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.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix J is included as an attachment to this chapter.
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,[1] 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.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Appendix E is included as an attachment to this chapter.
C. 
Grade. Grades shall be in accordance with the standards as shown in Appendix E.[3]
[3]
Editor's Note: Appendix E is included as an attachment to this chapter.
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[4]). The center of the cul-de-sac shall be on the center line of construction.
[4]
Editor's Note: Appendix D is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(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[5]). 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).
[5]
Editor's Note: Appendix D is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(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.[6]
(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.
[6]
Editor's Note: See Appendix C, included as an attachment to this chapter.
G. 
Right-of-way width. The right-of-way shall be in accordance with the standards as shown in Appendix C.[7]
[7]
Editor's Note: Appendix C is included as an attachment to this chapter.
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.[8]
[8]
Editor's Note: Appendix F is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(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.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 171, Zoning, of the Code of Ordinances.
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[1] and under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (MGL c. 131, §§ 40 and 40A), and the Town of Palmer General Wetlands Bylaw.[2]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 171, Zoning, of the Code of Ordinances.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 143, Wetlands, of the Code of Ordinances.
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 water facilities specifically approved by the Board of Health.
[1]
Editor's Note: See also the Board of Health private well regulations in Ch. 205, Part 4.
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.