No subdivision of land shall be made and no land in any subdivision shall be sold or offered for sale and no street or utility construction shall be started until a plan of subdivision, prepared in accordance with the requirements of these regulations, has been approved by the commission and has been filed in the office of the Town Clerk.
[Amended 6-18-1990]
In the case of subdivisions requiring construction of new streets, any existing street which provides either frontage to new lots or access to new streets shall meet the minimum standards established and defined in § 143-6. Where a subdivision requires expenditures by the Town to improve existing streets to conform to minimum requirements, the Commission may disapprove such subdivision until the Town Council has approved such expenditures or until other provisions have been made to assure that such existing streets will be improved to the required minimum standards.
The Commission shall require extension of public water to all subdivisions.
[Amended 6-18-1990]
For the purpose of these regulations, streets shall meet the following minimum requirements:
A. 
The layout of the street right-of-way shall have been approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and shall have at least one intersection with another Town street or state highway.
B. 
The street right-of-way shall have a minimum width of 50 feet.
C. 
The street shall be one that is not under consideration for discontinuance or realignment by the authority having jurisdiction.
D. 
The street alignment and grades shall be in harmony with existing and proposed streets and the pilot plan of development of the Town and shall conform substantially to these regulations.
E. 
Street construction (subbase and base courses) shall be sufficient to carry safely and adequately potential future traffic computed on the basis of land areas to be served and population density based on zoning requirements.
F. 
Storm drainage disposal shall be adequate for present uses, and additional storm drainage created by new subdivisions shall not increase the Town's obligation for additional storm drainage disposal on existing streets or other private or public lands.
G. 
State highways shall be considered to meet the above standards.
H. 
No subdivision containing a provision for private streets shall be approved.
All land to be subdivided shall be of or shall be capable of being properly changed, in the judgment of the Commission, to such a character that it can be used for building purposes without danger to public health or safety or to the environment. Land subject to periodic flooding, poor drainage or other hazardous conditions shall not be subdivided. Land with inadequate capacity for sanitary sewage disposal shall not be subdivided unless connected to public sewers. Plans for the subdivision of land shall conform to all ordinances and regulations of the Town of Wethersfield, the Town plan of development, as may be amended, the overall storm drainage plan of the Town and all applicable state laws and regulations.
Provision shall be made for sidewalks in all subdivisions. Construction of sidewalks is required on the subdivision side of existing streets without sidewalks and on both sides of new subdivision streets, except that no sidewalk will be required on permanent dead-end streets less than 600 feet in total length as measured from the street line of the intersecting street to the center of the cul-de-sac.
A. 
All subdivisions shall make adequate provisions for water supply (both for domestic and for fire-fighting purposes), hydrants, stormwater and sanitary sewage disposal and required utilities and improvements. All utilities shall be installed underground. All underground utilities shall be installed within the right-of-way according to specifications outlined in these regulations and as shown on Drawings No. 1 and 2 of § 143-43. Conduits, wires, etc., for all underground utilities, whether for immediate or future use, shall be installed during the construction of the roadway.
B. 
In subdivisions to which underground utilities are to be furnished from a public source, all necessary mains, branch offsets to each lot and fire hydrants shall be installed by the subdivider, as approved by the corporation or municipal department having jurisdiction, and to the satisfaction of the recognized authorities of the Town and without expense to the Town.
C. 
An adequate subsurface stormwater drainage system for the entire subdivision area shall be provided, unless, in the judgment of the Commission, the natural topography and/or easy access to natural watercourses makes storm drainage unnecessary. Storm drainage shall be carried to existing watercourses or connect to existing storm drains and shall conform to the Town's overall storm drainage plans.
A complete streetlighting system, including excavations, cable, poles and fixtures approved by the operating utility company, shall be installed without cost to the Town. All costs relating to the installation of this system, including all energy charges incurred until the acceptance of the public utilities and improvements by the Town Council, shall be those of the developer. Streetlights shall be energized prior to street acceptance where, in the opinion of the Town, they are required for reasons of safety. The developer shall make arrangements with the utility company to have all streetlight costs charged at the overhead rate.
An erosion and sedimentation control plan shall be provided as part of any application for subdivision where the disturbed area of development is more than 1/2 acre. Such plan shall show proper measures to control erosion and reduce sedimentation as set forth in the Connecticut Guidelines for Soil and Erosion Control, published by the Connecticut Council on Soil and Water Conservation, January 1985, as may be amended, and the specific requirements of § 143-24.
A plan of subdivision shall make provision for use of passive solar energy techniques or demonstrate that such techniques have been considered in the development of the plan. Site design techniques for passive solar energy use shall include but not be limited to house orientation, street and lot layout, vegetation, natural and man-made topographical features and protection of solar access within the development.
A. 
The subdivider shall install a complete sanitary sewer system under the supervision of the Metropolitan District Commission.
B. 
The subdivider shall install laterals from the sewer in the street to the street property line of each building lot.
C. 
Any habitable buildings constructed in the subdivision shall have house connections installed and shall have such connections extended inside the building.
A. 
Except as provided in § 143-15C, a subdivision of any tract or parcel of land containing 10 acres or more shall provide public open space for parks and playgrounds or for conservation, in places deemed proper by the Commission, at the proportionate rate of one acre for 25 families. Where a subdivision containing less than 15 acres of land is located less than 1/2 mile from and readily accessible to public open space reserved for such purposes and where there are no brooks, streams or other natural features requiring preservation in open space, the Commission may waive this requirement.
B. 
When only a part of such tract is to be developed immediately and the subdivider shall agree to dedicate an area of land in the undeveloped portion of such tract equal to the requirements for open space in the developed portion and shall grant to the Town an option to accept such dedication when such undeveloped portion is hereafter subdivided, then the Commission may waive the requirements for immediate provision of open space in a subdivision which is a part of a larger tract of land.
C. 
Such open spaces shall abut or have direct access to a public street through a right-of-way dedicated to public use. The right-of-way shall not be included in the required playground area, shall be at least 15 feet wide and shall be leveled off in a manner suitable for foot and vehicle traffic, with a maximum grade of 12%.
D. 
When a property line of a subdivision abuts an existing public open space, the Commission may require the new public open space lines to form a continuation of the existing area to provide a single large unified area.
E. 
No required public open space shall abut any Town boundary line of the Town of Wethersfield.
F. 
Required public open space shall be contained in a rectangle whose average greatest dimension is not more than three times its lesser dimension wherever possible.
G. 
Miscellaneous requirements.
(1) 
Any subdivision or resubdivision application which requires a provision for public or private open space under the terms of this section shall contain a site improvement plan for such public or private open space, and such plan shall be subject to the approval of the Commission.
(2) 
Except as otherwise permitted, in writing, by the Commission, there shall be no depositing, dumping or storage of waste or other natural or man-made materials, supplies or equipment on any subdivision land designated as open space. No work nor removal nor filling shall be done nor shall the existing natural characteristics of open space land be altered from its original condition until a site improvement plan, prepared by a competent professional person, shall have been approved by the Commission.
(3) 
Land to be used as public or private open space shall be left in condition for the purpose intended. Undesirable growth and debris shall be removed from all such areas. Wooded and brook areas should be left natural, where appropriate. Open spaces shall be graded to properly dispose of surface water and shall be seeded in a manner directed by the Commission.
(4) 
Any security deposit or bond for the completion of work shown on the public utilities and improvement plan shall also be available for completion of public or private open space requirements in the event of a default of performance by the subdivider or his successor.
A. 
In addition to land designated by the Commission as parks and playgrounds under § 143-14, a subdivision plan submitted under the Special Residence Zone shall provide additional land dedicated for parks and playgrounds, or conservation in places deemed proper by the Commission.
B. 
The purposes of such open space are to provide, through the design and layout of streets, lots and open spaces:
(1) 
Conservation and improvement of natural features and green areas, including areas along roads, the banks of rivers, streams and lakes and ridgetops to provide visual barriers to restrict urban sprawl.
(2) 
Provision, in appropriate areas of population concentration, of areas of land for active recreational use.
(3) 
Retention of fish and wildlife refuge areas and nature observation areas; protection of the quality of water bodies.
(4) 
Protection of natural drainageways and floodwater retention areas.
(5) 
The provision of adequate controls to assure the permanence of open space use in areas so designated, through public acquisition or by easement or other suitable type of agreement.
C. 
Such areas shall contain not less than 10% of the gross area of the subdivision, and the proposed use thereof, whether public or private, shall be stipulated on the subdivision plan.
D. 
Such area, where approved by the Commission, may be retained in private ownership, in which case the use of the open space shall not be prohibited to any residents of the subdivision.
E. 
Where private ownership of open space may be approved by the Commission, such open space along watercourses and water bodies shall be subject to easements to the Town to permit maintenance to preserve stormwater flow.
F. 
No single area required above shall contain less than one acre except that where, in the judgment of the Commission, a smaller area is appropriate to a particular subdivision and provides for the most desirable subdivision of land.
G. 
No subdivision containing a provision for private open space shall be approved unless restrictive covenants burdening all the related land in the subdivision have been approved by the Commission, and the approved subdivision map shall not be released by the Commission for filing with the Town Clerk unless such approved restrictive covenants are filed simultaneously with the subdivision map and unless such restrictive covenants have priority over all other interests in the land not specifically excused by the Commission.
H. 
In order to verify that the restrictive covenants referred to in Subsection G are not subordinate to any unexcused encumbrances, the subdivider shall provide a certificate of title signed by an attorney and dated as of the date of filing of such restrictive covenants.
No privately owned reserved strips will be permitted which control access to land dedicated to public use or which may be so dedicated or which limit or control development potential of or access to private lands.
Due regard shall be given to the preservation and potential enhancement of existing natural features, large trees, scenic points and other assets of a community nature.
Where the total of lots under separate ownership and lots occupied by buildings is greater than 80% of the original number of lots in a subdivision, no plan of resubdivision that results in a lot size substantially smaller than the typical lot originally established shall be approved except by a 2/3 affirmative vote of the Commission.