[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § I]
The following words, when used in this Part, unless the context
clearly indicates otherwise, shall be defined as follows:
The Borough of Oxford.
The Borough Council of Oxford.
The curb between any two consecutive joints.
The Engineer of the Borough of Oxford.
Parcel of ground upon which a new principal structure is
being erected or an existing principal structure is being increased
in floor area by 25% or more.
The area between the street curbline and the right-of-way
line of a street as shown on recorded subdivision plans or as established
by ordinance.
Sidewalk between any two consecutive scored joints.
As defined in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22] of the Borough of Oxford. It includes street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, expressway, thoroughfare, court, lane, alley and any other ways used or intended to be used by vehicular traffic or pedestrians, whether public or private. Included is all the land between the street right-of-way lines, whether improved or unimproved. "Streets" may comprise pavement, shoulders, gutters, sidewalks, division strips or other areas within the street right-of-way lines.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § II; as amended by Ord.
810, 12/17/2007]
1.
The grading of sidewalk areas and the construction and repairing
of sidewalks, curbs and driveway entrances along and in the streets
of the Borough shall be done by the owner or owners of the lot or
lots abutting thereon in accordance with the lines and grades shown
on recorded subdivision plans, or as established by ordinance, and
in accordance with the provisions of this Part.
2.
It shall be a violation of this Part for any person, firm, corporation
or other entity to grade any sidewalk area or construct or repair
any sidewalk, curb, driveway or driveway entrance within the Borough
except in compliance with the provisions of this Part, including the
requirements as set forth on a plan for curb, sidewalk and driveway
entrance construction details and specifications prepared SSM Group,
Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015, dated 8/4/2015, Sheets 1 through 9.
[Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
3.
Any person, firm, corporation or other entity desiring to grade any
sidewalk area or to construct or repair any sidewalk, curb or driveway
entrance shall first obtain a permit from the proper Borough official
only after the following conditions have been satisfied:
[Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
A.
The filing of a written application with said Borough official upon
such form as approved by Council, setting forth the location, purpose
and description of the improvement. The Code Enforcement Officer shall
determine if the proposed improvement complies with the construction
specifications as established by ordinance and/or as shown on SSM
Group, Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015, dated 8/4/2015, Sheets 1 through
9.
B.
The payment of an established fee in accordance with a fee schedule
adopted by resolution shall be paid to the aforesaid Borough official
at the time of filing the written application.
C.
In all cases of new construction of curb or driveway entrance, or
resetting any curb or driveway entrance, in excess of 10 feet in length,
and in the case of any other type work as specifically requested by
the applicant, the Building Inspector shall evaluate whether it is
appropriate to furnish the applicant with necessary lines and/or grades
from the Borough Engineer, the cost of which shall be paid by the
applicant to the proper Borough official prior to the issuance of
the permit.
4.
A permit shall be effective for a period of 90 days from date of
issuance and may, prior to expiration of the original or renewal period,
be renewed by the proper Borough official for a period of 90 days
upon written application and payment of a fee in an amount as established
from time to time by resolution of Borough Council by the person,
firm, corporation or other entity to whom the original permit was
issued, provided that the reference points have not been disturbed
or destroyed. When reference points have been disturbed, they shall
be reestablished at the applicant's expense.
5.
The form of application and permit shall be adopted from time to
time by Borough Council by resolution. A copy thereof shall remain
on file at the office of the Borough.
6.
All sidewalk areas shall be graded, and all sidewalks, curbs and
driveways entrances shall be constructed, reconstructed or repaired
in conformance with the hereinafter described details and specifications
adopted by Council. On neglect or refusal by the owner or owners of
the abutting lot or lots to grade any sidewalk areas, to construct,
pave, repave or repair any sidewalk, to construct, set, reset or repair
any curb or driveway entrance, within 90 days after notice to do so
from the Borough, through its proper officials, said Council shall
cause the same to be done and shall collect from said owner or owners
of the lot or lots the cost thereof as provided for in the Borough
Code.
7.
Vertical face curb shall be constructed in all areas where curbing
is required.
8.
In areas where curb and sidewalks are required, all driveway entrances
shall be of the radius curb-ramp type or the depressed curb-ramp type,
and in those areas zoned business or industrial, step-down-type entrances
shall be allowed and shall include curb ramps. In areas where curb
and sidewalk have not been required, said entrances shall be constructed
as described in this Part. See SSM Group, Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015,
dated 8/4/2015, Sheets 1 through 9.
[Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
9.
Sidewalk areas not graded, or sidewalks, curbs and driveway entrances
built subsequent to the adoption of this Part and not laid in conformity
with the provisions of this Part, and with the established grades
and lines as shown on the recorded subdivision plans, or as set forth
in an ordinance, are hereby declared to be nuisances and must be taken
up and regraded and/or relaid according to the provisions of this
Part within 90 days upon notification by Borough Council to do so.
Upon failure of said owner or owners thereof to regrade said sidewalk
area and/or relay said sidewalk, curb or driveway entrance within
the time stipulated, Borough Council shall cause the same to be done
in the manner herein provided, and Borough Council shall collect the
cost thereof from the owner or owners of the lot or lots as provided
in the Borough Code.
10.
Repairs.
A.
Sidewalks, curbs and driveway entrances which do not comply with
the most recently adopted details and specifications shall be permitted
to be repaired only in accordance with the following standards:
[Amended by Ord. No. 947-2022, 12/20/2021]
(1)
In the case of curbing, if more than 30% of any section must
be replaced, then the curb shall be sawed and the entire section replaced,
with expansion joints placed at both ends of the section. The height
of the replacement section shall match that of the adjoining sections.
(2)
In the case of concrete sidewalks, if more than 40% of the area
of any panel requires replacement, then said concrete panel shall
be replaced in its entirety; provided, however, where a portion of
such a concrete panel is removed for installation or repairs to utilities,
then the entire panel shall be replaced in its entirety.
(3)
In the area of concrete driveway entrances, if more than 40%
of the total area requires replacement, then the entire area shall
be replaced.
B.
Reconstruction or repair to existing sidewalks, if more than one
panel is to be repaired, shall match the width of the existing sidewalk
unless that width is less than four feet. Sidewalk panels less than
four feet wide will be replaced by four-foot wide panels when replacement
is necessary.
11.
Should a sidewalk, curb or driveway entrance become, in the opinion
of the Borough Council, a dangerous condition, notice shall be given
to the owner or owners of the lot or lots abutting thereon to relay
the sidewalk, curb and/or driveway entrance with the material prescribed
in the hereinafter details and specifications. Upon failure of said
owner or owners to do so within 90 days after notice from the Borough,
the Council shall cause the same to be done in the manner herein provided
and shall collect the costs thereof from the owner or owners of the
lot or lots as provided in the Borough Code.
12.
If, upon the direction of Council, the Code Enforcement Officer is
directed to verify the suitability of an existing curb or sidewalk,
the following criteria shall generally apply:
[Amended by Ord. No. 947-2022, 12/20/2021]
13.
All drains under sidewalk areas shall be installed in conformance with the hereinafter details and specifications adopted by the Borough Council. Surface gutters on sidewalk areas shall be covered by suitable material (which must be approved by the Building Inspector) to provide a level pedestrian surface, flush with adjacent paving surface. The four-inch base and five-inch concrete thickness will be maintained below the bottom of any surface gutter. See § 21-905, Subsection 3B.
14.
No materials shall be placed in the cartway area adjacent to the
curb or driveway entrances which shall in any material way impede
the flow of stormwater runoff in the cartway area of the street.
15.
When the curb or driveway entrances are constructed or repaired,
and where no cartway paving exists, all areas of excavation within
the cartway area shall be backfilled with Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation (PennDOT) No. 2A modified aggregate material to
the grade of the existing adjacent roadway. Where the cartway was
paved, the excavation shall be backfilled with PennDOT No. 2A modified
aggregate material and the base course and surface course of paving
restored in kind. The curbline shall be sealed with AC-20, eight-inch
minimum width. All other joints shall also be sealed with AC-20, four-inch
minimum width.
16.
Curbs and sidewalks shall be constructed in any new subdivision or
land development (development), any new construction area adjacent
to existing sidewalk(s) and any area which, in the opinion of Borough
Council, the safety and welfare of pedestrian traffic requires sidewalks.
17.
Curbs shall be constructed in conformance with the lines and grades established by the Borough or as approved in conformity with the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22].
18.
The owners of property abutting a sidewalk in existence shall not
remove a sidewalk without replacing such sidewalk in accordance with
the provisions of this Part.
19.
If an existing sidewalk constructed of brick is at least 2/3 in good
repair and satisfactory condition and approximates the requirements
for grade and width in this Part, that sidewalk may be repaired by
the same type of brick construction.
20.
Request to lay out sidewalk other than in a straight line or line
following the curbline to minimize damage to mature, healthy trees
or other similar landscaping elements shall be subject to the prior
approval of Borough Council.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § III]
1.
It is hereby declared unlawful for any trees, evergreens, hedges,
plants or shrubbery, other than those described in Exhibit B, attached
hereto, unless approved by the Borough, to be planted by any person,
firm, corporation or other entity in any sidewalk area, which is defined
as the area located between the curbline and the right-of-way line
as shown on recorded subdivision plans or as established by ordinance.
The Borough may from time to time have a list of other allowable trees,
shrubs or hedges.
3.
No trees or shrubbery shall be planted on any property in any manner
that, in the opinion of the Borough Council, creates a hazardous or
potentially hazardous condition.
4.
No trees, shrubbery or hedges planted adjacent to sidewalks may be
allowed to grow in such a way as to impede the use of the full width
of the sidewalk by pedestrian traffic.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § IV]
1.
All utility lines affected by the work shall be raised and/or lowered
to proper elevation. All legal requirements of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania for notification to utility owners shall be complied
with.
2.
All traffic signs and street name signs removed during construction
of concrete curb, sidewalk and/or driveway entrances shall be replaced
by the person, firm, corporation or other entity performing the construction.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § V; as amended by Ord. 810,
12/17/2007]
1.
The following specifications are shown on SSM Group, Inc., Drawing
No. 100659.2015, dated 8/4/2015, Sheets 1 through 9. This represents
the ideal situation, from which any variation must meet the following
requirements:
[Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
2.
All sidewalk grades shall conform to the curb grades except that
the area shall have a 1/4 inch ascending pitch per foot measured from
the outside curb face to the right-of-way line of the street.
3.
The outside edge of all sidewalks, in sidewalk areas having a width
of 10 feet or more, shall be set back from the street face of curb
a minimum distance of two feet, and a grassed area shall separate
the curb from the sidewalk. No grass strip shall be required in the
Central Business District. In all other areas where the sidewalk area
is less than 10 feet in width, Borough Council, by resolution, may
direct that the grassed area between the curb and sidewalk be waived
or modified or that the sidewalk width be reduced as Borough Council
may deem appropriate for the particular circumstance.
A.
All drains, rainwater conductors or roof drains which are installed
under the sidewalk shall have a maximum size of four inches inside
diameter.
(1)
Materials for drains shall be Schedule 40 polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) pipe.
(2)
Installation of such drains shall be in such a manner that the
invert of the drain shall be one inch above the invert of the gutter
flow line.
(3)
Over the top of each drain pipe that passes through the curb,
two No. 3 rebars, one-foot long and having a 15° bend in the middle,
shall be installed with end pointing down and in such a manner to
be equal distance from the drain to top of curb and also equal distance
from the face of curb and the rear of curb.
B.
All sidewalks shall be constructed of a minimum thickness of four
inches of 3,000 pound concrete after 28 days curing time with air
retaining equivalent to 5% plus or minus 1%, with the exception of
areas being used as driveways, which shall have a minimum thickness
of eight inches. All sidewalks shall have a four-inch base of clean
3/4-inch crushed stone (AASHTO No. 57 or PennDOT No. 2B). Expansion
joints shall consist of a 1/2 inch preformed, nonextruding, resilient
bituminous joint filler to be placed the full depth of the sidewalk
every 20 feet, and scored joints shall be placed every five feet.
(1)
Areas of sidewalks that fall within the limits of a commercial
driveway shall have a minimum thickness of eight inches and shall
have an appropriate amount of reinforcing steel installed to handle
the anticipated loading requirements.
(2)
Sidewalk constructed as above may be overlaid with any suitable
surface material listed in Exhibit C. The resulting surface must be
sufficiently smooth to not impair the safety and welfare of pedestrian
traffic.
4.
Except as hereinafter provided, all driveways shall be constructed
as indicated on SSM Group, Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015, dated 8/4/2015,
Sheets 1 through 9, and have a sidewalk surface of the same grade
and width as previously described. [Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
A.
The maximum permitted driveway entrance widths, measured at the right-of-way
line, are as follows:
(1)
For one-car residential garage: 12 feet.
(2)
For two-or-more-car residential garage: 20 feet.
(3)
For business, commercial or industrial driveways: 36 feet.
(a)
Minimum curb radius for serving one- and two-family dwellings
shall be five feet with a maximum radius of 20 feet. The minimum curb
radius for serving multiple-family dwellings shall be 10 feet with
a maximum radius of 30 feet. The minimum and maximum curb radius for
business, commercial or industrial shall be 15 feet and 30 feet, respectively.
Exact radius is to be subject to the approval of the Borough Engineer.
(b)
All driveways to be used for business, commercial or industrial
uses shall be constructed with reinforcing steel of a design adequate
to handle the proposed loading, and said design shall be subject to
the approval of the Borough Engineer.
(c)
Step-down driveway entrances shall include curb cut ramps as
noted on the attached drawing.
B.
All driveways shall be constructed as follows:
(1)
Radius curb, depressed curb and step-down type driveways shall
have the outside edge raised 1 3/4 inches above the flow line
of the gutter.
(2)
Radius curb and depressed curb driveways shall have a straight
slope from the rear of the curb to the outside edge of the sidewalk.
(3)
All driveways located within the right-of-way of public streets
shall have a minimum of four-inch depth of clean 3/4-inch crushed
stone (AASHTO No. 57 or PennDOT No. 2B).
(4)
All concrete used on driveways within the right-of-way of public
streets shall have an ultimate strength of 3,000 psi at 28 days containing
5% plus or minus 1% air by volume.
(5)
All driveways shall have a finish equivalent to that of the
adjoining sidewalk, while the finish for curb radius depressed curb
shall be the same as adjoining curbing.
(6)
All driveways shall be constructed with appropriate reinforcing
steel as noted on the drawing.
5.
Except as provided otherwise in this Part, all concrete curbing shall
be constructed as follows:
A.
All curbing, unless otherwise allowed by Council, shall be constructed
with a vertical face and shall comply with the Vertical Curb Detail
specifications shown on SSM Group, Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015,
dated August 4, 2015, Sheet No. 8.
[Amended by Ord. No. 947-2022, 12/20/2021]
B.
If appropriate, the contractor may request permission to construct
curbing using slip-form methods. Such request shall be submitted to
the Borough, in writing, outlining the proposed details of the construction.
Slip-form construction methods vary from standard poured-in-place
curb construction in the following ways:
(1)
Top of curb width may be reduced to seven inches.
(2)
The curb depth may be reduced to 18 inches.
(3)
The contractor shall maintain a minimum of four inches between
the bottom of the eighteen-inch form and the subgrade.
(4)
The four-inch stone base may be waived, assuming an adequate
subgrade is present and verified by the Borough Inspector prior to
construction.
C.
Materials for construction of concrete curbing shall be as follows:
All concrete curbing shall be constructed of a four-inch depth of
clean 3/4-inch crushed stone (AASHTO No. 57 or PennDOT No. 2B). The
concrete shall have a 3,000 psi compressive strength when cured for
28 days with an air entrainment equivalent of 5% plus or minus 1%.
No concrete shall be poured in freezing conditions without the approval
of the Borough Engineer. Expansion joints shall consist of one-half-inch
premolded, nonextruding, resilient bituminous joint fill to be used
for the entire depth of the curb, at a distance of 20 feet with scored
joints every 10 feet. For slipform curb (4,000 pounds per square inch
minimum) expansion joints may be installed every 60 feet.
D.
Smooth rubbed finish for curbing, sidewalk and driveway entrances
shall be produced on newly hardened concrete no later than the day
following form removal. Surfaces shall be wetted and rubbed with Carborundum
brick or other abrasive until uniform color and texture are produced
and/or until all visible voids have been eliminated. No cement grout
shall be used other than the cement paste drawn from the concrete
itself by the rubbing process. Immediately after finishing, all concrete
shall be cured by using either an approved, impervious, light-colored
plastic covering placed and maintained in contact with the concrete
surface or an approved, impervious, light-colored liquid curing compound
sprayed on the concrete surface. The curing shall be continued for
at least five days.
E.
The Borough Engineer or Borough Inspector may reject any concrete
sidewalks, curbs and driveway entrances which do not conform to the
requirements of this Part or the generally accepted standards of the
American Concrete Institute.
7.
Curb cut ramps shall be placed at all new or reconstructed street
and/or step-down driveway intersections and constructed in accordance
with all federal and state requirements and according to SSM Group,
Inc., Drawing No. 100659.2015, dated 8/4/2015, Sheets 1 through 9.
Borough Council may, for good reason, grant a waiver of the installation
of curb cut ramps or grant a waiver of design criteria at its discretion.
Materials used shall be as previously specified under curb and sidewalk
specifications of this Part. [Amended by Ord. 893, 3/21/2016]
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § VI]
Any person, firm, corporation or other entity applying for any
permit under this Part shall indemnify the Borough against all liability
of whatever nature, excepting only that of the Borough, arising during
the performance of work for which a permit is granted, whether or
not said liability arises as a result of the negligence of the person,
firm, corporation or other entity to whom the permit was issued.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § VII; as amended by Ord.
810, 12/17/2007]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision
of this Part, upon conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay a
fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment
of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30
days. Each day that a violation of this Part continues shall constitute
a separate offense.
[Ord. 702, 2/20/1995, § VIII]
Insofar as reasonably practical, the provisions of this Part shall be interpreted to be an extension or modification of existing ordinances, particularly the provisions of Part 7 of this chapter of the Code of the Borough of Oxford. In the event that the provisions of this Part are inconsistent and cannot be interpreted with the provisions of other ordinances as provided for above, the more restrictive ordinance provision or provisions shall prevail and any inconsistent provision shall be deemed to have been repealed hereby.
