Town of DeWitt, NY Design Standards and Improvements

The development plan shall conform to such plan or plans for the Town as shall have been prepared and adopted by the Planning Board.

Local streets in a new development shall be so laid out as to discourage through traffic, but provision for the extension and continuation of major streets into and from adjoining areas is required. If the subdivision abuts a present or proposed arterial street, marginal access streets running parallel to the thoroughfare should be provided.

At all times, the street layout should be logically related to the topography of the land.

(4)

Where the center lines of local streets opening into opposite sides of a collector street are within 200 feet of each other, they shall be made to coincide by curving or angling the local streets.

(5)

If the lots resulting from the original development are large enough for resubdivision or if a portion of the tract is not subdivided, suitable access and street openings for such an eventuality shall be provided.

(6)

Culs-de-sac in the local system shall not exceed 1,000 feet in length and must be designed with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of at least 100 feet and a street property line diameter of at least 120 feet. When required by the Planning Board, culs-de-sac shall be installed with center island. The Planning Board may, on specific findings related to geographic or physical features of the tract, extend the length of the cul-de-sac.

Street alignment.

The minimum radius at the center line for curves on arterial streets shall be 500 feet; for collector streets, 300 feet; and for local streets, 150 feet.

Local streets shall have a tangent of at least 100 feet measured at the center line between reverse curves. All other streets shall have a tangent of at least 200 feet.

Proper sight distances should be provided with respect to both horizontal and vertical alignment. Measured along the center line, the sight distance should be 400 feet for arterial streets, 200 feet for collector streets and 100 feet for local streets.

Street grades.

There shall be a minimum grade of at least 3/4 of 1% on all streets and a maximum grade of 6% on arterial streets and collector streets and 10% on local streets for maximum distances of 1,500 feet.

Vertical curves shall be used in changes of grade exceeding 1% and should be designed for maximum visibility. Intersections shall be approached on all sides by leveling areas. Such leveling areas shall extend for a distance of 100 feet from the point of intersection of the center lines of the intersecting streets and within which no grade shall exceed a maximum of 3%.

Street and pavement widths.

The minimum street width shall be 60 feet, and the minimum pavement width for local streets shall be 24 feet, and 32 feet for collector streets exclusive of any gutter. Where divided pavements are proposed, the minimum street width shall be 80 feet, and the minimum pavement width shall be 18 feet per lane.

Additional widths may be required by the Planning Board upon findings that the same are required for:

(a)

Public safety and convenience.

(b)

Parking in commercial, industrial or public use areas.

(c)

Old roads which do not provide the proper widths and where, as a consequence, additional dedication is necessary.

Street intersections.

Multiple intersections involving the junction of more than four roadways shall be avoided, and where such avoidance is impossible, such intersections shall be designed with extreme care for both vehicular and pedestrian safety.

Right-angle intersections shall be used whenever practicable, especially when local streets empty into arterial or collector streets, and there shall be no intersection angle measured at the center line of less than 75°.

Street curb intersections shall be rounded by a tangential arc with a minimum radius of 20 feet for local streets and 30 feet for intersections, including collector streets and arterial streets.

Other requirements.

The dedication of half streets at the edge of a new subdivision is prohibited. If circumstances render this impracticable, adequate provision for the concurrent dedication of the remaining half of the street must be furnished by the subdivider. The existence of a half street in an adjoining subdivision will require the provision of the remaining half in the proposed subdivision.

Reserve strips controlling access or egress are prohibited. New streets shall be provided through to the boundary lines of the development, especially if it adjoins acreage.

Streets that are extensions of or obviously in alignment with existing named streets shall bear the names of the existing streets, subject to the approval of the Planning Board. Street names shall be cleared with the County Planning Department and the representatives designated by the Town Board to avoid duplications or use of similarly sounding names.

§ 164-16 Lots.

The minimum lot size and frontage shall be controlled by the provisions of the 1967 Zoning Ordinance of the Town of DeWitt, as amended, and as may be further amended.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 192, Zoning.

All lots shall abut on a street. Double-frontage lots are prohibited except where the lots abut an arterial or a collector street on which access is not permitted. All lot lines shall be at right angles to the street or to a tangent of the arc of a curved street. If, after subdividing, there exist remnants of land, they shall be included in proposed or existing lot areas.

Corner lots shall be at least 1 1/2 times the width of single-frontage lots.

§ 164-17 Building lines.

The minimum building setback shall be controlled by the provisions set forth in the 1967 Zoning Ordinance of the Town of DeWitt, as amended and as may be further amended.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 192, Zoning.

§ 164-18 Utilities.

Where sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water, gas, electrical, street lighting or other public utility facilities are to be located within street rights-of-way, their location and installation shall be coordinated so that they may be added to, repaired or enlarged at minimum cost. If easements are used at the rear of lots to provide such facilities, an easement shall be required having a minimum width of at least 20 feet. (Where lots back up to each other, thus would require a ten-foot easement from each lot.)

§ 164-19 Alleys.

Alleys are prohibited in residential developments. In commercial or industrial districts without expressly designed loading areas, alleys with a minimum width of 22 feet shall be required. Where such alleys dead-end, they shall be provided with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of not less than 100 feet.

§ 164-20 Reservation and dedication of lands for public use.

To meet the requirements of § 164-3G, the Board may require reservation and dedication of at least 8% of the area of land to be subdivided for park, playground, recreation, open land or other public purposes. In locating lands to be reserved and dedicated, the Board shall consider preservation of special environmental and geographic features, unsuitability of certain lands for building purposes, future expansion of public use lands upon development of adjoining areas, the most appropriate type of public land use for the area and the conditions necessary to preserve access, use and maintenance of such lands for their untended purpose.

Such lands may be retained in private ownership, provided that they are permanently dedicated and maintained for their intended use by recorded covenant and security deemed adequate to the Town Board. Alternatively, lands may be offered to the Town as a gift, to be accepted at the discretion of the Town Board.

Land for park, open land, playground or other recreational purposes may not be required until the Planning Board has made a finding that such lands are suitably located for playgrounds or other passive or active recreational purposes within the Town. Such findings shall include an evaluation of the present and anticipated future needs for park and recreational facilities in the Town based on projected population growth to which the particular subdivision plat will contribute.

In the event that the Planning Board determines that reservation of land of adequate size and suitable purpose cannot be practically located in a proposed subdivision or that said reservation would not appropriately serve the locale, the Board may condition its approval of a subdivision upon payment to the Town of fees pursuant to the schedule set forth herein, which fees would constitute a trust fund of the Town to be used exclusively for the acquisition and development of parks, playgrounds, recreation or open land areas in the Town. Such fees will be collected at the time of filing a subdivision map utilizing the fee schedule then in force and effect.

§ 164-21 Required improvements.

The following is a complete list of required improvements to be installed either by the developer or by the Town, with the developer paying most of the cost as outlined in Subsection B:

Tract grading. Before grading and improving land to be subdivided, the developer shall obtain Town approval of grading plans which shall assure adequate protection against excessive grades, surface water runoff, ponding and soil erosion both during and after completion of tract development. Compliance with approved grading plats shall be assured by undertaking and security acceptable to the Town Board.

Street grading. All streets shall be graded to the grades shown on the street profile and cross-section plans as submitted and approved with the preliminary plat. Where installed by the developer, they shall be inspected and checked for accuracy by the Town or its representatives. All land within the street right-of-way shall be graded toward the pavement at a minimum slope of 2% and a maximum slope of 15%. When installed by the developer, an as-built center-line profile shall be furnished prior to acceptance.