The subdivider shall observe all design standards for land division as hereinafter provided. These standards shall be considered minimum standards and shall be varied from or waived only as provided in §
215-1.6. State Construction Standards shall be followed, and all matters left open or undefined in those standards shall be specified by the Board on a case-by-case basis. Specification of matters not covered by the State Construction Standards shall be made by the Board or its engineering consultant on a case-by-case basis, based wherever possible on the publications of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) or other publications cited in Appendix J to these regulations.
Streets and ways shown on the subdivision plan, or on a plan
for more than one dwelling building per lot when in conformance with
zoning, must comply with the following requirements:
A. Location.
(1)
All streets and ways shall be designed so that, in the opinion
of the Planning Board, they will provide safe vehicular travel. Due
consideration shall also be given by the subdivider to the attractiveness
and design of the street layout in order to obtain the maximum livability
and amenity of the subdivision. As far as practicable, streets should
also follow natural contours.
(2)
The proposed streets shall conform, so far as practicable, to
any Master Plan, as adopted in whole or in part by the Planning Board.
(3)
Streets and ways shall be continuous and in alignment with existing
streets, as far as practicable, to insure free and safe movement of
vehicular traffic.
(4)
Temporary dead-end or cul-de-sac streets shall conform to the
provisions of alignment, width, and grade that would be applicable
to such streets if extended.
(5)
The developer shall make every effort to avoid the creation
of dead-end streets.
B. Alignment. Horizontal and vertical alignment shall be in accordance
with the standards as shown in Appendix E.
C. Grade. Grades shall be in accordance with the standards as shown
in Appendix E.
D. Intersections. Streets and ways shall be laid out so as to intersect
in accordance with the standards as shown in Appendix E and the following:
(1)
Street and way lines at all intersections, between proposed
streets or between, whenever applicable, a proposed and/or existing
street, shall be rounded with a curve at each corner that has a property
line radius of not less than 40 feet.
(2)
The center line of all intersecting streets or ways shall be
a straight line from the point of intersection of said center line
for a distance of no less than 100 feet.
(3)
On any street where the grade exceeds 2% on the approach of
the intersection, a leveling area with a maximum slope of 2% shall
be provided for a distance of not less than 30 feet measured from
the nearest gutter line of the intersecting street.
(4)
Streets entering opposite sides of another street shall be laid
out either directly opposite each other or with a minimum offset of
300 feet between their center lines. This minimum offset shall be
observed whenever one or more streets entering opposite sides of another
street are existing, whether located within or outside the boundary
of the proposed subdivision.
(5)
Streets entering the same side of another street shall be laid
out with a minimum offset of 300 feet between their center lines.
This minimum offset shall be observed whenever one or more streets
entering the same side of another street are existing, whether located
within or outside the boundary of the proposed subdivision.
E. Cul-de-sac or dead-end street.
(1)
No street in the proposed subdivision shall be laid out in such
a manner that an obstruction at point on this street or any street
with which it intersects (proposed or existing) would isolate without
another point of exit to an existing public street more than a cumulative
total of 500 feet of roadway as measured along the center line of
construction of the road(s).
(2)
Permanent cul-de-sac streets shall be provided with a turnaround
at the end of the street having a minimum outside roadway radius of
70 feet and a property line radius of at least 80 feet (see Appendix
D). The center of the cul-de-sac shall be on the center
line of construction.
(3)
A permanent cul-de-sac turnaround (island) shall be constructed
in lieu of paving the entire area of the cul-de-sac (see Appendix
D). The roadway pavement shall have the same width beginning
at the exterior radius of the turnaround, with the inner circle graded,
seeded and/or appropriately planted with acceptable trees or shrubs,
or left with natural tree growth. The maintenance of said inner circle
shall be the responsibility of the developer, his successors and assigns
(excluding the Town of Palmer), or a homeowner's association.
The inside radius of the cul-de-sac pavement shall be constructed
with granite edging Type SA (see § 215-1.53).
(4)
A temporary cul-de-sac shall be allowed only where it is part
of a street or way that eventually will be extended into adjoining
property. The design of a temporary turnaround shall be satisfactory
to the Planning Board, and clearly shown on the plan as temporary
in nature, and such property lines shall be those which would normally
have been required or used without the turnaround.
(a)
Regardless of the above, no temporary cul-de-sac shall be allowed
if the street length exceeds the limit set in these Rules and Regulations.
(b)
Layout of the turnaround beyond the normal street right-of-way
lines shall be in the form of an easement to the Town of Palmer covering
said premises included in the turnaround. When the street is extended
into adjoining property, the easement shall become null and void.
F. Cross sections.
(1)
Cross sections shall be in accordance with the standards as
shown in Appendix C.
(2)
Only one typical cross section need be shown on the definitive
plan if the former conforms to the standard shown in Appendix C. Any
variation from the typical standard should be shown on the construction
plans at fifty-foot intervals.
G. Right-of-way width. The right-of-way shall be in accordance with
the standards as shown in Appendix C.
H. Paved roadway width. The roadway width shall be based on the following
criteria:
(1)
Projected traffic volume generated by the development, based
on 10 average daily trips (ADT) per dwelling unit. (i.e., a two-family
house will generate 20 ADT).
(2)
The maximum number of vehicles, based on the above-mentioned
ADT per dwelling unit, whether generated within the development (as
in the case of a dead-end street) or outside of said development (as
in the case of a through street) and passing any section of a roadway
will determine the width of the entire length of said roadway, based
on standards as shown in Appendix F.
(3)
In establishing the proposed road width, the developer shall
also consider the future growth of the surrounding area.
(4)
The center line of the roadway shall coincide with the center
line of the right-of-way, unless otherwise approved by the Board.
(5)
Greater widths may be required by the Planning Board when deemed
necessary for present and future vehicular traffic. This may include
widening and upgrading existing streets, the expense of which shall
be borne by the applicant.
For municipal utilities, easements shall be 30 feet in width,
except that wider easements may be required by the Board where necessary.
Utilities shall be located as close as possible to the center line
of the easement.
A. Before approval of a plan, the Board shall also require the plan
to show a park or parks suitably located for playground or recreation
purposes. The park or parks shall be of reasonable size, but not less
than 5% of the area of the land to be subdivided. The Board shall,
by appropriate endorsement on the plan, require that no building may
be erected on such park or parks without its approval for a period
of not more than three years after the approval of the definitive
plan. If this land is not conveyed to the Town of Palmer by sale or
gift within three years after the approval of the definitive plan,
then such land may be incorporated into a subsequent subdivision.
B. Land designated for open space or park purposes shall not include
wetlands, ledge, or other land unsuitable for playground or recreation
use.
C. Any open space, park or playground shall be provided with a minimum
of 100 feet continuous frontage on a street. Pedestrian ways will
be required to provide access from each of the surrounding streets,
if any, on which the open space, park or playground has no frontage.
Further, maintenance shall be provided for by covenants and agreements
acceptable to the Board, until such time (if any) as public acquisition
may be accomplished by the community, but in no case longer than three
years.
Fencing and/or screening shall be required in subdivisions abutting
limited or controlled-access highways or expressways, other limited
or controlled-access roads, or any other collector streets. Fencing
may be required in other areas where the physical features require
such safety.
All natural features such as trees over sixteen-inch diameter,
watercourses, one-hundred-year floodplains, wetlands, ponds and other
water bodies, marshes, stone walls, scenic points, and historic sites
shall be preserved.
Guard rails shall be provided at points of hazard along the
roadway, such as fixed objects along the pavement edge, high fills,
fills on sharp curvature, along watercourses, steep cliffs, along
deep ditches in cuts and similar locations as required by the Planning
Board. Type and installation of guard rails shall be approved by the
Town's engineering consultant.
A. Unless the Board determines that pedestrian movement is otherwise
provided for, sidewalks having a width of not less than five feet
shall be constructed between the roadway and the right-of-way line,
as close to said line as practicable, and generally parallel with
the roadway. All streets shall be provided with sidewalks on both
sides. Pedestrian access other than by routes parallel with roadways
may be permitted, provided easements are established.
B. The Planning Board may require bicycle paths from four feet to eight
feet in width within a subdivision. In certain cases, at the discretion
of the Planning Board, all or part of the sidewalk requirement may
be waived where bicycle paths are provided.
[Amended during codification]
All sidewalks shall be accessible to the handicapped from the
roadway at all intersections. Wheelchair ramps to accomplish the above
shall be designed and constructed according to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Construction Standards,
1977 Edition, as amended.
The design and layout of a proposed subdivision should be guided
by the goals and objectives of any existing master plans, strategic
plans, village plans, or statements of goals and objectives for the
Town of Palmer.
In case access to a subdivision crosses land in another municipality,
the Board may require certification, from appropriate authorities,
that such access is in accordance with the Master Plan and subdivision
requirements of such municipality and that a legally adequate performance
bond has been duly posted or that such access is adequately improved
to handle prospective traffic.
A. Watercourses, drainageways, channels, or streams shall be located
within easements conforming substantially with the lines of their
courses, whose width shall not be less than 20 feet and whose boundaries
shall not be closer than seven feet horizontally to the one-hundred-year
floodplain. Wetlands shall be located within easements whose boundaries
shall not be closer than 100 feet to the boundaries of the wetlands.
No building shall be constructed and no paving or other activity shall
be permitted within such easement except as permitted under the Zoning
Bylaws and under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (MGL
c. 131, §§ 40 and 40A), and the Town of Palmer General
Wetlands Bylaw.
B. In any subdivision, the developer may grant to the Town a conservation
restriction over any portion of the subdivision, provided the area
subject to the restriction has the approval of the Conservation Commission
and the Board of Selectmen.
A. Where the street system within a subdivision does not connect with
or have, in the opinion of the Board, adequate access from a Town,
county, or state public way, the Board may require, as a condition
of approval of a plan, that such adequate access be provided by the
subdivider, and/or that the subdivider make physical improvement of
access to and within such a way, in boundary of the subdivision to
a Town, county or state public way, or along such public way for a
distance which, in the opinion of the Board, is sufficient to provide
adequate access to the subdivision.
B. Where the physical condition or width of a public way from which
a subdivision has its access is considered by the Board to be inadequate
to either provide for emergency services or carry the traffic which
is expected, in the opinion of the Board, to be generated by such
subdivision, and to make physical improvements to and within such
public way to the same standards required within the subdivision.
Any such dedication of land for the purpose of way and any such work
performed within such public way shall be made only with 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.
No lot shall be built upon without the provision of on-lot sewage
disposal facilities specifically approved by the Board of Health.
No lot shall be built upon without the provision of on-lot water
facilities specifically approved by the Board of Health.
The purpose of this § 215-1.45 is advisory and is
intended to encourage the use of solar energy systems and to protect,
to the extent feasible, the access to direct sunlight of solar energy
systems. The applicant should utilize passive solar energy techniques
that maximize solar heat gain, minimize heat loss during the heating
season, and minimize heat gain and provide for natural ventilation
during the cooling season. These passive solar techniques could include,
but are not limited to, the following:
A. The street and layout plan should, as far as practicable, provide
for east-west street orientations to facilitate the development of
this regulation; an "east-west street" refers to any street with its
axis within 30° of true east.
B. Insofar as practicable, side lot lines should be perpendicular to
the street line unless the purpose of the lot line orientation is
to provide greater solar access protection.
C. The proposed principal building should be located and oriented so
that the longest side of the building faces within 30° of true
south.
D. Proposed buildings should be located to avoid shadows cast by other
buildings, vegetation and natural and man-made topographical features
whenever practicable.
E. Provided soil and topographic conditions permit, primary and reserve
leaching fields should be planned and located to the south of a proposed
house location whenever such location enhances solar access to the
south wall due to and regarding tree removal associated with the installation
of the sewage disposal system.
F. At the discretion of the Board, taking into consideration the need
for solar access protection, the applicant shall be required to include
solar easements or restrictive covenants with the deeds of each lot.
In particular instances, including but not limited to slopes
and site distances, the Planning Board may require that the developer
show curb cuts and driveways on the definitive subdivision plan, and
construct said curb cuts and driveways in conjunction with the construction
of the subdivision road.