A.
Comprehensive plan. The design of a subdivision or land development
shall generally conform to the City of Greensburg Comprehensive Plan.
B.
Zoning. The proposed use of land in and design of a subdivision or
land development shall conform to the City of Greensburg Zoning Ordinance.
C.
Hazard areas. Those areas which may be subject to hazards, such as
fire, flood, landslides, unstable surface conditions, or hydric soils,
or other hazards identified in the Westmoreland County Hazard Mitigation
Plan, or areas which may be considered uninhabitable for other reasons,
should not be subdivided or developed for building purposes unless
the hazards will have been eliminated, mitigated, or safeguarded by
means designed by an appropriate professional in accord with applicable
laws.
D.
Natural features. Subdivisions and land developments shall be designed
to avoid excessive movement of earth and to preserve and avoid excessive
disturbance of natural features, vegetation, waterways, public water
supply recharge areas, historic sites, and other community assets
and landmarks.
E.
Nearby development. Subdivisions and land developments shall be designed
to be harmonious and coordinated with the character, traffic movement,
drainage, and other features of nearby existing neighborhoods and
developments and the community as a whole.
F.
Adjacent property. Subdivisions and land developments shall be done
in a manner that will not bar adjacent property owners from access
to public streets and/or private rights-of-way or access easements,
and will afford adjacent property owners reasonable privacy, light,
air, protection from noise, and ability to development their land.
A.
Lot requirements.
(1)
Lots shall be generally sufficient in size, shape, and orientation
to the street to accommodate the proposed development or use, preserve
long-term usability, minimize encroachment of development on nonbuildable
or constrained lands such as utility lines, water bodies, wetlands,
floodplains, or steep slopes, and ensure adequate access and circulation
of vehicles and pedestrians.
(3)
Every proposed lot, except as provided for in § 235-29B, shall abut and have access to an existing street, or the applicant shall install a street meeting the requirements of this chapter which proposed lot(s) shall abut and have access to.
(4)
Any remnant of land left existing after subdividing shall meet requirements for lot dimensions and shall abut on a street or private common driveway as specified in this chapter unless it is proposed to be conveyed as an adjoiner in accord with Subsection A(5) below.
(5)
A proposed lot not meeting the requirements of this chapter for minimum
lot dimensions or for abutting a street or private common driveway,
and intended to be conveyed and adjoined to an adjacent property,
is permitted, provided the following note shall be placed on the plan: Lot # _____ is not a separate building lot and is to be conveyed
and become part of adjoining land of (name of landowner).
Both the lot created in effect by combination with an adjoiner and
the remnant lot shall comply with applicable lot dimension requirements.
B.
Private common driveways. Private common driveways as defined by
this chapter shall be permitted without meeting street design or improvement
requirements of this chapter under the following specific conditions.
(1)
Private common driveways shall be limited to provide service to and
access by a maximum of three lots which shall front on the private
common driveway.
(2)
No lots in addition to the maximum of three lots served by a private
common driveway shall be approved until the private common driveway
is upgraded to meet the specifications for a street prescribed in
this chapter.
(3)
Private common driveways shall have a minimum right-of-way of 50
feet.
(4)
Private common driveways shall connect directly to an existing street
or a street proposed in the same subdivision plan proposing the private
common driveway.
(5)
Ownership, maintenance, and liability associated with all private
common driveways approved under this provision shall be the responsibility
of abutting property owners. A right-of-way, use, and maintenance
agreement shall be submitted with the subdivision application and
shall be recorded as a condition of approval of the subdivision application.
Proposed land developments shall comply with all applicable
requirements and standards for uses and development in the City of
Greensburg Zoning Ordinance. In addition, the following requirements
shall apply:
A.
Traffic impact study. Traffic impact studies shall be prepared for
certain land developments to ensure they do not adversely affect the
transportation network, to identify traffic problems associated with
access to the development, and to delineate needed solutions and improvements.
(1)
A traffic impact study shall be submitted with an application for
a land development that meets the following criteria:
(a)
The development is expected to generate 3,000 or more average
daily trips or 1,500 vehicles per day.
(b)
During any one-hour time period of any day of the week, the
development is expected to generate 100 or more vehicle trips entering
the development or 100 or more vehicle trips exiting the development.
(c)
For existing sites being redeveloped the site is expected to
generate 100 or more additional trips entering or exiting the development
during any one-hour time period of any day of the week.
(d)
The development is expected, in the opinion of the City, to
have a significant impact on highway safety or traffic flow, even
if none of the above criteria are met.
(2)
A traffic impact study shall be prepared and include content in accordance
with current guidelines for traffic impact studies published by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(3)
A traffic impact study shall also analyze and recommend mitigation
measures for impacts of land development traffic on public transit,
pedestrians, and other alternative forms of transportation. Mitigation
measures and improvements shall be recommended where needed to ensure
adequate and safe service and movement on, through, and adjacent to
the site.
(4)
The City may refer a submitted traffic impact study to the Fire Department,
Police Department, other emergency service providers, and the public
transit agency serving the area of the proposed development for review
and comment.
(5)
The City shall review the traffic impact study and consider its mitigation
recommendations addressing traffic impacts that will occur due to
the land development. The City may determine that certain improvements
on and/or adjacent to the site are necessary requirements for land
development plan approval and may attach these as conditions to the
approval. If the City determines that such additional improvements
are necessary, the developer shall have the opportunity to submit
alternative improvement designs to obtain plan approval.
B.
Access management. Land developments shall meet the following requirements
to facilitate safe and efficient access to and from streets:
(1)
Only one access shall be permitted for a property. Additional access
shall be permitted if the applicant demonstrates that additional access
is necessary to accommodate traffic to and from the site and it can
be achieved in a safe and efficient manner.
(2)
The municipality may restrict access to right turn only ingress and
egress if safe and efficient left turn movements cannot be accommodated.
(3)
Where land developments abut two or more streets, driveways shall
connect to the street on which access will present the least safety
hazard and interruption of optimal traffic movement.
(4)
Driveways shall be separated on the same side of the street from
other driveways that exist or are proposed or from any intersecting
streets according to the distances prescribed below. Distances shall
be measured from the edge of pavement for driveways and the edge of
cartway for streets.
(5)
Driveways shall be aligned with driveways and streets on the opposite
side of the intersecting street. If alignment is not possible, the
intersections shall be offset at least 200 feet as measured from the
edge of pavement for driveways and the edge of cartway for streets.
(6)
Driveway design shall ensure sight distance is adequate to safely
allow each permitted movement to be made into or out of the access
driveway.
(7)
Driveways shall be constructed at right angles to the abutting street.
Relief of the right-angle requirement may be granted if site geometry
and grading will prohibit this standard.
C.
Outdoor lighting. Land developments shall prevent nuisance and glare
from outdoor lighting.
(1)
All lighting shall be aimed, located, designed, fitted and maintained
so as not to present a hazard to drivers or pedestrians by impairing
their ability to safely traverse and so as not to create a nuisance
by projecting or reflecting objectionable light onto a neighboring
use or property.
(2)
Glare control shall be achieved primarily through the use of such
means as cutoff fixtures, shields and baffles, and appropriate application
of fixture mounting height, wattage, aiming angle and fixture placement.
(3)
Floodlights and spotlights that are not full-cutoff or fully shielded
shall be so installed and aimed that they do not project their output
into the windows of neighboring properties, adjacent uses, past the
object being illuminated, skyward or onto a public roadway.
(4)
The level of illumination projected onto a residential use from another
property shall not exceed 0.1 initial horizontal footcandle, at the
property line. The level of illumination projected onto a non-residential
use shall not exceed 1.0 initial horizontal footcandle at the property
line.
(5)
Directional fixtures illuminating facades, fountains, flags, landscaping,
and similar features shall be aimed so as not to project their output
over a greater spread than or beyond the objects intended to be illuminated.
(6)
Canopy lighting, for such applications as gas/service stations, bank,
drugstore and fast-food drive through, shall be accomplished using
flat-lens full-cutoff fixtures aimed straight down and shielded in
such a manner that the lowest opaque edge of the fixture shall be
level with or below the light source.
(7)
Temporary residential holiday lighting is exempt from the requirements
of this section except as it creates a hazard or nuisance.
Proposed streets in a subdivision or land development shall be designed and constructed in accord with Chapter 232, Streets and Sidewalks, of the City Code of Ordinances. In addition, the following requirements shall apply:
A.
Right-of-way.
(1)
Proposed streets shall have a minimum right-of-way width of 50 feet.
(2)
Additional right-of-way widths may be required by the Planning Commission
where warranted by the topography, extent of excavation and/or filling
for the street, or volume and character of traffic to be accommodated
by the street.
B.
Design.
(1)
In general, streets, ways and alleys shall be laid out so as to continue
any established street or alley or any street or alley previously
located by ordinance though not opened.
(2)
Proposed streets shall have grades of not less than 0.5 of 1% nor
more than 10%, except that grades in excess of 10% may be approved
by the City where it is determined that no traffic hazard is or will
be created thereby.
(3)
Dead-end streets will be permitted when it is determined that through
traffic at such a street end is not essential to the street system
in that district. A vehicle turning space having a minimum radius
to the outer cartway edge of 42 feet shall be required at the end
of any dead-end street so permitted.
(4)
In residential districts, the maximum length of a block shall be
no greater than 1,200 feet. In all blocks over 800 feet long, there
shall be provided a pedestrian walkway at least 10 feet wide through
and near the center of the block. The walkway shall be paved with
a four-foot walk.
C.
Alleys. Alleys with a minimum right-of-way width of 20 feet shall
be permitted to provide secondary access in a subdivision or land
development.
A.
Sidewalks shall be required on each side of proposed streets in a
subdivision or land development and where a proposed land development
abuts an existing street in the following locations:
All lots created through subdivision and all proposed land developments shall be provided sanitary sewer service in accordance with the City's official Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan, Chapter 219, Sewers and Sewage Disposal, of the City Code of Ordinances, and requirements and standards of the Greater Greensburg Sewage Authority.
Where a proposed subdivision or land development includes installation
of new public water facilities, said facilities shall connect to the
existing public water system of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland
County and shall meet the requirements and standards of the Municipal
Authority of Westmoreland County.
When desirable or expedient, adequate easement or dedications
for public service utilities shall be provided for sanitary and storm
sewers, waterlines, electric power and gas lines and similar services,
and no structure or obstruction of any kind shall be placed or allowed
to be placed where it will interfere in any way with an easement.
Easements shall also be provided for surface water drainage where
required.
A.
Surveys shall be performed in conformance with the act of May 23,
1945 (P.L. 913, No. 367), known as the "Engineer, Surveyor, and Geologists
Registration Act," and accepted surveying and civil engineering practices.
B.
The boundary lines of the plat shall be determined on the ground
by actual survey only, said survey to be traversed, balanced, and
closed within a limit of error of one foot to 10,000 feet of the perimeter,
and a final closure sheet submitted with the final plan. Boundary
lines, unless so determined, will not be considered accurate and will
not be acceptable to the City.
C.
Boundary monuments shall be set at boundary corners and angle points
not already witnessed by an existing monument, adequate to provide
an accurate retracement of the boundary survey. As determined necessary,
this may also include bends, points of curvature or tangent, along
road centerlines, or intersection of road rights-of-way. A monument
shall be set on an offset in locations where the true location is
impractical. The offset shall be noted on the plan of survey and written
on any witness marker.
D.
Monuments shall be composed of or include ferrous or other material
detectable by an electromagnetic locator. Where a ferrous monument
is not practical, a mark should be permanent in nature, i.e., cross
in stone/concrete, drill-hole, brass monument in concrete. Monuments
shall be of sufficient length and width to provide substantial stability
to retain the established position as set, and to minimize the likelihood
of disturbance.
E.
The surveyor shall provide a certificate that all monuments have
been installed according to the requirements of this section and are
shown on the final plan.
