The design standards outlined in this article shall be utilized by developers, surveyors, and engineers in preparing subdivision plans, and will be applied by the Clearfield Borough Council when reviewing plans for approval. These standards shall be considered as minimum standards for the developer to comply with in the design, development, and improvement of a subdivision. Where strict compliance with the standards is clearly impractical due to site conditions, the Clearfield Borough Council may modify the standards to permit reasonable utilization of the property while securing substantial compliance with the intent and purpose of these regulations.
A. 
Sites with moderate slopes are preferable to either very steep or very level land. Improvement costs and erosion potential increase sharply on sites with slopes over 10%, and very level land presents problems with on-site sewage disposal and stormwater drainage.
B. 
Existing natural features, such as trees and watercourses, which would add value to residential developments shall be preserved in the design of a subdivision as conservation measures.
C. 
Land located within a flood hazard area shall not be subdivided for any use which may endanger life and/or property, or aggravate a flood hazard. Development in flood hazard areas must comply with the rules and regulations of the National Flood Insurance Program, other state floodplain regulations, and the Clearfield Borough's Floodplain Ordinance.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 284, Floodplain Management.
All matters are pursuant upon the Clearfield Borough Floodplain Ordinance.[1]
A. 
Lots located within the one-hundred-year floodplain shall be subject to the following:
(1) 
Any lot created or revised shall have no more than 50% of its area within the floodplain, with the exception that large lots may be exempted, provided a minimum of one acre of said lot is outside the floodplain.
(2) 
Any lot with access to a public road shall not be restricted or prevented by floodplain areas.
B. 
If the Clearfield Borough Council determines that only a portion of the proposed plan can be safely developed, they shall limit development to that part and shall require the developer to proceed in accordance with this determination.
C. 
When the developer does not intend to develop the plan himself and the Clearfield Borough Council determines that additional controls are required to ensure safe development, the Clearfield Borough Council shall require the developer to impose appropriate deed restrictions on the land. Such deed restrictions shall be inserted on every deed and noted on every recorded plan.
D. 
All construction within the floodplain area must be completed in accordance with all Borough and state floodplain regulations.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 284, Floodplain Management.
A. 
The developer shall provide the subdivision with an adequate stormwater drainage system. The stormwater drainage system shall be separate and independent of any sanitary sewer system. The design and operation of this system shall be consistent with the Pennsylvania Storm Water Management Act of 1978[1] and any applicable Clearfield Borough regulations, and shall be subject to the review and approval of the Clearfield County Conservation District.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 32 P.S. § 680.1 et seq.
B. 
The goal of the proposed drainage system is to ensure that the maximum rate of stormwater runoff is not greater during and after development than prior to development.
C. 
Proposed drainage facilities shall be located in the street rights-of-way where feasible, or in perpetual, unobstructed easements of appropriate width. Drainage easements shall be shown on the plan for all existing watercourses.
D. 
When storm sewers are readily accessible and have adequate capacity, the developer shall connect his stormwater facilities to the existing sewers following approval of the Clearfield Borough Council.
E. 
Storm sewers or drainage channels which release water onto adjoining land shall empty into a natural watercourse if available. Appropriate drainage rights must be secured from the affected, adjoining, and property owners and be indicated on the plan.
F. 
Any erosion control facilities recommended by the Clearfield County Conservation District must be fully implemented by the developer.
G. 
No disturbance of watercourses shall be permitted, including earthen diversions or filling of stream beds, construction of roads or structures in watercourses, or operation of equipment therein without the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Clearfield County Conservation District.
A. 
All streets proposed for public use on the final plan shall comply with the following design specifications:
Street Type
Minimum Right-of-Way Width
(feet)
Minimum Cartway Width
(feet)
Maximum Sight Distances at Intersections
(feet)
Maximum Grade
Minimum Grade
Local
50
20
200
7%
0.5%
Collector
60
24
300
7%
0.5%
Major
(PennDOT Requirement)
30
400
6%
0.5%
B. 
These specifications may be superseded by state design specifications. Additionally, the Clearfield Borough Council may increase the minimum widths and sight distances where deemed necessary in order to ensure public safety.
A. 
Streets shall conform to any plans and Official Maps which have been prepared and adopted by the state or by the Clearfield Borough Council.
B. 
Streets shall be appropriately related to the topography of the land in order that lots and streets may have acceptable grades.
C. 
Local streets shall be designed to discourage use by through traffic, but provisions for street connections to adjacent areas will be required where deemed necessary. Where connections are to be made, the proposed street system shall extend existing or recorded streets at the same right-of-way and cart way widths, but in no case at less than the required minimum widths.
D. 
Half-streets shall be prohibited except to complete an existing half-street in an adjacent tract.
E. 
Where a subdivision borders on or contains an existing or proposed major street, the Clearfield Borough Council may require marginal access streets, rear service alleys, reverse frontage lots and/or screening in order to protect bordering lots, reduce the number of intersections with the major street, and separate local and through traffic.
F. 
Areas reserved for future street extensions into adjoining tracts must be shown on the plans and be designated for this purpose. No building lots may utilize these areas as their only public access. These areas shall not be dedicated to public use until the streets are extended into an adjoining tract.
G. 
No dead-end streets are permitted without an adequate turnaround.
H. 
The finished excavation of proposed streets located within the one-hundred-year floodplain shall be no more than two feet below the regulatory flood elevation. The Clearfield Borough Council and/or Clearfield County Conservation District may require, where necessary, profiles and elevations of streets to determine compliance with this requirement. Drainage openings shall be sufficient to discharge flood flows without increasing flood heights.
A. 
Cul-de-sac streets which are designed for permanent public use shall not exceed 1,000 feet in length.
B. 
Adequate turnarounds shall be provided at the closed end of a permanent cul-de-sac street. Turnarounds shall be constructed to the specifications of the design which shall be approved by the Clearfield Borough.
C. 
Any road with a temporary dead-end which has been authorized through approved stage development shall be provided with a suitable all-weather turnaround. The use of such turnaround must be guaranteed to the public. It shall be the responsibility of the developer to properly remove the turnaround and repair its area when the street is extended unless the design is compatible with future street extensions. These removal and repair requirements shall apply to both temporary and permanent cul-de-sac when street extensions are proposed.
A. 
Streets shall be designed to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles. Streets shall not intersect at an angle of less than 70° or more than 110°.
B. 
Intersections involving the junction of more than two streets shall be avoided.
C. 
Clear sight triangles of 100 feet measured along local street center lines from their point of junction shall be provided at all intersections, and neither building nor obstruction shall be permitted within such sight triangles.
D. 
Intersections with major streets shall be located not less than 800 feet apart, measured from center line to center line.
E. 
Streets intersecting from opposite sides with a common street shall be designed either directly opposite one another (four-way intersection) or with a minimum offset of 200 feet between their center lines.
F. 
All curbs and intersections shall be rounded by a minimum radius of:
(1) 
Collector streets: 20 feet.
(2) 
Local streets: 15 feet.
G. 
Intersections shall be designed with a flat grade wherever deemed practical by the Clearfield Borough Council. The approach to any intersection shall have a leveling area which has no greater than a 2% grade at a distance of 60 feet from the nearest right-of-way line of the intersecting street.
A. 
Private drives may be permitted only when they serve not more than two separate lots that have no other access to a public road. The original tract will not be counted as one of the two separate lots if the tract utilizes the private drive for access.
B. 
The right-of-way width of a private drive shall be 50 feet. The Clearfield Borough Council may permit widths less than 50 feet if it is impossible to reserve this right-of-way area within the property. All private drive rights-of-way must be surveyed, and bearings and distances must be shown on the plan drawings. The plan must note that the street(s) is/are private and that Clearfield Borough has no obligations for maintenance.
C. 
The cart way width and construction specifications must be agreeable to the developer, lot owners who utilize the private drive, and the owners of any properties which contain the right-of-way. Proof of this agreement must be submitted to the Clearfield Borough Council.
D. 
The following maintenance requirements shall be incorporated as conditions for final approval. These conditions shall be placed, in writing, on the final plan, or attached thereto, and shall be part of the property deed(s).
(1) 
Each lot owner having a right to use the private drive shall be equally responsible for the maintenance of the street, and such maintenance responsibilities shall be listed in a maintenance agreement.
(2) 
The maintenance agreement shall run with the land and with any future conveyance of the property. The agreement shall be incorporated in and made part of the conveyance binding on the parties, their successors and assignees.
(3) 
The Borough of Clearfield shall not accept any responsibility for the maintenance of a private drive.
E. 
There shall be no further subdivision of any lot served by a private drive until such times as public streets are constructed to serve the lots.
A. 
Blocks shall not exceed 1,200 feet in length or be less than 600 feet in length.
B. 
Blocks shall have sufficient width to provide for two tiers of lots of appropriate depth in accordance with the lot size requirements in § 445-30.
C. 
At the discretion of the Clearfield Borough Council, public crosswalk easements of at least 10 feet in width shall be provided in blocks exceeding 1,000 feet to facilitate pedestrian access to shopping areas, schools, playgrounds, parks and other community facilities.
A. 
Lots shall comply with the minimum requirements of the Clearfield Borough Zoning Ordinance No. 1192.
B. 
The Clearfield Borough Council may require that the minimum size of residential lots be increased when compliance with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulations warrant such increase.
C. 
The depth of a lot shall not exceed twice the width unless waived by the Borough Planning Commission and Clearfield Borough Council. Such a waiver would be considered in the Borough's best interest to avoid land locking otherwise usable land. However, in no event shall the depth of the lot exceed three times its width after the waiver is granted.
D. 
Side lot lines shall be substantially radial or at right angles to street lines.
E. 
Every lot in a subdivision shall front on a dedicated or public street, unless a private drive has been approved by the Clearfield Borough Council.
A. 
Easements for utilities shall have minimum width of 10 feet. Before determining the exact location and width of easements, the developer shall discuss his plan with the local public utilities to assure the proper location of easements for the installation of such service.
B. 
Where possible, easements shall be centered on or adjacent to rear or side lot lines. They shall be drawn only to the edge of the street rights-of-way and shall not be shown on the right-of-way.
C. 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainage channel, or stream, there shall be provided a drainage easement conforming to the line of such watercourse and of such width as will be adequate to preserve natural drainage.
If the developer proposes to reserve an area for public use (i.e., schools, parks, other neighborhood and public facilities), the following standards shall be applied to the character, extent and location of the reserved area:
A. 
Such areas shall be labeled on the plan as "reserved," and shall indicate the particular type of public use for which the area is being reserved.
B. 
Areas reserved for public use shall be accessible through frontage on a public street and/or pedestrian rights-of-way at least 10 feet in width, and be a suitable size and location for their designated uses.
C. 
The developer must establish and assure the future ownership of the permanent, public use, as well as indicate the provisions for the maintenance of the area. Additionally, the Clearfield Borough may accept the dedication of such land or any interest therein for public use and maintenance.