Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ Article X Design Standards

[Added 4-10-1979 by Ord. No. 79:6]

§ 225-68 Conformity with standards required.

Subdivisions shall conform to the requirements and principles of design which are provided for in this article.

§ 225-69 Design of developments and subdivisions.

A. The design of developments shall be in harmony with and in furtherance of the purposes set forth in this chapter and shall in all respects, including the extent, if any, to which access lanes are included in the layout, be subject to approval by the Planning Board in accordance with the procedure set forth in this chapter.

B. The design of subdivisions shall conform in general to the Master Plan of the Township and in detail to the Official Map of the Township and the Official Map of the county, if any.

§ 225-70 Streets.

A. The arrangement of streets shall be such as to provide for the extension of existing streets where appropriate.

B. In general, minor streets shall be designed as to discourage through traffic.

C. In a subdivision abutting an arterial street, either a marginal service road shall be provided along such arterial street or the frontage shall be reversed so that the lots contiguous to such arterial street will front on an internal street, with a buffer strip for planting provided along the arterial street; or such other means of separating through and local traffic shall be provided as the Planning Board may determine to be appropriate.

D. Right-of-way widths measured from lot line to lot line, grade widths and paving widths shall not be less than the following, unless otherwise indicated on the Master Plan or the Official Map:

	Type of Street		Right-of-Way Width (feet)	Graded Width (feet)	Paved Width (feet)
	Arterial
		Residential	80	80	42
	Arterial
		Industrial, business and commercial	80	80	50
	Collector
		Residential	60	60	36
	Collector and minor
		Industrial, business and commercial	60	60	44
	Minor
		Residential	50	50	30
	Access lanes		34	20	15

E. There shall be no reserved strips controlling access to streets except where control and disposal of the land comprising such strips have been placed in the Township under conditions approved by the Planning Board.

F. In a subdivision that adjoins or includes an existing street that does not conform to the width required herein, such additional width shall be provided along either or both sides of such streets, as the Planning Board may determine to be necessary and reasonable, in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-39 through 40:55D-41.

G. Street grades.

(1) In general, street grades shall not exceed the following:

(a) On arterial streets: 4%.

(b) On collector streets and marginal access streets: 6%.

(c) On other streets: 10%.

(2) The minimum grade on any street shall be 1%.

H. Street intersections shall be as nearly at right angles as is possible and in no case shall be less than 60º. Intersecting street lines at a block corner shall be rounded by an arc having a radius of not less than 25 feet. Where, because of existing conditions, street intersections are likely to require channelization for proper traffic control, street lines shall be designed to accommodate such special treatment as the Planning Board may specify.

I. Street jogs with center-line offsets of less than 125 feet shall be avoided where possible.

J. In general, tangents of at least the following lengths shall be introduced between reverse curves:

(1) On arterial streets: 300 feet.

(2) On collector streets: 100 feet.

(3) On other streets, except alleys: 50 feet.

K. When street lines deflect by more than 5º, they shall be connected by curves with the following radii measured to the center line of the right-of-way:

(1) On arterial streets: 800 feet.

(2) On collector streets: 400 feet.

(3) On other streets, except alleys: 200 feet.

L. All changes in grade shall be connected by vertical curves of sufficient length to provide a smooth grade transition and proper sight distance.

M. A dead-end street shall terminate in a circular right-of-way (cul-de-sac) having a radius of not less than 50 feet and paved to a radius of not less than 28 feet and tangent, whenever possible, to the right side of the street when viewed toward the closed end, or in a turnaround of such other design as may be approved by the Planning Board. Dead-end streets shall not be longer than 600 feet in length unless:

(1) The Planning Board finds, taking into consideration the physical characteristics of the land to be subdivided and the adjacent land, together with the economically sound development of the adjacent land, that the most desirable street design and layout requires a dead-end street longer than 600 feet.

(2) A dead-end street is a temporary dead-end street as hereinafter defined. A "temporary dead-end street" shall be a dead-end street on which no building lots abut the closed end of the turnaround and for which provision is made for future extension of the street either by proposed connection to future streets on contemplated subdivision of adjacent land or by ordinance. Whenever temporary dead-end streets are permitted, provision shall be made for the subsequent reversion of the excess right-of-way of the adjoining land.

N. Street names shall not duplicate or nearly duplicate the names of existing streets. The continuation of an existing street shall have the same name.

§ 225-71 Blocks.

A. Block lengths and widths or the dimensions of acreage within bounding roads shall be such as to accommodate the size of lot required in the area by the Zoning Ordinance[1] and to provide for convenient access, circulation and safety of street traffic.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 430, Zoning.

B. Pedestrian walks shall be provided in locations deemed necessary by the Planning Board across blocks over 1,000 feet long, from the closed ends of culs-de-sac, and elsewhere where required by the public convenience, including the provision of walks giving access to schools, playgrounds and shopping centers without the necessity of crossing traffic thoroughfares. Any such walk shall have a minimum width of 10 feet and shall generally be straight from street to street.

C. For commercial, group housing or industrial use, block sizes shall be such as to meet all area and yard requirements for such use.

§ 225-72 Lots.

A. Lot dimensions and areas shall not be less than required by the Zoning Ordinance.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 430, Zoning.

B. Insofar as is practical, side lot lines shall be at right angles to straight streets and radial to curved streets.

C. Each lot shall front on an approved street.

D. Where extra width has been provided for the widening of existing streets, lot measurements shall begin at such extra-width line, and all setbacks shall be measured from such line unless otherwise provided by the Zoning Ordinance.

E. All lots shall be adaptable for the purposes for which they are intended to be used. The Planning Board may require such revisions in layout of a subdivision or such other arrangements as will prevent the use of lots that are not thus adaptable by reason of adverse topography, rock formations, flood conditions or similar circumstances.

§ 225-73 Rights-of-way and easements.

A. Easements or rights-of-way shall be at least 30 feet wide for utility installation where required. The locations of such easements or rights-of-way shall be determined by the Planning Board after consultation with the utility company or Township department concerned.

B. Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainage channel or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse and such further width or construction, or both, as will provide adequate drainage. Such easement shall be for maintenance and draining purposes. The easement shall be 30 feet in width, plus the width of the watercourse, bank to bank, and further provided that one side of the easement shall be no less than 20 feet.

C. Surface drainage easements for major and minor subdivisions and site plans may be required from the downstream property owner to the upstream property owner to permit continued passage of stormwater flow as required by existing conditions or proposed development. This easement is a description of the lot line and/or lines, between the upstream and downstream property owner, over which the stormwater historically flowed prior to proposed development.

§ 225-74 Areas for public use; preservation of natural features.

A. Any land shown on the Master Plan as proposed for park, playground, school site or other public use shall be designated and reserved for such use. If standards for the provision of park and recreation areas or other public use areas have been adopted as a part of the Master Plan, the Planning Board, in acting on the preliminary plat of a subdivision, shall apply such standards thereto and designate the lands required for such purposes, and such lands shall be so shown and reserved on the plat. Such designation is intended to precede the reservation of such lands in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-44.

B. Natural features in a subdivision, such as trees, brooks, hilltops and outlook views, shall be preserved whenever possible in designating the street and lot arrangement.

§ 225-75 Sidewalks.

[Amended 2-23-1988 by Ord. No. 88:8]

Sidewalks shall be installed to a minimum width of four feet on both sides of the street in all residential zones and developments, and in all other zones and developments when the same are located within one mile of any school, public institution, public facility, community recreational area or other major pedestrian generator (e.g., shopping center, grocery store).

§ 225-76 Subdivisions with density modifications.

A. Generally. In considering the advisability of giving approval to a developer to develop according to reduced lot sizes under the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance[1], the Planning Board shall determine that the development shall promote the public health, safety and general welfare and regulate the density of population, with due consideration and regard being given to the character of the residential district in general and its particular suitability for development according to reduced lot sizes, the conservation of the value of property and the encouragement of the most appropriate residential use of the land within the district, topography, soil conditions, internal drainage, extent of proximate land use, availability of and proximity to public water and sewers, proximity to other municipal parks and recreational areas and the effect, if any, of such reduced lot size plan upon the Comprehensive Master Plan of the Township.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 430, Zoning.

B. Dedication. All areas proposed to be dedicated may be in one or more parcels as determined by the Planning Board.

C. Location and size. The area of the development to be dedicated by deed to the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills by the owner for such public use shall be in such locations, size or sizes as shall be determined and approved by the Planning Board. Such area or areas to be so dedicated shall be, in total, at least three acres, have a depth of not less than 200 feet and a continuous street frontage of not less than 50 feet. Every such dedicated public use area shall be accessible directly from one or more streets within the subdivision or directly through or over lands owned by the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.