or has standards below those of the
Department of Environmental Protection, the standards of the Department
of Environmental Protection shall apply.
C. On-lot sewage disposal. Where it is found necessary and feasible
to rely upon on-lot systems for sewage disposal, the on-lot sewage
disposal system shall meet the minimum requirements and standards
of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Within
Blair Township, these provisions of Act 537 are administered by the Township's SEO.
D. Storm sewers. Where storm sewers are required in a new subdivision,
they shall be in conformity with any applicable stormwater management
or storm sewer plans developed for the Township and/or the minimum
standards set forth by the Township Engineer.
All subdivision or development of land shall be in accordance with Chapter
338, Stormwater Management, of the Code of the Township of Blair, as amended.
The following standards shall apply to lot grading for subdivision
and land developments:
A. Blocks and individual lots shall be graded to provide proper drainage
away from buildings and to prevent the collection of stormwater in
pools. Minimum 2% slopes away from structures shall be required.
B. A grading and drainage plan shall be required for all subdivisions
and land developments, except minor subdivisions. Lot grading shall
be:
(1) Designed as to carry surface waters to the nearest practical street,
storm drain, or natural watercourse. Where drainage swales are used
to deliver surface waters away from buildings, their grade shall not
be less than 1%. These swales shall be sodded, planted or lined in
accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Erosion and Sediment Control Program Manual, April 1990, as amended
or superseded.
(2) Proposed contouring shall be provided for all detention/retention
areas. Other contouring shall be provided as necessary to depict the
proposed grading where typical sections and standard details are inadequate.
Lot grading shall be consistent with stormwater management controls contained in Chapter
338, Stormwater Management.
C. No final grading shall be permitted with a cut face steeper in slope
than two horizontal to one vertical except under one or more of the
following conditions:
(1) The material in which the excavation is made is sufficiently stable
to sustain a slope of steeper than two horizontal to one vertical,
and a written statement of a civil engineer licensed by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania and experienced in erosion control to that effect
is submitted to and accepted by the Township Engineer. The statement
shall state that the site has been inspected and that the deviation
from the slope specified hereinbefore will not result in injury to
persons or damage to property.
(2) A retaining wall will be provided according to sound engineering
standards from which plans are submitted to the Blair Township Engineer
for review and acceptance.
D. No final grading shall be permitted which creates any fill surface
steeper in slope than three horizontal to one vertical except under
one or more of the following conditions:
(1) The fill is located so that settlement, sliding or erosion will not
result in property damage or be hazardous to adjoining property, streets,
alleys, or buildings.
(2) A written statement from a civil engineer, licensed by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania and experienced in slope stability, certifying that
he has inspected the site and the proposed deviation from the slope
specified above will not endanger any property or result in property
damage, is submitted to and accepted by the Township Engineer.
(3) A wall is constructed to support the face of the fill.
E. The top or bottom edge of slopes shall be a minimum of three feet
from property or right-of-way lines of streets or alleys in order
to permit the normal rounding of the edge without encroaching on the
abutting property. All property lines, where walls or slopes are steeper
than one horizontal to one vertical and five feet or more in height
shall be protected by a protective fence or suitable barrier no less
than three feet in height accepted by the Township Engineer.
F. All lots must be kept free of any debris or nuisances whatsoever.
All subdivision or development of land within any designated floodplain shall be in accordance with Chapter
227, Floodplain Management, of the Code of the Township of Blair, as amended.