[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 601]
Any application for development shall conform to the standards
set forth in this Part. The standards specified in this Part are minimum
design requirements.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 602]
In reviewing any application for development, the Planning Commission
and the Board of Commissioners shall refer the application for development
to the Township Engineer for a recommendation concerning technical
compliance with these design standards and Construction Standards
referred to in Part 4.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 603]
1. Grading, Filling, Removal of Topsoil, Erosion and Sedimentation Control. All grading, filling, removal of topsoil and erosion and sedimentation control shall be performed in accordance with the requirements of the Township Grading Ordinance, Ord. 336, 8/1/1999 [Chapter
9].
2. Planting and Cutting of Trees; Removal of Debris. Large shade trees
should be adequately protected from injury and preserved to the extent
practical.
A. All lot areas which slope towards streets or adjacent lots shall
be required to be seeded with grass or planted with ground cover so
as to prevent washing and erosion.
B. During construction, the developer shall remove and dispose of all
uprooted trees, stumps, brush, rubbish, unused building materials
and debris promptly in the interest of public safety.
3. Flood-Prone Areas. Land identified as flood-prone on maps issued
by the Federal Insurance Administration shall be subject to the regulations
of the National Flood Insurance Program and shall comply with the
provisions of Township Ord. 170.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 604]
1. Layout. Streets shall be planned to conform with the layout of existing
and planned streets and so located as to allow proper development
of surrounding properties. Local streets shall be laid out so as to
discourage through traffic. Collector streets should be designed to
provide adequate flow of traffic from local streets to major community
facilities and to arterial streets.
2. Topography. Proposed streets shall be planned to conform to the contour
of the land, to provide buildable lots, to have a suitable alignment
and grade and to allow proper drainage.
3. Grading. The shoulders shall be graded to six feet behind the curb
and provisions shall be made for protection of slopes beyond the right-of-way.
4. Street Grades. Minimum and maximum grades shall be provided on all
streets in accordance with the design standards specified in Appendix
I. Grades shall be measured along the centerline of the street. Vertical
curves shall be used in changes of grade exceeding 1% and should be
designed in accordance with the design standards specified in Appendix
I. Intersections shall be approached on all sides by leveling grades
for a distance of 25 feet within which no grades shall exceed the
design standards specified in Appendix I. The grade of actual intersections
shall not exceed 6% in any direction.
5. Right-of-Way and Paving Widths. Minimum widths of rights-of-way and
minimum widths of paving shall be provided in accordance with the
design standards specified in Appendix I. All streets shall be paved
in accordance with Township Construction Standards.
6. Cul-de-Sacs. A cul-de-sac will not be approved when a through street is practical and shall not be more than 600 feet in length, unless a modification or exception to this requirement is granted under Part
7 of this chapter. A cul-de-sac should have a minimum right-of-way radius; an outer minimum paving radius; a minimum paved cartway and minimum center island as specified in the design standards in Appendix I.
7. Temporary Turn-a-rounds. A temporary turn-a-round may be required
where a road is constructed to an adjoining property line or where
the terminus of a road adjoins property in a future phase of the plan.
The right-of-way width required for a temporary turn-a-round shall
be a minimum of 60 feet and the outer paving radius of the temporary
turn-a-round shall be 30 feet.
8. Visibility. No fence, hedges, shrubbery, walls, planting (other than
trees and grass) or similar obstructions shall be located within the
right-of-way and no such obstruction shall obscure visibility at any
intersection. A clear sight triangle, as defined by this chapter,
shall be maintained free of any obstructions at intersections so that
there shall be a minimum clear sight triangle measured along the centerline
from the points of intersection in accordance with the requirements
specified in Appendix I. The clear sight triangle shall be shown on
the final plat for recording.
9. Street Names. All new street names shall be approved by the Township. Names of new streets shall be sufficiently different in sound and spelling from existing names of streets in the Township so as not to cause confusion. A street which is planned as a continuation of an existing street shall bear the same name. Street signs shall be provided in accordance with §
22-506 of this chapter.
10. Sidewalks. The width of sidewalks shall conform to the standards
specified in Appendix I. Sidewalks shall be located in line with existing
sidewalks on adjacent lots or, where none exists, shall be located
a minimum of four feet from the edge of any curb or paving. Sidewalks
shall be constructed in accordance with Township Construction Standards
and any other applicable Township ordinances or regulations.
11. Pedestrian Walkways. Pedestrian walkways, if required, shall be constructed
of an all-weather, durable hard surface approved by the Township.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 605]
Service streets, as defined by this chapter, shall not be permitted
in residential developments, but may be provided in commercial and
industrial developments where needed for loading, unloading or secondary
access. Service streets shall be constructed in accordance with Township
Construction Standards and shall meet the minimum design standards
shown in Appendix I for local streets.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 606]
Easements for sanitary sewers, water lines and stormwater management
facilities shall be required to have a minimum width of 20 feet. Where
a subdivision or land development is, or will be, traversed by a watercourse,
there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way
of a width sufficient for the purpose, but not less than 20 feet.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 607]
1. The following standards shall apply to all lots proposed to be subdivided
or developed in accordance with this chapter:
A. Area. Minimum lot areas shall conform to the requirements of the Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter
27].
B. Frontage. All lots created by a subdivision shall have frontage along the right-of-way of a public street and the width of the frontage shall conform to the requirements of the Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter
27].
C. Double Frontage. Double frontage lots shall be avoided; however,
where a double frontage lot is only practical alternative, vehicular
access shall be limited to only one street and that street shall be
the street with the lower volume of traffic, if physically feasible.
The final plan shall contain a notation restricting vehicular access
to one frontage.
D. Side Lines. Whenever practicable, the side lines of a lot shall be
at right angles or radial to the right-of-way lines of streets.
E. Building Lines. Building lines of lots shall conform to the minimum requirements of the Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter
27] and shall be shown on the final plat.
F. Grading. Lots shall be graded to provide drainage away from buildings
and, where practical, water shall be drained to the street rather
than to adjoining property. The developer shall be required to provide
drains or other drainage facilities, as approved by the Township Engineer,
to drain off surface water within the development.
G. Driveways. Driveways serving single family and two-family dwellings are not required to be paved; however, in lieu of paving, the driveway shall have a covering or slag or stone at least two inches thick for a distance of 30 feet from the right-of-way of the street. All other driveways shall be paved in accordance with the Township Construction Standards and/or the Pennsylvania Department or Transportation Design Manuel, Part
2, Chapter
18. Paved driveways shall have a joint at the public street right-of-way. No driveway shall have a slope of more than 15%. Driveways may extend from the right-of-way line of the street to the cartway of the street, but shall not change the grade or contour of the street right-of-way, nor shall any person cut into, fill, or in any way alter any gutter, curbing, drainage ditch or storm sewer, within the right-of-way of a street or easement for the purpose of extending a driveway; of for any other purpose without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Township.
H. Accessibility. Every lot shall be accessible to emergency and public
safety vehicles.
I. House Numbers. House numbers shall be assigned by the developer,
subject to the approval of the U.S. Postal Service, and shall be posted
at each house so as to be easily visible and readable for the street.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 608]
Stormwater management facilities shall be provided for subdivisions
and land developments as required by existing ordinances of the Township
of Baldwin as now or hereinafter adopted or amended.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 609]
1. Size and Grade. Storm drains shall be adequate for the anticipated
run-off when the area is fully developed. The minimum diameter of
storm sewers shall be 15 inches, and the minimum grade shall be 1%,
unless approved by the Township Engineer.
2. Manholes. For pipe sizes of 24 inches or less, manholes shall be
spaced at a maximum of 400 feet and for larger pipe sizes, the maximum
distances between manholes shall be 600 feet. In addition, manholes
shall be installed at all points of abrupt changes in horizontal alignment
and vertical grade. Inlets may be substituted for manholes where practical.
3. Inlets. Inlets of the type shown in the Township Construction Standards
shall be installed. Inlets at street intersections shall be placed
on the tangent and not on the curved portions.
4. Castings. Manholes and inlet castings shall be as indicated in the
Township Construction Standards.
5. Stormwater Roof Drains. Stormwater roof drains shall be connected
directly to underground pipes which shall flow into an approved storm
drainage system. This storm drainage system shall not include dry
wells or stumps. All pipe from roof drains shall be a minimum four-inch
Schedule 40 ABS, PVC or SDR 35 pipe. Four-inch Schedule PVC or ABS
pipe is required for a distance of five feet from the foundation of
the dwelling.
6. Unnatural Drainage. Whenever construction stops or concentrates the
natural flow of storm drainage in such a way as to affect adjoining
properties, approval of the owners shall be obtained in writing. Approval
of plans by the Township does not authorize or sanction drainage affecting
adjoining properties.
7. Water Courses. Open water courses shall not be permitted within the
rights-of-way of streets. The stopping, filling up, confining or other
interference with, or changing the course of, drains, ditches, streams
and water courses in the Township shall not be permitted unless approval
in writing is obtained from the Board of Commissioners. A permit must
be obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for construction or changes in
a water course subject to the regulations of the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection.
8. Bridges and Culverts. All bridges and culverts shall be designed
to support expected loads and to carry expected flows and shall be
designed to meet current standards of the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation. All bridges and culverts shall be subject to all
permits required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
Bureau of Dams and Encroachments.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 610]
1. Installation. Installation of sanitary sewers and appurtenances shall
be in accordance with the Township Sanitary Sewer Standards, subject
to the approval of the Township Engineer. All utility stubs shall
be extended to the street right-of-way line.
2. Minimum Size and Grade. The minimum diameter of sanitary sewer shall
be eight inches and the minimum grade shall be 0.5%.
3. Laterals. Lateral connections, where required, shall be installed
to the right-of-way line of the street prior to road paving. Each
building shall have a separate connection to the Township Sewer, except
that garages accessory to dwellings may be connected to the dwelling
line.
[Ord. 424, 12/6/2005, § 611]
1. All sanitary sewer lines shall be lamped and air tested by the developer
in the presence of the Township Engineer or inspector. Air tests shall
be conducted in accordance with the specifications established by
the Township Engineer.
2. All construction materials used in sewers, streets, sidewalks and
other required improvements shall be tested by a qualified testing
laboratory, if required by the Township Engineer. The cost for such
tests shall be borne by the developer.