A. 
The design of the subdivision shall be such that it preserves the scenic and environmental character of the town. Due regard shall be made to enhance views and preserve wetlands, as well as protect large trees, stonewalls, historic spots and similar community assets, which, if preserved, will add attractiveness and value to the subdivision and town.
B. 
All subdivisions shall be designed to blend harmoniously into and alongside existing neighborhoods. No change shall me made in existing topography, as a result of the proposed subdivision, which adversely affects any land abutting the proposed subdivision. Pervious areas disturbed by construction of the subdivision will be loamed; hydro seeded and re-vegetated to prevent erosion upon completion of subdivision improvements. Reference is made to Northbridge's "Best Development Practices Guidebook" dated December 2009.
C. 
Construction review.
(1) 
The ways shall be constructed and municipal services installed in the subdivision in accordance with the following specific requirements and shall be subject to construction review. The Planning Board may select one of the following methods of construction review:
(a) 
Inspections shall be made by appropriate local officials and/or a professional engineer hired by the Board. An inspection is required after the completion of each stage of construction. Written approval by said individuals must be submitted to the Board prior to beginning the next construction phase.
(b) 
If the town has the available personnel, the Board may require that a town employee be provided to act as an on-site inspection to secure the construction of the infrastructure.
(c) 
In detailing with large-scale projects, the Board may require that an independent clerk-of-the-works be hired.
(2) 
Regardless of which of the above-mentioned methods of review is selected by the Planning Board, the cost shall be borne by the developer. An agreement specifying the method chosen and the responsibility of both parties involved shall be in place prior to the commencement of any construction on the site.
D. 
In each subdivision the ways shall be constructed and municipal services installed in accordance with the following specific requirements:
(1) 
No street or way through private property shall be accepted by the town unless the same was previously constructed and completed in accordance with the approved plan. Prior to the commencement of the construction phase of development, a preconstruction conference between the Planning Board and/or their agent and the developer and/or his agent shall be held to be sure that all requirements herein are understood and will be met.
(2) 
Unless otherwise specified, all of the work and all of the materials used in the work to be done shall conform to the requirements of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Highway Department, Standard Specifications for Highways, Bridges and Waterways, 1995 Edition, as amended, hereinafter referred to as the "standard specifications," as amended, and the special provision included herein.
(3) 
Wherever in the standard specifications or other contractual documents the following terms or pronouns in place of them are used, the intent and meaning shall be interpreted by substitution as follows:
COMMONWEALTH
The Town of Northbridge.
DEPARTMENT
The Department of Public Works and Board of Selectmen of Northbridge.
ENGINEER
The Planning Board of the Town of Northbridge acting directly or through an authorized representative; such representative acting within the scope of the particular duties entrusted to him/her.
(4) 
The extent of work required shall be shown upon the approved plans and in compliance with the standard cross section plans. Stakes shall be set which will indicate the exact amount of cut and fill.
(5) 
Offset stakes shall be set under the direction of a registered land surveyor at fifty-foot intervals and at each sewerage and drainage structure and at each hydrant to indicate the location and the exact amount of cut, fill or grade.
(6) 
Improvements to minimize adverse environmental impact, if required, shall be installed in accordance with all details as shown on the approved definitive plan, and all possible measures shall be taken during construction to minimize dust and erosion.
(7) 
No earth shall be removed from the area shown on a definitive plan except in accordance with the approved plan.
(8) 
As each construction operation is completed, it shall be inspected. (See § 222-20A.)
The construction of the drainage system, including methods of construction and quality of materials used, shall be in conformity with the definitive plan, and the details shall conform to the details of the Massachusetts Highway Department specifications. In particular, all catch basins shall be constructed of brick (either clay or concrete) or of cement concrete or of cement concrete blocks laid in mortar and plastered on the outside, with standard D-frames and grates, unless cascade grates are called for. Granite or concrete headwalls should be installed where required by the Director of Public Works. A granite-mouth curb is to be furnished and set as directed by the Director of Public Works. All catch basins shall have an inside diameter of at least four feet and shall be constructed to a minimum depth of two feet below the invert of the outflow pipe. Joints of all drain pipes shall be sealed unless open joints are specifically approved by the Director of Public Works. Where the pipes are of reinforced concrete, there shall be a minimum cover of two feet and, where not reinforced, a minimum cover of 3 1/2 feet to finished grade.
The water system shall be installed in accordance with the definitive plan with the approval of the Director of Public Works.
The sewerage system shall be installed in accordance with the approved definitive plan and shall be in conformance with the rules and regulations of the Director of Public Works and the Sewer Superintendent.
A. 
All water mains and laterals within the exterior lines of the street shall be installed at least five feet below the finished grade.
B. 
In rock, clay or peat excavation, trenches shall be excavated to a depth of six inches or below the bottom of any water pipe, storm drain or sewer line and filled with suitable base materials (select gravel or 2 1/2 inch traprock, as is found to be necessary.
C. 
All water pipes, storm drains and/or sewers and any gas mains or underground light and power conduits shall be installed in the street prior to completion of the roadway foundation. This includes the installation of service pipes and conduits to the front lot line of each residential lot shown in the subdivision.
D. 
All storm drains, sewers, culverts, manholes, water mains and laterals, shut-off valves and hydrants shall be inspected prior to any backfilling of trenches or other covering of structures.
E. 
Following such inspection, the fill material shall be carefully placed around the structures and rammed and compacted to a depth of one foot before completing the filling.
A. 
The roadway shall be graded and prepared for pavement as follows:
(1) 
No building permits shall be issued for any lot in a subdivision until the roadway serving said lot has a base coat which has been completed to the satisfaction of the Planning Board and the Director of Public Works and the drainage system is operating at the base coat level.
(2) 
A construction schedule shall be presented to the Director of Public Works, Planning Board and the Town Planner prior to the commencement of any work, and adequate notification must be given prior to each work phase.
(3) 
Clearing and grubbing of the entire area of such street or way shall be performed to remove all trees not intended for preservation, stumps, brush, rocks, boulders and the like material which may exist on the surface.
(4) 
Roadway earth excavation shall remove all materials encountered down to the true surface of the subgrade [see Subsection A (6) below] or to suitable material in the areas where unsuitable materials exists in preparation for the foundation of roadway, sidewalks, driveways and berms. Material obtained from the excavation of the site may be used in fills as required if, in the opinion of the Board in conjunction with the Director of Public Works, it is deemed suitable.
(5) 
When, in the opinion of the Board and the Director of Public Works, suitable materials is not available within the limits of the roadway location to form the subgrade or subbase, the contractor shall obtain such additional material from other sources in accordance with this section as may be approved by the Board and the Director of Public Works.
(6) 
The subgrade surface, 16 inches below the finished surface grades in minor and secondary streets and 18 inches below the finished surface grade in major streets in residential subdivisions and in all streets in nonresidential subdivisions, shall be prepared true to the lines, grades and cross sections given. All soft and spongy materials below the subgrade surface shall be removed to a depth determined by the Board and the Director of Public Works, and the space thus made shall be filled with special gravel containing no stones over three inches in diameter.
(7) 
Gravel subbase or foundation containing no stones having diameters greater than three inches shall be spread in two equal layers on the surface of the subgrade to a minimum depth of 15 inches. Gravel borrow shall be Type A as specified in the standard specifications. Each layer shall be thoroughly watered, rolled with a ten-ton roller and compacted true to line and grade. Any depressions that appear during and after the rolling shall be filled until the surface is true.
(8) 
Final grading, rolling, finishing, including the shaping and trimming of the roadways, sidewalks and berms shall be in accordance with this section as directed by the Board and the Director of Public Works.
(9) 
The wearing surface of roadways shall be Type I bituminous concrete pavement. The Type I-1 pavement shall be composed of mineral, aggregate, mineral filler and bituminous material, plant-mixed and laid hot. Materials and construction methods shall comply with the requirements of Section 460 of the Standard Specifications, except that no construction shall be undertaken after November 15 of any year without permission of the Director of Public Works.
(10) 
The bituminous concrete shall be installed in two lifts: a two-inch binder coat and a two-inch finish coat.
(11) 
Greater pavement thickness shall be required by the Board on roadways subject to heavy traffic, such as in a nonresidential subdivision or in selected major streets or subdivisions.
B. 
Roadways shall be constructed for the full length of all streets within the subdivision and shall have the same curb radius required. The center line of all roadways shall coincide with the center line of the street right-of-way unless a deviation is approved by the Planning Board.
C. 
The roadway shall be paved to the full width specified above, except for any portion of such width to be occupied by shoulders, as hereinafter provided.
D. 
Shoulders.
(1) 
In certain areas where it is desirable to maintain a rural character of an area, the Board may allow stabilized grassed shoulders of having a width not in excess of that specified below, to be constructed within the roadway at its outer edges, and the width of the pavement may be reduced accordingly (except near certain intersections, as hereinafter provided). In no case, however, shall the total width of pavement plus the two shoulders be less than the roadway width hereinbefore specified for the type of street involved. The maximum width of shoulders shall be as follows:
(a) 
Minor streets: three feet each.
(b) 
Secondary streets: four feet each.
(c) 
Major streets: prohibited.
(2) 
Such shoulders shall consist of a layer of select gravel mixed with good quality loam in the ration of two parts gravel to one part loam, placed on each side of the pavement surface (on top of the first layer of roadway foundation), rolled and compacted to a transverse grade meeting that of the finished pavement, as shown on the applicable cross-section plan and seeded with grass seed applied in sufficient quantity to assure adequate coverage. The seeding shall be done according to accepted horticultural methods.
Embankments outside, within or adjoining the right-of-way shall be evenly graded and pitched at a slope of not greater than two horizontal to one vertical infill. Where cuts are made in the ledge, other slopes may be determined with the approval of the Planning Board. Where terrain necessitates greater slopes, retaining walls, terracing, fencing or riprap may be used either alone or in combination to provide safety and freedom from maintenance, but must be done in accordance with plans filed with and approved by the Planning Board. Whenever embankments are built in such a way to require approval by the Planning Board, the developer must furnish to the town duly recorded access easements free of encumbrances for maintenance of the slopes, terraces or retaining walls. All such slopes shall be grassed in accordance with the specifications for the area between the roadway and sidewalk or roadway and boundary of the right-of-way.
A. 
Vertical granite curbing shall be provided along each side of the roadway throughout the subdivision and along the full perimeter of all islands as shown on the definitive plan. Granite curbing shall also be used around all median islands, around all turnaround islands, and as headers for all catch basins. Granite curbing shall be Type VA4 and conform MHD specification M9.04.0 and 9.04.1 and in accordance with the requirements of Curb, Curb Inlets, Curb Corners, and Edging (MHD Section 501). Curbing design is subject to approval from the Department of Public Works.
B. 
Granite curbing shall be installed at intersections of subdivision streets and existing public ways as follows: the curbing shall extend along the full length of the curb radius and then extend beyond that point for a minimum of six feet.
C. 
When curbed intersections involve one or more streets having grassed shoulders, the curbing shall be placed at the edge of the roadway, and the pavement on the street or streets with such shoulders shall be widened to the full width of the roadway (thus meeting the curb) within 50 feet of the intersection, tapering down to normal width within 75 feet thereof.
D. 
Sloped-granite curbing shall be installed along the roadway within the bulb of a cul-de-sac, cape-cod berm shall be installed around the associated landscaped islands.
Street signs which, in the opinion of the Board, are of the type commonly used on public ways in the town and bearing the names of the streets as indicated on the definitive plan, shall be erected at all intersections of streets in the subdivision when the binder course is laid down. At the intersection of a street in a subdivision, reflective street signs shall be installed eight-feet above ground, on a galvanized post, in accordance with the standards established by the Department of Public Works and as may be amended. In general, location shall be one-foot inside of the exterior street line.
A. 
Standard for street name signs:
(1) 
Nine-inch flat street sign - 080 gauge aluminum.
(2) 
White VIP background, printed one side, two pieces.
(3) 
Burgundy EC film with cut out lettering.
(4) 
Six-inch, three color (black, blue, white) Northbridge Town Seal on each side,
(5) 
Mounted on 1 3/4 inch square quick punch post, painted black, with two-inch by three-inch anchor, spacers, drive rivets, corner bolt and rain cap.
Sidewalks shall be constructed on concrete (such as Portland cement) conforming to MHD specification M4.02.00, and in accordance with the requirements of Sidewalks, Wheelchair Ramps and Driveways (MHD Section 701). The cross slope shall be 1/4 of an inch per foot of width to provide for proper drainage. Sidewalks shall also conform to the requirements of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board.
A. 
Planting strips of at least four feet wide shall be provided on each side of the roadway.
B. 
The finished grade of such planting strips in relation to the finished grade of the roadway shall be shown on the applicable cross section plan. Where unusual physical land features or topographic conditions require, the Board may approve the construction of a planting strip, irregular or sloped in cross section, provided that such variation is indicated on the definitive plan and that no portion of the planting strip will project above a plane sloped two horizontal to one vertical upward from the edge of the roadway or be below a plane sloped two horizontal to one vertical downward.
C. 
No utility poles or trees shall be placed or retained within the planting strip. Street light fixtures shall be installed within the planting strip (grass strip) so as to project light onto the travel way and required sidewalks, as shown on Figure 1 entitled Roadway Cross-Section - Minor/Secondary Street.
The area in back of the sidewalk or, where no sidewalk is constructed, in back of the required planting strip, shall be graded so that it coincides with the finished grade of abutting lots in such a manner that no portion thereof within the exterior lines of the street project above a plane sloped two horizontal to one vertical from the edge of the sidewalk or grass lot or be lower than a plane sloped two horizontal to one vertical downward.
The top four inches of the soil in the planting strips and side slopes shall consist of good quality loam, screened, raked and rolled with a hand roller to grade. The loam shall be hydro-seeded with lawn grass seed.
A. 
Monuments shall be installed at all street intersections, at all points of change in direction or curvature of streets, and at other points as shown on the definitive plan and where, in the opinion of the Board, permanent monuments are necessary.
B. 
Granite or concrete monuments shall be 3 1/2 feet in length dressed to six inches square at the top, with a three eighths inch drill hole in the center and not less than six inches square at the bottom. They shall be set to finish grade as shown on plan.
C. 
No permanent monuments shall be installed until all construction, which could destroy or disturb the monuments is completed.
A. 
Cleanup and final inspection. All stumps, brush, roots, boulders, rocks, surplus construction materials and trash not intended for future use by the developer shall have been removed and disposed of in a manner satisfactory to the Board and the Director of Public Works. Any fire hazard shall be removed promptly to the satisfaction of the Fire Chief. This subsection does not authorize the removal, including severing and stripping of soil, loam, sand or gavel on such land.
B. 
Maintenance of improvements.
(1) 
The applicant and/his successor shall provide for the proper maintenance and repair of improvements for a period of 24 months after the Planning Board has deemed that the roadway has been completed and the services installed and the Board has released the performance guaranty or until the town votes to accept the road, whichever comes first. If the town has to do maintenance work on said roadways, the applicant and/or his successor shall reimburse the town for the expense.
(2) 
Such maintenance shall include snow removal, sanding, repairs to drainage systems, etc.