A. 
Location.
(1) 
All streets in the subdivision shall be designed so that they will provide safe vehicular travel. Due consideration shall also be given by the subdivider to the attractiveness of the street layout, in order to obtain the maximum livability and amenity of the subdivision. Common driveways shall not be used to provide vehicular access to lots within a subdivision if, in the opinion of the Planning Board, they are being used to circumvent the requirements of these Subdivision Regulations.
(2) 
The design and layout of the proposed subdivision shall conform, so far as is practicable, to the Development Guidelines contained in Appendix A[1] and to the Town Master Plan, in whole or in part, as adopted by the Planning Board.
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(3) 
Provision shall be made, which is satisfactory to the Planning Board, for the proper projection of streets or for access to adjoining property which is not yet subdivided or developed.
(4) 
Reserve strips prohibiting access to streets or to adjoining property shall not be permitted.
(5) 
In those instances where the Board deems it necessary, sidewalks, grass strips and curbing shall be required.
(6) 
Dead-end streets (culs-de-sac) shall be permitted as minor streets only. Dead-end streets shall not be longer than 500 feet unless, in the opinion of the Planning Board, a greater length is necessitated. Dead-end streets shall be provided at the closed end with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of at least 125 feet and a property line diameter of at least 140 feet.
B. 
Alignment.
(1) 
Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect, as near as possible, at right angles. No street shall intersect another street at less than 60°.
(2) 
Streets entering on opposite sides of another street shall be laid out directly opposite each other or with a minimum offset of 150 feet between their respective center lines.
(3) 
Minimum center-line radii will be as follows: major street, 500 feet; secondary street, 300 feet.
(4) 
Property lines at street intersections shall be cut back to provide for curb radii of not less than 30 feet.
(5) 
At 45 inches above the pavement, the minimum sight distances shall be as follows: major streets, 350 feet; secondary streets, 275 feet.
(6) 
Street jogs with center-line offsets of less than 125 feet should be avoided.
C. 
Grade. The maximum grades for streets shall be as follows: major street, 6%; and secondary street, 10%. No grade shall be less than 1%.
D. 
Width.
(1) 
The minimum width of a right-of-way shall be 55 feet. In addition, there must be at least a twenty-foot setback from any adjacent owner's property line to any edge of the right-of-way. Greater width shall be required by the Planning Board when deemed necessary for present and future vehicular travel.
(2) 
The minimum paved width of a roadway shall be 24 feet. Greater width shall be required by the Planning Board when deemed necessary for present and future vehicular travel or for parking.
(3) 
The center line of the roadway shall coincide with the center line of the right-of-way unless otherwise requested by the Board.
E. 
Adequate access from public ways.
(1) 
Where the street system within a subdivision does not connect with or have, in the opinion of the Planning Board, adequate access from a public way, the Planning Board may require, as a condition of approval, that such adequate access be provided by the subdivider, or that the subdivider make physical improvements to and within such a way in accordance with the provision of these regulations from the boundary of the subdivision to a public way.
(2) 
Where the physical condition or width of the public way from which a subdivision has its access is considered by the Planning Board to be inadequate to carry the traffic expected to be generated by such subdivision, the Planning Board may require the subdivider to dedicate a strip of land for the purpose of widening the abutting way to a width at least commensurate with that required in a subdivision, and to make physical improvements to and within such public way to the same standards required within the subdivision. Any such work performed within such public way shall be made only with the permission of the governmental agency having jurisdiction over such way, and all costs of any such widening or construction shall be borne by the subdivider.
A. 
Easements for utilities shall be at the side or rear of lots wherever possible. They shall be contiguous from lot to lot. Easements shall be at least 20 feet in width.
B. 
Where a subdivision is bisected by or adjacent to a watercourse, either natural or man-made, the Board may require that there be a stormwater or drainage easement of at least 20 feet in width to conform to the path of the watercourse and to provide for any construction related to that watercourse.
C. 
The Board may require an easement for watercourses that are not within a subdivision but may be affected by it.
D. 
The Board may also require an easement at any place it deems necessary to protect the health and safety of the inhabitants of Whately.
Due regard shall be shown for all natural features, such as large trees, watercourses, scenic points, historic spots and similar community assets which, if preserved, will add attractiveness and value to the subdivision.
Before approval of a plan, the Planning Board may also require the plan to show a park or parks suitably located for playground or recreation purposes or for providing light and air. The park or parks shall not be unreasonable in area in relation to the land being subdivided and to the prospective uses of such land. The Board may require that no building be erected upon such area until the land is either purchased by the Town or is deeded in gift to the Town or to a neighborhood civic association. This land may be held in said status for a period of three years, at which time, if the land is not deeded or purchased, it may be included in a new subdivision proposal.
A. 
The storm drainage system shall be designed to intercept all stormwater drainage from the particular subdivision or any additional runoff that may be created by that subdivision.
B. 
The Rational Method or the Natural Resources Conservation Service method shall be used in determining the quantity of stormwater to be carried by the system. The system shall be designed for a minimum twenty-five-year-storm frequency.
[Amended 11-12-2024]
C. 
Wherever possible, stormwater should be directed into the nearest part of the drainage system. Where storm drainage encroaches on privately owned land, a drainage easement shall be acquired by the developer.
D. 
Stormwater shall not be permitted to cross the surface of the roadway. It must be piped underneath.
E. 
Catch basins shall be placed on both sides of the street. They shall be placed at street intersections to intercept stormwater runoff.
F. 
The maximum distance between catch basins shall be 300 feet.
G. 
The minimum diameter of storm drainage pipes shall be 12 inches.
H. 
The method of construction and the materials used in construction shall conform to the most recent MassDOT Standards and Specifications for Highways and Bridges.
I. 
No open water body or wetland shall be filled unless in compliance with the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See MGL c. 131, § 40.
J. 
Where a portion of a subdivision lies within an aquifer recharge area, storm drainage shall be directed, when appropriate, to retention basins in order to artificially recharge the groundwater.
K. 
Leaching catch basins may be required at the option of the Board. These basins shall be at least six feet deep and four feet in diameter (inside measurements), constructed of concrete blocks or precast concrete units. Leaching basins shall be backfilled for at least one foot around all sides with 1 1/2 inches of washed stone, topped with peastone, and shall be cross-connected with a twelve-inch equalizer drainpipe. Covers on basins shall conform to industry standards.
A. 
If a subdivision is within 500 feet of the public sewerage system, the developer shall be required to connect all homes to that system according to the Town of Whately Construction Standards.
B. 
If a subdivision is within 500 feet of a planned public sewerage system or addition to that system, the developer shall be required to install laterals, according to the Town of Whately Construction Standards, in order to connect to the planned addition in the future. This requirement shall apply if the planned addition to the public sewerage system shall have been adopted at a previous Town Meeting and has been scheduled to be built no more than five years from the date of submission of a definitive plan.
C. 
The minimum diameter of public sewer pipes shall be eight inches. Laterals to single-family homes shall be four inches. Flow velocity, when full, shall be at least two feet per second but less than 15 feet per second.
D. 
All sewers shall be laid with a straight vertical and horizontal alignment and a uniform slope between manholes.
E. 
The maximum distance between manholes shall be 300 feet.
F. 
In flood-prone areas, manhole covers shall be waterproof.
G. 
Sewer pipes shall be placed deep enough to drain from residential basements and to prevent freezing. Except under special conditions, e.g., bedrock near the surface, sewer pipes shall be placed at a minimum depth of 48 inches below finished grade.
H. 
No type of storm drainage apparatus shall be connected to the sanitary sewer system.
I. 
Wherever possible, sewers shall be placed at least 10 feet from any existing or proposed water main.
J. 
Where a public sewerage system connection is not feasible, according to the above rules, a private on-site sewerage system shall be designed and constructed in conformity with Title 5 of the Sanitary Code of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and subject to the approval by and in conformity with the Town of Whately Board of Health and its rules and regulations.
Private on-lot water systems shall be located and constructed in accordance with the Board of Health regulations governing private wells in the Town of Whately[1] and in accordance with the setback and other requirements of Title 5[2] for private septic systems Such water systems shall be subject to the approval of the Town of Whately and the Whately Board of Health.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 230, Wells.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 310 CMR 15.00.