A.
Contents of Article V. This Article V includes specific standards for the design of subdivisions and land developments and requirements for improvements. Minimum standards and requirements are specified for each element of design or improvement. General goals or statements of desired outcomes are listed in § 780-502. The Department will consider alternatives to specific standards and requirements specified in § 780-503 and following sections if the applicant demonstrates that an alternative will achieve the desired outcome to a higher degree or will produce more desirable results than application of the specified standard.
B.
Site analysis. The design of a subdivision or land development shall
be based upon an analysis of existing conditions of the site, which
includes consideration of the site's natural and man-made features
and of the opportunities and constraints for development that are
associated with these features. The site analysis shall also consider
the relationship of the site to surrounding developed and undeveloped
areas and to applicable municipal, County and regional plans. The
required project narrative should summarize how the analysis of existing
conditions has influenced the design of the subdivision or land development.
C.
Alternative development plan. Before considering requests for waivers or modifications of standards or requirements contained in this Article V that will reduce the attainment of the goals listed in § 780-502, the Department may require the applicant to prepare alternative development plans which more nearly meet the requirements of this chapter. Such alternatives may be required to include the clustering of development on portions of the site which are not constrained by the environmental protection provisions of this chapter and may include a reduction in the otherwise allowable density or intensity of development on the total site. The original plan shall be approved only if the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that an alternative plan is not practical or feasible.
D.
Regulations of other jurisdictions. It shall be the responsibility
of the applicant for approval of a subdivision or land development
to obtain all required permits and approvals from other jurisdictions
or agencies. No application shall be finally approved by the Department
or recorded until all required permits and approvals have been obtained,
unless the plan for recording includes a notation that specified permits
will be obtained prior to issuance of construction permits.
Subdivisions and land developments shall be designed to achieve
the general goals or outcomes that are listed in this section.
A.
Allegheny County Comprehensive Plan. All development should be consistent
with the land use patterns promoted in Allegheny Places, the Allegheny
County Comprehensive Plan. Allegheny Places encourages efficient development
density close to existing infrastructure and community resources to
minimize the need for the development of new infrastructure. New subdivisions
and land developments shall be interconnected with existing developments
to the greatest extent possible and include multimodal transportation
options to reduce vehicle dependency. The purpose of requiring interconnectivity
and street connections is to achieve a street network that provides
multiple routes to and from destinations. Such a network is key to
supporting walking and bicycling as convenient, safe, and healthy
forms of transportation.
B.
Minimize damage to the environment. All subdivisions and land developments
shall be designed to minimize environmental damage to the maximum
extent possible, by carefully fitting the subdivision or development
to the existing conditions and natural features of the site.
(1)
Minimize grading. Roads, building sites and lots should be laid out
in a manner that will minimize disturbance of the land. Roads should
generally follow existing contours, where doing so will minimize cuts
and fills. Naturally level areas should in general be utilized for
building sites. Clustering of development on less steep areas of the
site is strongly encouraged, as an alternative to mass grading.
(2)
Protect steep slopes. Wooded hillsides are important environmental
and aesthetic resources of Allegheny County. Development should be
located to avoid disturbance of steeply sloped areas and to preserve
the visual character of wooded hillsides.
(3)
Protect watercourses and wetlands. Watercourses are the County's
natural drainageways for the conveyance of surface waters, including
runoff and floodwaters. Streams, land bordering streams and wetlands
provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals and
may function as wildlife corridors. The County's larger streams
and rivers are primary elements of the visual character of the County
and are also important resources for recreation and commerce. Development
should be designed to preserve and protect the County's watercourses
and wetlands so that they can continue to serve all of these functions.
(4)
Preserve woodlands and mature trees. New developments should be designed
to preserve and protect existing woodlands, as excessive cutting of
trees and clearance of woodlands in conjunction with subdivision and
land development causes soil erosion, increased runoff, loss of habitat,
and diminution of one of the County's most significant visual
resources: the wooded hillsides that are so prominent throughout the
area. Except for regulated commercial timbering operations, the cutting
of mature trees and clearance of woodland shall commence only after
final approval of a plan for subdivision or land development, and
then only to the extent required for the construction of roads, utilities
and buildings.
(5)
Protect other identified natural resources. Special care should be
taken in the design and construction of subdivisions and land developments
to protect habitats in which rare or endangered plants or animals
are found and other ecologically important sites.
(6)
Protect historic, architectural and archaeological resources.
Sites containing structures of historic or architectural significance
should be designed to preserve, enhance or reuse such structures,
in accordance with any applicable state regulations.
(7)
Protect the quality of the County's air and water. All
land development shall comply fully with federal, state and County
laws and regulations concerning air and water pollution.
C.
Avoid hazardous development. Where hazardous or potentially hazardous
features are present on proposed development sites, the design of
subdivisions and land developments shall consider such features. Appropriate
precautions shall be taken to ensure that development will be safe
and that the public health and welfare will be protected. Development
shall not be approved unless safety is ensured.
(1)
Landslide-prone areas. In areas where soils or underlying geology
may be unstable, geotechnical investigation shall be required to ensure
the safety of any proposed disturbance.
(2)
Undermined areas. In areas where mining has occurred in the
past, subsidence risk assessments may be required to establish that
proposed development will be safe.
(3)
Flood-prone areas. New construction in the undeveloped one-hundred-year
floodplain should be avoided. New construction in other undeveloped
areas subject to frequent flooding should also be avoided. In areas
where the floodplain has been developed in the past and new construction
is unavoidable, such development shall be in accordance with all applicable
state and federal regulations.
(4)
Contaminated sites. In order to protect the public health, no
subdivision or development of land in areas which may have been contaminated
by former industrial or other uses shall be approved unless the site
has been made safe for development. Development of contaminated sites
shall be limited to uses which will not pose health risks for site
occupants.
(5)
Areas exposed to aircraft noise or hazards. Subdivisions and
land developments in areas of the County where airport-related noise
is high or where aircraft landings and takeoffs can be endangered
by vertical obstructions or other hazards shall ensure that development
does not reduce the ability of the airport to function safely and
efficiently. Conversely, the safety of development and the health
and welfare of occupants should not be compromised because of proximity
to airports.
D.
The general layout of subdivisions and land development should respect
the natural resources of the site and the character of the surrounding
area and be suitable for the intended uses. The design of blocks and
lots shall comply with the zoning requirements of the municipality
and should provide suitable sites for buildings. The design of subdivisions
and land development should consider the topography and other natural
features of the site, requirements for safe and convenient pedestrian
and vehicular circulation and the character of surrounding development.
Subdivisions and land developments should be compatible with municipal,
County and regional comprehensive plans and components thereof.
E.
Land development shall include landscaping which is designed to improve
community appearance, to contribute to the environmental quality and
livability of new development areas and to mitigate the negative impacts
of development upon other areas of the community. Uses and structures
should be sited to minimize adverse impacts from or upon adjoining
uses. Landscaping and buffer yards should be designed to reduce unavoidable
impacts and to augment the natural features of the site.
F.
Provide a full range of improvements in subdivisions and land developments
as required to ensure the public health, safety and welfare and the
creation of desirable communities for living, working and recreation.
(1)
Water. A safe and sufficient supply of potable water shall be
provided for new subdivisions and land developments, in accordance
with applicable regulations of the commonwealth and County. New development
should not degrade the quality of potable water supplies.
(2)
Sanitary sewage facilities shall be provided for new subdivisions
and land developments, in accordance with applicable regulations of
the commonwealth and County.
(3)
Stormwater management. Every subdivision and land development
shall manage stormwater flows in accordance with the Pennsylvania
Storm Water Management Act[1] and PADEP's implementing regulations. All development
located in watersheds for which watershed stormwater management plans
have adopted shall comply with all requirements of the watershed plan.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 32 P.S. § 680.1 et seq.
(4)
Other essential public utilities. New subdivisions and land
developments shall be served by other essential public utilities,
including electricity, natural gas and telephone. New subdivisions
and land developments may also be served by alternative energy sources,
such as solar or wind, in accordance with any applicable state, federal
and local regulations.
(5)
Public and community services. All new development should have
access to a full range of community services and facilities, such
as public safety and emergency services and recreation facilities,
schools and libraries.
(6)
Transportation facilities. New subdivisions and land developments
should include a range of transportation facilities, for access to
all lots, buildings, and open space areas intended for use by people.
Transportation facilities developed within new subdivisions and land
developments should be designed as parts of the larger system of transportation
facilities which serve the community. Transportation facilities may
include streets, public transportation, sidewalks, bikeways and multipurpose
trails for nonmotorized transportation.
A.
Purpose. The purpose of these standards is to ensure public health,
safety and welfare and to protect property by preventing rock and
soil slippage, loss and degradation of natural drainageways, increased
soil erosion and sedimentation and other soil- and water-management-related
problems.
B.
Application. If the municipality in which a proposed subdivision or land development is located has enacted a grading ordinance, the municipal standards shall apply. If a more stringent related standard is contained in another section of this chapter (e.g., § 780-504, 780-505 or 780-509) than in the municipal grading ordinance, the stricter standard shall govern. If the municipality has no applicable regulations, the following general standards shall apply.
C.
General standards for grading.
(1)
No grading, stripping of topsoil, excavation or any other earth disturbance
activity which changes the existing contours of the land, and no clearing,
grubbing or any other activity which results in the removal of existing
vegetation (other than the removal of dead or diseased plant material),
shall be permitted except in conjunction with a finally approved land
development, subdivision or phased master plan.
(2)
Grading shall be limited to the minimum area necessary to provide
for buildings, roads, parking areas, utilities and other facilities
shown on the approved land development plan.
(4)
A soil erosion and sedimentation pollution control plan shall be
prepared in accordance with the provisions of Title 25, Environmental
Protection, Chapter 102, Erosion and Sediment Control,[1] and where required, a finding of adequacy shall be issued
by the Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) prior to the
commencement of any grading or other regulated earth disturbance activity.
Where submission of the plan to the ACCD is not required by state
or federal regulations (generally for sites less than five acres),
the Department may require that the plan be submitted to the ACCD
for review.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102.
(5)
Where required by the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) and/or state regulations, a permit shall be obtained prior
to commencement of grading:
(a)
For development sites equal to or greater than one acre in size,
a DEP general permit PAG-2 or an individual NPDES permit for stormwater
discharges pursuant to current regulations under 25 Pa. Code Chapter
102 is required. Issuance of the PAG-2 permit has been delegated to
the ACCD. The processing of individual NPDES permits has been delegated
to the ACCD. Permits are issued by the DEP Southwest Regional Office.
(6)
The applicant shall be responsible for protecting adjacent and downstream
properties from any damage which occurs as a result of earth disturbance
on the development site. Such protection shall include cleaning up
and restoring to their original condition any adjacent and downstream
properties adversely affected by silt, debris, flooding, or other
damage resulting from the earth disturbance activity.
(7)
The top and bottom edges of cut or fill slopes shall be kept back
from property or right-of-way lines three feet plus 1/5 the height
of the cut or fill, which total distance need not exceed 10 feet.
(8)
Topsoil stripped from the site in preparation for earthmoving activities
shall be stockpiled and replaced on the site over all regraded, nondeveloped
areas, at a minimum depth of six inches.
(9)
Fill areas shall be prepared by removing organic material such as
vegetation and rubbish and any other material determined by the engineer
to prevent proper compaction and stability.
(10)
Proposed grading shall be accomplished so that post-development
stormwater runoff flows cause no harm to abutting properties.
(11)
Maximum steepness of graded slopes shall be no greater than
two horizontal to one vertical except under the following conditions:
(a)
Where the height of a proposed slope will not exceed 12 feet,
then a maximum slope steepness of one to one may be allowed where
soil conditions permit and doing so will help to preserve existing
vegetation or other significant natural features. The cut or fill
shall be located so that a line having a slope of two horizontal to
one vertical and passing through any portion of the slope face will
be entirely inside the property lines of the proposed development.
(b)
Where a retaining wall, designed and sealed by a registered
professional engineer, is constructed to support the face of the slope.
(c)
A geotechnical analysis by a registered professional engineer
in Pennsylvania with geotechnical training and experience that demonstrates
the steep slopes are stable with a slope stability factor of 1.5 for
slopes potentially impacting a structure and a slope stability factor
of 1.3 for other slopes, unless otherwise approved by the County.
These requirements indicate that the soil strength (resisting force)
is 50% or 30%, respectively, greater than the shearing (driving force)
acting on the slope.
(12)
Excavation adjacent to any building foundation walls, footings
or structures shall not extend beyond the angle of repose or natural
slope of the soil under the nearest point of same unless the footings,
foundations or structures have been sufficiently underpinned or otherwise
protected against settlement.
(13)
Reforestation.
(a)
Graded slopes whose height equals or exceeds 40 feet shall be
reforested in order to prevent erosion, promote slope stabilization,
encourage natural revegetation, and reduce the visual impacts of extensive
areas of graded slopes.
(b)
Slopes shall be planted with trees and shrubs. The use of hardy, self-propagating indigenous species is recommended. Invasive plants are prohibited as noted in § 780-512B. Quantities, sizes and condition of the plant material shall be appropriate to the species and the growing conditions. Bare-root trees, whips and seedlings may be permitted with the concurrence of the Department.
Limitations on disturbance. The following standards shall apply to all grading and disturbance of land with slopes of 15% or greater. If any of the delineated steep slope areas include soils or geologic features which indicate possible instability, the additional standards contained in § 780-510A shall apply.
A.
Slopes between 25% and 40%. No more than 30% of slope areas with
existing grades between 25% and 40% shall be stripped of vegetation
or disturbed through grading. Grading and clearing for roads on these
slopes shall be limited to that necessary to accommodate the cartway
and shoulders or berms. Wherever possible, roads should follow the
contours of the land.
B.
Slopes between 15% and 40% located within Greenprint areas, as defined
in Allegheny Places: no development.
C.
Slopes exceeding 40%. No development or disturbance shall be allowed
on slopes exceeding 40%. Limited disturbance for utilities may be
allowed where no reasonable alternative location exists.
A.
Purpose. The regulations contained in this section are intended to
promote the public health, safety and welfare by ensuring that watercourses
and wetlands will be preserved in their natural condition so that
they may continue to convey and store water, provide habitat for flora
and fauna, and serve as recreational and aesthetic resources.
B.
Setback or open space easement required. No grading, cutting, filling,
removal of vegetation, or other disturbance of land shall be permitted
within the required setback.
(1)
The minimum setback for watercourses shall be 50 feet, measured from
the top of the channel bank. In addition, land development involving
the construction of new buildings shall not be permitted within 100
feet of the top of the bank of the Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio or
Youghiogheny Rivers.
(2)
The setback for wetlands shall be as follows:
(a)
Determination of setback area:
[1]
Wetlands one acre and over: fifty-foot setback depth, times
the perimeter of the wetland (measured in lineal feet), equals the
minimum setback area.
(b)
Distribution of the required setback area shall be either:
[1]
At the uniform setback depth from the delineated edge of the
wetland; or
[2]
At a variable setback depth, based on a wetland management plan
prepared by a certified professional wetlands biologist. In no case,
however, shall the setback be less than 10 feet from the delineated
edge of a wetland less than acre in extent or 20 feet from the delineated
edge of a wetland one acre or more in extent.
(3)
Minor earth disturbance and construction within the area of the required
setback or easement, required for development in other areas of the
site, may be allowed in accordance with all regulations of the Department
of Environmental Protection and municipal floodplain regulations,
where applicable.
(4)
Construction may also be allowed within the required setback area
of rivers to enable the development of uses that require proximity
or access to the river, in accordance with applicable federal, DEP
and municipal regulations.
(5)
In larger subdivisions and land developments, the required setback
area should be integrated into a system of public or common open space.
In smaller subdivisions and land developments, the preservation of
these open space areas shall be ensured through recorded easements,
deed restrictions or other means acceptable to the Department and
to the municipality.
(6)
Where the required setback or easement would render a site unusable
under the municipality's zoning regulations because of the limited
size or dimensions of a parcel of land prior to its subdivision, the
Department may reduce the depth of the setback to not less than 50
feet along a river and to not less than 20 feet along other watercourses.
Any reduction in depth of setback which may be allowed by the Department
does not supersede any requirement for a greater setback imposed by
federal, state or municipal regulations.
C.
Alteration of drainage. When a proposed subdivision or land development
encompasses or adjoins a watercourse or wetland, the design of the
proposed development shall not alter site drainage in ways that will
reduce the ability of the watercourse or wetland to support the vegetation
and animal life that characterized the area before development. Existing
wetlands may be used to control stormwater runoff flows from a development
site, provided that a certified wetlands biologist participates in
the design of the proposed stormwater detention facility or certifies
that the proposed facility will not adversely affect the wetland,
as defined herein.
A.
Woodland preservation. Not more than 50% of the total area of mature
woodlands and not more than 75% of the total area of woodlands on
a development site shall be removed in conjunction with a subdivision
or land development. The remaining woodlands shall be protected as
open space. No area of any existing woodland shall be removed prior
to the granting of final approval of the proposed subdivision or land
development.
(1)
Priority in woodland preservation shall be given to woodlands in
one-hundred-year floodplains, wetlands, stream valley corridors, steep
slopes and landslide-prone areas.
(2)
The Department may consider modification of this standard if evidence
is presented from a professional arborist, forester, landscape architect
or other expert whose qualifications are acceptable to the Department
that a lesser area of woodlands should be preserved because of disease,
undesirability of species, or other reason affecting the quality and
health of the woodland.
(3)
The Department may allow a greater percentage of woodland area to be cleared if new replacement woodlands are provided elsewhere on the site or an approved off-site mitigation area. The minimum area of the replacement woodland shall be at least 125% of the woodland area cleared in excess of the areas allowed in Subsection A above. The replacement woodland shall be prepared, planted and maintained in accordance with a plan prepared by a forester or other qualified professional and approved by the Department.
B.
Preservation of large or unique trees.
(1)
All healthy trees with trunks equal to or exceeding 24 inches DBH,
or any tree which may be noteworthy because of its species, age, uniqueness,
rarity or status as a landmark due to historical or other cultural
associations, and which is located within the area of disturbance
shall be preserved unless removal is deemed necessary. Criteria for
evaluating the necessity for removal shall include the following:
(a)
The health of the tree, whether it is dead or diseased beyond
remedy, or whether it is likely to endanger the public or an adjoining
property.
(b)
Other constraints of the site, where the applicant demonstrates
to the satisfaction of the Department that no reasonable alternative
exists and the removal of a tree is necessary for construction of
building foundations, roads, utilities or other essential improvements.
(2)
Trees to be preserved shall be protected during construction. The
critical root zone shall be protected by securely staked fencing with
a minimum height of 36 inches. No storage or placement of any soil
or construction materials, including construction wastes, shall occur
within the fenced area. Cables, ropes, signs and fencing shall not
be placed on protected trees.
(3)
Abrupt changes of grade shall be avoided within 40 feet of the critical
root zone of any trees to be preserved.
(4)
Large or unique trees which cannot be preserved shall be replaced
by trees of the same species, in the following manner:
(a)
For every tree with a caliper of 24 inches DBH or larger, at
least five trees with a minimum caliper of three inches to 3.5 inches
DBH or at least seven trees with a minimum caliper of two inches to
2.5 inches DBH shall be required.
(b)
The placement and spacing of the replacement trees shall be
appropriate to conditions of the replacement site and is subject to
the approval of the Department but shall at a minimum be such as to
ensure the health and longevity of the replacement trees.
(5)
Where large or unique trees will be preserved within the area of disturbance, such trees may be used to satisfy the landscaping requirements of § 780-512D(8), E(1)(e) and F(4).
C.
Preservation of bicentennial trees. No subdivision or land development
shall be approved which includes the destruction of a tree listed
in the Allegheny County Register of Bicentennial Trees.
A.
Allegheny County Natural Heritage Inventory. Every subdivision and
land development site plan shall consider and, to the maximum extent
feasible, ensure the preservation of natural heritage areas and resources
identified in the Allegheny County Natural Heritage Inventory, February
1994 or most recent edition, prepared for Allegheny County by the
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
B.
Protected resources. Where a proposed subdivision or land development
includes an identified natural feature, such as a rare or endangered
species, which is regulated by municipal, state or federal law, the
applicant shall provide evidence of compliance with any applicable
regulation.
A.
Identification of resources. Structures and site features which have
known historic or architectural significance and locations of known
or probable archaeological sites shall be identified on the existing
conditions map and described in the preliminary application materials.
B.
Notification to PHMC. Where the presence of such features is known
or suspected, or where required by DEP or another permitting agency,
the applicant shall notify the Pennsylvania and Historical Museum
Commission of the proposed subdivision or land development and request
a determination concerning the presence of significant resources from
the PHMC.
(1)
A copy of the notification to the PHMC shall be submitted with the
application for preliminary approval.
(2)
The Department shall condition preliminary approval upon the applicant's
receipt from the PHMC of a determination that:
(a)
No significant resources are present on the site or that the
proposed subdivision or land development will not adversely impact
resources that may be present.
(b)
Significant resources are present or likely to be present on
the site, together with an approved plan or program for the mitigation
of any adverse impacts of the proposed subdivision or land development
upon the historic or archaeological resource, if required by the PHMC.
(3)
A copy of the required determination by the PHMC shall be submitted
with an application for final approval, and no subdivision or land
development requiring such a determination shall be finally approved
without it.
C.
Municipal historic districts. If a proposed subdivision or land development
is located within an historic district established by the municipality,
the applicant shall provide evidence that the municipal body empowered
to approve development activities within the historic district has
reviewed and approved the proposed subdivision or land development.
A copy of the municipal approval shall be required prior to final
approval of an application.
A.
Air quality. An application for preliminary approval of a nonresidential
land development shall include a written certification from the Allegheny
County Health Department that the Health Department has been notified
of the proposed development and that the applicant has been apprised
in writing of the County air pollution control requirements. If a
preliminary plan is not required, the certification shall be submitted
with the application for final approval.
B.
Water quality. All subdivisions and land developments shall comply
with all laws and regulations of the federal government, Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, and County of Allegheny concerning water quality.
(1)
All earth disturbance activity shall be carried out in accordance
with a soil erosion and sedimentation pollution control plan prepared
in accordance with regulations of the Department of Environmental
Protection, which has been submitted to and determined to be adequate
by the Allegheny County Conservation District.
(2)
Every subdivision and land development shall be supplied with sanitary sewage facilities in accordance with all requirements of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Health Department (see § 780-514).
(3)
Any site proposed for development that is wholly or partly within a designated wellhead protection area shall comply with the wellhead protection ordinance of the municipality in which the land is located. Proposed subdivisions and land developments in areas where municipal wellhead protection regulations are not in effect shall comply with the provisions for wellhead protection in Appendix 6.[1] Appendix 6 is hereby incorporated as part of this chapter. Subdivision and land development plans in areas subject to the provisions of Appendix 6 shall be reviewed by the Allegheny County Health Department and approved by the Department.
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix 6 is included at the end of this chapter.
A.
Landslide-prone areas. No grading, removal of vegetation, construction
or other disturbance shall be permitted on soils that are classified
as slide-prone or unstable in the soil survey of Allegheny County,
on any land that is delineated as unstable on the Landslide Susceptibility
Map of Allegheny County, or on any other areas of a proposed development
site that exhibit signs of instability, except in accordance with
the provisions of this section.
(1)
Unstable areas of a site may be set aside as common or private open
space.
(2)
Limited disturbance of unstable areas may be allowed if the applicant
demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that the proposed
disturbance will not cause sliding or movement or any unsafe condition
either on the development site or on any property adjacent to it.
(3)
Evidence of the safety of any proposed disturbance shall require
site investigation and certification in writing by a professional
engineer that the proposed activity will not create or exacerbate
unsafe conditions. The geotechnical analysis shall be conducted by
a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania with geotechnical
training and experience.
(4)
Any disturbance shall be revegetated with hardy, indigenous vegetation to help stabilize the slopes. Per § 780-512B(2), the planting of invasive species is prohibited.
B.
Undermined areas. No land development involving construction of buildings
and no subdivision of land intended to create lots for building construction
shall be approved on a site which has been undermined at shallow depths
or in an area where there is evidence of past subsidence unless the
applicant demonstrates that the proposed subdivision or land development
will be safe and will not create hazards for adjacent properties.
Evidence of safety shall be one of the following:
(1)
If the site or any area of the site has been undermined and has 100
feet or less of overburden, evidence of the safety of the proposed
subdivision or land development shall require site investigation and
certification in writing by a professional engineer, experienced in
subsidence risk assessment, that the proposed development will be
safe.
(2)
If the site has been undermined and has more than 100 feet of overburden,
a subsidence risk assessment by a professional engineer and written
certification that the proposed subdivision or land development will
be safe may be required if the Department, municipality, or applicant
has knowledge of any past occurrences of subsidence in the general
vicinity of the site.
C.
Flood-prone areas. To the maximum extent feasible, new development
should not be undertaken in areas subject to period flooding, including
identified floodplain areas and flood hazard areas, as determined
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or in other areas
where FEMA maps and studies have not been provided but which may be
flood-prone as indicated in local records and histories, field studies
or on-site investigations.
(1)
Portions of proposed development sites that are susceptible to flooding
should be preserved as open space and for uses that will not be harmed
or cause hazards if exposed to inundation by floodwaters.
(2)
Construction in the floodway portion of a flood-prone area shall
comply with DEP regulations.
(3)
Where development is necessary in an area delineated as within the
one-hundred-year floodplain on a FEMA map, all construction shall
comply with municipal floodplain regulations and with the minimum
requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic
Development.
D.
Contaminated sites. The Department shall not approve the subdivision
or development of land which is known to contain substances which
are classified as hazardous unless the site has been made safe for
the proposed development.
(2)
If a remediation plan includes limitations on uses or other site
restrictions that would not apply to other property in the same zoning
district, the Department may require that the proposed subdivision
or land development, including any restrictions on uses or other limitations
imposed by the remediation plan, be approved by the municipal governing
body.
(3)
The subdivision of contaminated land, not including any development
or earth disturbance, may be approved prior to remediation if a notation
approved by the Department is placed on the recorded plan which indicates
that the site or specified lots within the site contain or may contain
hazardous substances.
E.
Areas exposed to aircraft noise or airport-related hazards.
(1)
Noise-impacted areas.
(a)
Subdivisions and land developments located in areas which are
impacted or projected to be impacted by high levels of aircraft-related
noise, as delineated in the most recent airport noise contour maps,
shall comply with one of the following two options:
(b)
In addition, a notation shall be placed on a plan of subdivision
in a noise-impacted area that lots may be exposed to high levels of
airport-related noise.
(2)
Airport hazard areas. Subdivisions and land developments located
in areas where development may create hazards to aircraft because
of height, illumination or other features that may interfere with
aircraft takeoffs and landings shall be designed and constructed so
as not to create hazards to aircraft.
(a)
Land development shall comply with applicable municipal airport
zoning regulations and with federal and state regulations requiring
submission of notice of proposed construction or alteration.
(b)
If notice of proposed construction or alteration is required,
the applicant shall provide copies of permits or approvals of the
proposed land development from the PennDOT Bureau of Aviation and
the Federal Aviation Administration or a copy of a notification from
those agencies that a permit is not required.
(3)
Subdivisions and land developments shall comply with any conditions
of the PennDOT and FAA permits and municipal zoning regulations, including
notation of restrictions on the plan for recording where applicable.
A.
Purpose. The design and layout of blocks, lots, and streets shall
promote connectivity, access, and mobility for vehicles, pedestrians,
and bicyclists to the maximum extent feasible. An interconnected network
of streets, sidewalks and pathways shall link destinations within
the development. Points of connection to the existing and planned
transportation networks outside of the development shall be considered.
In older, established communities, the layout of blocks and streets
in new subdivisions and land developments should continue the pattern
of existing, adjacent streets and blocks where feasible.
(1)
Subdivisions and land developments shall provide, at a minimum, the
following access points:
(a)
For developments containing 25 or more lots or generating 250
or more daily trips, there shall be a minimum of two functional access
points located on different sides of the development, except where
infeasible due to original tract dimensions or topography.
(b)
For developments containing only one access point, an emergency
service access shall be provided in addition to the primary access
and shall be maintained to provide continual ingress and egress for
emergency vehicles. The emergency service access may be grassed or
landscaped with traversable vegetation or may be gated, provided that
gates are able to be opened by emergency service personnel.
(2)
To ensure future street connections to adjacent developable parcels,
a proposed development shall provide a local street connection spaced
at intervals not to exceed 800 feet along each boundary that abuts
potentially developable or redevelopable land.
(3)
Blocks in a residential subdivision shall generally be of sufficient
depth to accommodate two tiers of lots, except double or reverse frontage
lots are permitted to border an arterial or collector road or where
a barrier such as a watercourse or railroad is present.
(4)
Blocks along arterial streets shall not be more than 1,200 feet in
length.
(6)
For blocks 800 feet or more in length, interior pedestrian walks
may be required to provide for safe and convenient pedestrian access.
Such walks shall be located close to the center of the block and protected
by an easement or other form of legal agreement.
B.
Lots.
(1)
General standards.
(a)
Lots shall be laid out so as to provide buildable areas, accessible
driveways and usable yards and open space areas with the minimum possible
disturbance to the site.
(b)
Lots and building sites shall be laid out with consideration
given to the provision of adequate solar access and air circulation.
New development shall be accomplished such that excessive winds are
neither created or exacerbated.
(c)
Lots and building sites shall be laid out and buildings sited
with consideration given to views and privacy.
(2)
Specific standards.
(a)
Lots shall meet the minimum dimensional and area requirements
specified by the municipal zoning ordinance.
(b)
Lots shall be laid out and graded to provide positive drainage
away from buildings and water wells.
(c)
In general, lots shall abut on public streets. The Department
may waive this requirement and permit private streets in commercial
or industrial subdivisions or developments or in planned residential
developments, with the approval of the municipal governing body.
(d)
Lots which require access to an arterial or collector street
shall be avoided. Where lots adjoin arterial or collector streets,
access to such lots shall be from service or minor access roads.
(e)
Lots that have frontage along two or more streets shall provide
along each street the minimum front setback required by the municipal
zoning regulations.
(f)
Side lot lines shall be at right angles or radial to street
right-of-way lines.
(g)
Remnant land areas which are not buildable under the municipal
zoning regulations shall not be permitted. Such remnants shall be
incorporated into existing or proposed lots or dedicated to public
use if acceptable to the municipality.
C.
Other design considerations.
(1)
Views. The design of a land development shall consider views of the
development site, as well as views from the site and through the site.
(a)
Views of the development site. The placement of buildings, screening
elements, and landscaping shall be planned so that rooftop mechanical
equipment, service and loading areas are not visible from adjacent
public areas, streets, or residential areas. Parking areas should
also be designed, landscaped and screened or buffered so that potentially
negative impacts on adjacent public or residential areas are avoided
or reduced to the maximum extent possible.
(b)
Views from the development site. If a development site has scenic
qualities, either internally or because scenic features are visible
from the site, development shall be planned to preserve those scenic
site features and views.
(c)
Views through the development site. If a development site is
located between a public road or other viewing place, such as a park,
and a scenic view such as a river or wooded hillside, the design of
the development shall preserve visual access through some portion
of the site so that people can continue to see the scenic area.
(2)
Land development adjacent to rivers. The design of a land development
which has river frontage or is across a road or railroad from a river
shall, where possible, provide physical and visual access to the riverfront
or to the top of the riverbank for residents, occupants, and users
of the proposed development.
(a)
Streets shall be located and designed so that public access
to the riverfront is not impeded or blocked.
(b)
Pedestrian walkways shall be located and designed to enhance
public access to the riverfront.
(c)
Where allowed by zoning, land uses in developments along a river
shall be arranged so that uses which are public or open to the public
are nearest the river.
(3)
The arrangement, character, and location of all lots, blocks,
and streets in a development shall be designed to make advantageous
use of existing and planned streets, topographical conditions, public
convenience and safety, mature trees, and other natural physical features.
A.
Purpose. The standards contained in this section are intended to
promote public health, safety and welfare by filtering noise, softening
or diverting light and glare, modifying climatic conditions such as
wind and heat and reducing stormwater runoff and air pollution. The
standards contained in this section are also intended to increase
the value to the community from new developments by recognizing the
role that landscaping plays in overall community appearance and livability.
B.
General requirements.
(1)
In general, all areas of a site proposed for development shall
be landscaped with trees, shrubs, ground covers, grasses and other
herbaceous plants, except for those areas which are occupied by buildings
and other structures and facilities or are paved.
(2)
Landscaping shall not include any plants documented on the Pennsylvania
DCNR "Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania" list. The planting of hardy
indigenous species is encouraged.
C.
Landscaping defined. Landscaping shall be understood to include the
provision of street trees, buffer yards, replacement woodlands, and
other new planted areas. Landscaping shall also be understood as the
provision of undisturbed ground, where such is fully integrated into
the design and layout of the subdivision or land development and preserves
existing natural features of the site.
D.
Street trees. All new residential and nonresidential developments shall provide street trees, in addition to any replacement trees required by § 780-506, in accordance with the following standards:
(1)
Street trees shall be provided along the entire length of the street
right-of-way on both sides of the street if the street lies within
the development.
(2)
Street trees in residential subdivisions shall be located within
five feet of the right-of-way and in nonresidential developments between
the right-of-way and the building line. An easement shall be granted
to the municipality for the purpose of maintaining the trees, and
a restrictive covenant shall be placed in the deed for the property
prohibiting removal of the trees by the property owner.
(3)
Street trees shall be located so as not to interfere with the maintenance
of utilities, required sight distances and visibility of street and
traffic signs.
(4)
The species chosen shall be appropriate to the location. Factors
such as microclimate, soils, habit of growth, salt, air pollution
and disease tolerance, proximity of sidewalks and overhead utility
lines, and social conditions (likelihood of soil compaction, vandalism,
damage by dogs, deer, etc.) shall be considered. Tree species shall
be selected that do not have root structures that may damage adjacent
sidewalks or utilities.
(5)
Street trees shall have the following minimum calipers at the time
of planting:
(a)
Large trees, defined as those trees whose height will ultimately
exceed 40 feet, shall have a minimum caliper of 2.5 inches to 3.0
inches DBH.
(b)
Medium trees, defined as those trees with an ultimate height
of 25 feet to 40 feet, shall have a minimum caliper of 2.0 inches
to 2.5 inches DBH.
(c)
Small trees, being those trees whose ultimate height will not
exceed 25 feet, shall have a minimum caliper of 1.5 inches to 2.0
inches DBH.
(6)
Street trees shall be spaced with regard to the ultimate spread of
the fully developed canopy. Spacing requirements are as follows:
(7)
Tree grates and/or permanent fencing may be required to protect new
street trees in areas of dense development or high use.
(8)
Mature trees, woodlands or other significant vegetation which remains
undisturbed adjacent to the street right-of-way may be used in place
of or in conjunction with the requirements of this section.
(9)
Pervious pavement shall be utilized where necessary to provide
water infiltration to support tree growth.
E.
Landscaping of parking lots. All new parking areas that have 10 or
more parking spaces, or any existing parking area that will be expanded
by five or more parking spaces, shall be landscaped in accordance
with the following provisions:
(1)
Perimeter landscaping. Where the parking area is adjacent to any
public street, walk, right-of-way, or neighboring properties, the
perimeter of the parking lot shall be landscaped. Such landscaping
shall be in addition to any required buffer yard plantings but may
be in conjunction with any required adjacent street trees. Landscaping
shall be provided in accordance with the following criteria:
(a)
The landscaped area shall be at least 10 feet wide.
(b)
The landscaped area shall be planted with large, medium tree, or small trees, spaced as per Subsection D(6), and sufficient shrubs or grasses sufficient to form a hedge or a screen. The height of hedges and screens at the time of planting shall not be less than 2.5 feet.
(d)
Masonry walls, fencing, berms or a combination thereof may also
be used. Walls, fences and berms adjacent to neighboring properties
shall have a minimum height of 3.5 feet. Berms shall have maximum
slopes of 33% and shall be completely covered with shrubs, grasses
or other plant material. Walls or solid fencing shall be planted with
at least one shrub or vine per 10 lineal feet of wall. Nonsolid fencing
shall be planted with at least three shrubs or vines per 12 lineal
feet.
(e)
Mature trees, woodlands or other high-quality existing vegetation
which remains undisturbed between the parking area and the right-of-way
or adjoining properties may be used to satisfy the requirements of
this section. New shrubs or trees may be added as needed to help provide
an effective screen.
(f)
Screening requirements adjacent to public streets, walks or
rights-of-way may be modified in circumstances where public safety
is a concern.
(2)
Landscaping in interior areas. Landscaping in the interior of parking
areas shall be designed to provide visual and climatic relief from
large expanses of paving, to channelize vehicular traffic and to define
areas for safe pedestrian circulation.
(a)
At least 5% of the total area of any parking lot containing
30 spaces or less shall be landscaped, and at least 7% of any parking
lot containing more than 30 parking spaces shall be landscaped.
[1]
The landscaped area can take the form of a rain garden or bioswale
designed to capture and treat stormwater. At a minimum, the rain garden
or bioswale shall be planted with a fine, close-growing water-tolerant
species that provide large amounts of vegetative surface area for
contact with stormwater.
[2]
The rain garden or bioswale shall be a minimum of 10 feet wide.
[3]
The rain garden or bioswale should be provided between head-to-head
parking rows.
[4]
The rain garden or bioswale and parking areas shall be graded
to direct runoff to the median and accommodate stormwater infiltration.
(b)
At least one large tree and three shrubs, or one medium tree,
one small tree and three shrubs, shall be planted per 10 parking spaces.
(d)
Trees required in this section shall be planted in protected
areas such as along walkways or within curbed islands located between
rows of parking spaces, at the ends of bays, or between parking stalls.
(e)
Curbed landscaped islands shall have a minimum width of nine
feet or a minimum radius of 4.5 feet, exclusive of the curbing.
F.
Buffer yards.
(1)
Purpose. In addition to the yards which municipal zoning ordinances
require on all or most lots, additional landscaped open space or buffer
yards may be needed to provide greater separation where disparate
or incompatible land uses are located on adjacent sites. However,
careful site planning can minimize the need for constructed buffer
yards. Uses should be arranged to avoid locating incompatible uses
in close proximity. Natural topographic and vegetative features of
a development site should be used to separate uses which may impact
negatively on each other. This subsection includes requirements for
buffer yards that apply where land uses with differing visual, functional
and operational characteristics are located in close proximity. These
situations are most likely to arise within multiuse land developments,
on development sites that are located at the edges of zoning districts,
and on development sites bordering major highways, railroads and public
transit lines.
(2)
Application. If the zoning ordinance of the municipality in which
a proposed subdivision or land development is located contains standards
for buffer yards, the municipal standards shall apply. If the municipality
has no applicable regulations, the standards contained in this subsection
shall apply.
(3)
Calculation of buffer yard requirement. The type of buffer yard and
the extent of planting or other screening that must be provided within
it shall be a function of the difference or incompatibility between
adjacent land uses.
(a)
Land use compatibility classes. The magnitude of incompatibility
shall be determined in accordance with Table V-1, which categorizes
land uses into six compatibility classes. Uses within each class are
assumed to be similar in visual, functional and operational characteristics
and require no separation beyond yards required by zoning and landscaping
required by other subsections of this section. Requirements for buffer
yards, planting and screening increase as the numerical difference
between compatibility classes increases.
(b)
Buffer yard types. Table V-2 defines five types of buffer yards,
ranging from 10 feet to 70 feet in width, which shall be required
to separate land uses in different compatibility classes. The planting
and screening component of each buffer yard type is described qualitatively
in terms of the result to be achieved, rather than quantitatively.
|
Table V-1: Land Use Compatibility Classes
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Compatibility
Class
|
Land Uses
| |
|
1
|
Single-family residential, passive recreation, historic resources
| |
|
2
|
Multifamily residential, townhouses, mobile home parks, primary
schools, cultural facilities, public recreation
| |
|
3
|
Business, professional and government offices; small-scale neighborhood
and commercial
| |
|
4
|
Hotel, motel, conference center; commercial recreation; general
commercial; office park, secondary schools, government public safety
facilities
| |
|
5
|
Wholesale, warehousing, construction-related, light industrial,
community shopping center, major freestanding retail, government public
works
| |
|
6
|
Heavy industrial, regional shopping centers, stadiums, expressways
and major arterial highways, railroads, transit corridors, transportation
terminals
| |
|
Table V-2: Buffer Yard Types
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Buffer Yard Type
|
Description of Buffer Yard Objective
|
Width
(feet)
| |
|
A
|
Minor separation; partial visual screening; trees, hedge, 3-foot
to 4-foot fence appropriate
|
10
| |
|
B
|
Moderate separation required; total visual screening; varied
landscape materials; hedge, fence as above
|
20
| |
|
C
|
Substantial separation; total visual screening; varied landscape
materials; solid fence or berm appropriate
|
40
| |
|
D
|
Major spatial separation; total visual screening plus mitigation
of noise, lights, traffic through heavy landscaping, solid fence or
berm appropriate
|
55
| |
|
E
|
Maximum spatial separation; total visual screening plus mitigation
of traffic, noise, lights, emissions
|
70
| |
(c)
Required buffer yard. Table V-3 specifies the buffer yard type
which must be provided to separate land uses in different compatibility
classes.
|
Table V-3: Required Buffer Yard Type
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Proposed
Use Class
|
Existing Class of Adjacent Use or Zoning District
| ||||||
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
| ||
|
1
|
*
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
| |
|
2
|
A
|
*
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
| |
|
3
|
B
|
A
|
*
|
A
|
B
|
C
| |
|
4
|
C
|
B
|
A
|
*
|
A
|
B
| |
|
5
|
D
|
C
|
B
|
A
|
*
|
A
| |
|
6
|
E
|
D
|
C
|
B
|
A
|
*
| |
|
NOTES:
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
*
|
Buffer yard not required in same use class.
| |
(d)
Options for flexibility. The Department may permit the provision
of a narrower buffer yard in combination with denser planting and/or
screening devices if the applicant demonstrates that a narrower buffer
yard will provide acceptable mitigation of the effects of heavy traffic,
noise, glare, fumes and other potential impacts and that the proposed
plant materials will be able to thrive if spaced more closely.
(4)
Required plantings. Buffer yards shall be planted with a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials. The use of hardy indigenous species is encouraged. Minimum caliper of trees shall be as specified in Subsection D(5). Quantities and spacing of plant material shall be determined by the density of screening needed. Existing natural features, woodlands or other high-quality existing vegetation preserved within the buffer yard may be used to satisfy planting requirements.
(5)
General standards for buffer yards.
(a)
Buffer yards shall be provided by the applicant along the perimeter
of the site or lot and shall extend to the property or right-of-way
line. Different buffer yards may be required along various portions
of the site perimeter if more than one category of land use adjoins
the site.
(b)
Buffer yards shall be maintained by the owner of the property.
Buffer yards shall be kept free of trash, debris and graffiti at all
times. Plant materials shall be inspected yearly, and all dead, diseased
and damaged plant materials shall be replaced.
(c)
No structure or vehicular use areas, buildings, accessory uses,
utilities, light standards, etc., shall be permitted in a buffer yard.
Access drives are permitted only in buffer yards which separate a
proposed development from a street.
(d)
Buffer yards may be used for passive recreation uses such as
pedestrian and bicycle trails, provided that the required separation
and screening is maintained.
G.
Foundation plantings. In all land developments that propose the construction
of a new multifamily residential building or a new nonresidential
building, 50% of the length of a building facade that faces a public
street shall include foundation plantings immediately adjacent to
the building.
(1)
The plantings shall include a combination of ground cover, shrubs
and flowering perennials.
(2)
The minimum height of shrubs at the time of planting shall be
36 inches.
(3)
Foundation plantings shall be shown on the landscaping plan
that is required to be submitted with the application for final approval
of the land development.
(4)
The plant materials proposed and the design of the foundation
plantings shall be subject to approval by the Director.
(5)
The planting and maintenance of the required foundation plantings
shall be the shared responsibility of the developer, the builder and
the landowner. Occupancy permits may be withheld if the required plantings
have not been installed. Between November 1 and April 1, temporary
occupancy permits may be issued subject to the posting of a bond or
other financial security to guarantee the installation of the required
foundation plantings during the ninety-day period beginning April
1.
A.
Water supply required. An adequate supply of potable water shall
be provided for every building to be used for human occupancy or habitation
in a subdivision or land development.
B.
Public water systems.
(1)
Where an existing public water system is accessible to or can be
extended to the proposed development site, the applicant shall provide
a complete on-site system with connections to such public water system
in conformance with the standards and requirements of DEP and the
water supplier whose facilities will serve the development.
(2)
Where an existing public water system is not accessible to the proposed
development, water may be supplied by a new public water system, subject
to the approval of DEP and the Allegheny County Health Department.
(3)
In the case of Subsection B(1) or (2), the applicant shall present evidence to the Department that the subdivision or development is to be supplied with water by a certificated public utility, a bona fide cooperative association of lot owners, or by a municipal corporation, authority or utility. A copy of a certificate of public convenience from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or an application for such certificate, a cooperative agreement or a commitment or agreement to serve the area, whichever is appropriate, shall be acceptable evidence.
(4)
Hydrants. Subdivisions and land developments to be served by public
water systems shall be provided with fire hydrants which meet all
specifications of the municipality and fire company which will serve
the development.
C.
Individual water systems.
(1)
Where public water supply systems, as defined in the Allegheny County
Health Department Rules and Regulations, Article XV, Plumbing and
Building Drainage, Chapter 17 [Chapter 6, Part 15], are inaccessible
and cannot be extended to the proposed development site, the applicant
may provide potable water through individual water supplies, designed
and constructed in conformance with the standards and requirements
of the Health Department.
(2)
The use of private water systems shall not be permitted in any subdivision
or land development with more than 10 lots, unless the applicant provides
hydrogeologic data, acceptable to the Health Department, assuring
that adequate quantity and quality of water are available.
(3)
Private water systems and individual water supplies may be permitted
to be located off site, provided that a permanent easement is recorded
on the final plan, a legal agreement that sets forth dearly all of
the rights and responsibilities of all affected parties is executed,
and all other applicable provisions of this section are met.
A.
Sanitary sewage facilities required. All subdivisions and land developments, unless excepted in Subsection B below, shall be provided with sanitary sewage facilities which are in accordance with the municipal sewage facilities plan and which have been approved by the Allegheny County Health Department, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the municipality, authority or other public agency responsible for the collection, conveyance and treatment of sanitary sewage in the municipality in which the development is located.
(1)
Sanitary sewage facilities approval required; conditional final approval.
(a)
No plat shall be finally approved or recorded until the plans
and specifications for sanitary sewage facilities have been approved
and permits issued, as required, by the Health Department and/or the
DEP.
(b)
Conditional final approval may be granted; however, provided
that the complete Sewage Facilities Planning Module, as required for
the proposed development, has been approved by the municipality in
which the proposed development is located and transmitted by the municipality
to the Allegheny County Health Department and/or Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection, together with a resolution adopting the
revision to its sewage facilities plan, if required.
(2)
All sanitary sewers and related facilities shall be constructed in
accordance with requirements of DEP, the construction standards of
the municipality, and the Allegheny County Health Department Rules
and Regulations, Article XV, Plumbing and Building Drainage [Chapter
7, Part 15].
(3)
Private sanitary sewer systems may be permitted to be located off
site, provided that a permanent easement is recorded on the final
plan, a legal agreement that sets forth clearly all of the rights
and responsibilities of all affected parties is executed, and all
other applicable provisions of this section are met.
B.
Exceptions.
(1)
Plat adjustments. Sewage facilities shall not be required for subdivisions
that are classified as plat adjustments in this chapter and where
no new buildable lots are created.
(2)
Plans with no new development. Subdivisions and land developments in which no development of buildings or improvement of land for purposes requiring sewage facilities is proposed need not provide sanitary sewage facilities, provided that a properly executed "Form B - Request for Non-Building Waiver" (PADEP Bureau of Water Quality Management form ER-BWQ-349:6/92) has been submitted to and approved by DEP. Where a waiver is approved by DEP, the final plan for recording shall include the notation specified in Appendix 3, Subsection 7A.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix 3 is included at the end of this chapter.
A.
Management of runoff required. Every subdivision or land development
which will affect stormwater runoff characteristics shall include
provision for the management of runoff to comply with the following:
(1)
Development in areas where municipal stormwater management regulations
have been enacted. Proposed subdivisions and land developments located
in municipalities or areas of municipalities where municipal stormwater
management regulations have been enacted shall comply with the municipal
regulations. Stormwater management plans for proposed development
in those areas and municipalities shall be approved in accordance
with the municipal regulations and reviewed by the County, where County
review is required by the municipal ordinance.
(2)
Development in areas where municipal stormwater management regulations are not in effect. Proposed subdivisions and land developments located in areas where municipal regulations are not in effect shall comply with the provisions for stormwater management contained in Appendix 5.[1] Appendix 5 is hereby incorporated as a part of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix 5 is included at the end of this chapter.
(3)
Stormwater management plans for proposed development in areas subject to the provisions of Appendix 5 shall be reviewed by the municipality and approved by the Department.
B.
Implementation and enforcement of stormwater management plans.
(1)
Where governed by municipal regulations. Implementation of stormwater
management plans including construction of facilities and provision
for inspection, operation, and maintenance of facilities for developments
in areas subject to municipal regulations shall comply with the municipal
regulations.
(2)
Where governed by provisions of Appendix 5. Implementation of stormwater management plans, following approval by the Department, shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article III, § 780-303D, E, F and G. Enforcement procedures and remedies for violation of the provisions for stormwater management shall be in accordance with Article I.
C.
Nonstructural management techniques preferred. All stormwater management
plans shall utilize nonstructural techniques, where feasible, to reduce
the volume and rate of flow of stormwater runoff and to minimize the
need for detention facilities.
D.
Certain structural stormwater management practices are preferred
to the commonly used detention facilities. Where feasible, to reduce
the need for and size of detention facilities and to reduce the volume
and rate of stormwater runoff, the structural BMPs in the Pennsylvania
Stormwater BMP Manual should be used. The following structural stormwater
management practices are preferred:
(1)
Enhanced infiltration techniques, including pervious pavement,
infiltration trenches, rain gardens, vegetated swales and vegetated
filter strips.
(2)
Constructed wetlands or wetland restoration.
(3)
Floodplain restoration.
(4)
Reduced use of curbs allowing stormwater runoff to flow through
vegetated filter strips prior to collection.
(5)
Level spreaders are not preferred, but may be used in certain
situations (e.g., where there is no on-site channel for stormwater
discharge), provided that the level spreaders are not located at the
top of a slope.
E.
To the maximum extent permitted under the MPC and PA Act 167,[2] as amended, new land developments shall provide for conveyance
and discharge of all surface water runoff to discharge outlet(s) within
the same watershed at locations acceptable to the municipal engineer
to minimize flooding and soil erosion/sedimentation.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 32 P.S. § 680.1 et seq.,
the Pennsylvania Storm Water Management Act.
F.
When a new flow crosses an adjacent landowner's property, a
stormwater easement must be obtained and shown on the land development
plans.
G.
To the maximum extent permitted under the MPC and PA Act 167, as
amended, redevelopment areas with existing stormwater infrastructure
are required to upgrade the affected stormwater infrastructure to
current standards to the extent economically and technically feasible.
H.
Where governed by the provisions of Appendix 5, all regulated stormwater management facilities shall be designed, implemented, operated and maintained to meet the purposes and requirements of Appendix 5, Pennsylvania Code Title 25, the Clean Streams Law, and PA Act 167.
A.
General requirement. Subdivisions and land developments shall be
served by gas, electric, cable television, and telephone service distribution
systems, where these systems are accessible to the development. Renewable
energy systems such as geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy
generation, and wind power generation are strongly encouraged.
B.
Easements. Easements for public and private utilities shall comply
with the requirements of the utility providers and with the following
standards:
C.
Underground wiring.
(1)
Electric, telephone, television and other communication service lines
shall be provided by wiring placed underground within easements or
dedicated rights-of-way, installed in accordance with the prevailing
standards and practices of the utility or other companies providing
such services unless the applicant demonstrates to the Public Utilities
Commission that physical conditions render such underground installation
infeasible.
(2)
If a lot abuts an easement or right-of-way with existing overhead
electrical, telephone, television or other service lines, the lot
may utilize the overhead lines, but service connections shall be installed
underground. Where a subdivision or land development requires a road
widening or service extension which necessitates the replacement or
relocation of overhead lines, replacement or relocation may be underground,
in accordance with the requirements of the Public Utilities Commission.
(3)
Where overhead lines are permitted, the placement and alignment of
poles shall be designed to lessen the visual impact of overhead lines
as follows:
(a)
Alignments and pole locations should be routed to avoid locations
along horizons.
(b)
Poles should be located so that the need to clear swaths through
treed areas is avoided or mitigated.
(c)
Trees should be planted in open areas and at key locations to
minimize the view of the poles and lines.
(d)
Alignments should generally follow rear lot lines.
(4)
Utility apparatus placed above the ground, other than utility poles,
shall be screened with plant materials.
A.
General provisions.
(1)
Purpose.
(a)
The purpose of this section is to encourage or require the provision
of land and facilities for open space and recreational uses in new
land developments. Open space and recreational facilities are important
to the public health and welfare, and the quality of life in communities
is enhanced when areas are available for active and passive recreational
use. Areas and facilities for recreational use are desirable in both
residential and nonresidential developments and may include a wide
range of areas and facilities such as tot lots, playgrounds, game
courts and playing fields, parks, landscaped plazas, picnic areas,
hiking and biking trails, and greenways.
(b)
Parks, open space, and recreation facilities provide economic
benefits by attracting and retaining businesses, increasing property
values by making communities more desirable, enhancing place identity,
and reducing public costs through better management of natural events
such as flooding.
(2)
Intent. The intent of this section is to encourage or require the
public dedication or private reservation of land for recreational
use, the construction of facilities, payment of fees in lieu of dedication,
or combination thereof only in accordance with Section 503(11) of
the MPC.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10503(11).
(3)
Mandatory provision of land for recreation. If a municipality has formally adopted a recreation plan, land suitable for recreation and open space shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of Subsections B, C and D hereunder. Preference will be given to land prioritized in the municipal recreation plan or Allegheny Places. To ensure consistency with Allegheny Places, the following land will be prioritized for dedication:
(a)
Greenways that provide connections between people, recreational
facilities, cultural facilities, or significant public areas.
(b)
Environmentally sensitive lands identified in the Allegheny
Places Greenway Map, including, but not limited to, biodiverse areas,
floodplains, steep slopes, forested areas, landslide-prone areas,
riparian corridors, and wildlife corridors.
(c)
Lands that facilitate public access to riverfronts.
(d)
Land that expands or improves an existing park or trail system.
(4)
Voluntary provision of land and facilities. If a municipality has not formally adopted a plan for recreation, compliance with the provisions of this section shall be voluntary, but land developments should include open space areas and facilities to meet the recreational needs of residents, employees and other users of proposed developments. Often recreational use may be made of areas where development is restricted for environmental reasons. There may be opportunities to link open space within a development to open space in adjoining areas and to create, over time, continuous systems of open space that will add great value to a development and to the community. Although voluntary, land that meets the standards established in § 780-517A(3) are strongly encouraged for dedication.
B.
Parks, open space and recreation facilities for residential development.
(1)
Purpose. Parks and recreation facilities provide open space for conservation
of environmentally sensitive features and for active and passive recreational
needs. The purpose of this subsection is to provide for the park and
recreation needs of new residential development. These requirements
are intended primarily for recreation rather than environmental protection
purposes; however, it is not the intent to prohibit parks or recreation
facilities in environmentally sensitive areas if compatible with the
primary recreation goals of this subsection.
(2)
Amount of land required. Residential land developments which will
contain 10 or more dwelling units shall provide open space for recreation
purposes at a rate ranging from 6.25 acres to 10.50 acres per 1,000
estimated population, which is equal to approximately 270 to 350 square
feet per person. This standard is based upon recommendations of the
National Recreation and Park Association for local recreation space
within neighborhoods and communities and may be adapted to reflect
specific recommendations of a municipal park and recreation plan,
existing facilities near the development site, and the character and
suitability of land within the site for park and recreation purposes.
(3)
Characteristics. Land proposed to be dedicated or reserved for park
and recreation purposes shall meet the following standards:
(a)
Minimum size. Recreation and open space sites shall be of sufficient
size for the recreation uses that are identified in the municipal
park and recreation plan. Where there is no municipal plan or if the
municipal plan does not specify, the minimum size of a recreation
site shall be 10,000 square feet or such other size as is acceptable
to the municipality.
(b)
Slope. At least half of any land area proposed for park and
recreation purposes shall have a slope of less than 25% and shall
be appropriate for active recreation uses. Steep slopes, exceeding
25%, may be accepted if they are suitable for passive recreation.
Any steep slopes proposed for park and recreation purposes shall be
undisturbed, not graded, slopes.
(c)
Flood-prone areas. At least half of any land proposed for park
and recreation purposes shall be above the one-hundred-year flood
elevation and shall be appropriate for active recreation uses. Land
below the one-hundred-year flood elevation may be accepted if it is
suitable for recreation uses.
(d)
Accessibility and usability. Land proposed for dedication shall
be usable and accessible to the development for which it is required
and to the general public for active or passive recreation activities.
(4)
Ownership. Open space required to be dedicated under this subsection
shall be either:
(a)
Dedicated in fee simple to the municipality, subject to acceptance
by the municipality.
(b)
Deeded in fee simple or by means of a conservation easement
or similar conveyance to a nonprofit conservation organization, permanently
restricting the open space for recreational use by the public and
allowing the public to use and improve the land for open space or
recreational purposes.
(5)
Reservation of land, construction of recreational facilities or fee
in lieu of dedication. In lieu of dedicating land, a developer may
voluntarily agree to construct recreational facilities, reserve private
land as common open space, pay a fee in lieu of land dedication, or
combination thereof, in accordance with the standards of this subsection.
(a)
Reservation of private open space.
[2]
Accessibility. Private open space shall consist of land or water
within the site, designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of
residents of the development.
[3]
Ownership. Private land reserved as open space shall be permanently
restricted to recreational use and shall be deeded to a property owners'
association or to a nonprofit conservation organization, with authority
to own and maintain the land. Provisions for use, ownership and maintenance
shall be acceptable to the municipality.
(b)
Construction of recreational facilities.
[1]
Character of facilities. A developer may construct any facilities
identified in the municipal recreation plan or acceptable to the municipality.
[2]
Accessibility. Recreation facilities shall be accessible to
residents of the development and other members of the general public.
[3]
Ownership. Recreational facilities constructed under this subsection
shall be publicly owned and maintained.
(c)
Fees in lieu of land dedication.
[1]
Amount. The amount of the fee in lieu of required open space
shall be equal to the pre-development fair market value of the land
area required to be dedicated and shall be calculated as follows:
|
Fee = (number of acres required to be dedicated) x (average
pre-development fair market value, per acre of land in development
site).
|
[2]
Timing of payment. All fees in lieu of required open space shall be paid prior to final approval of the subdivision plat or land development plan unless financial security is provided in accordance with § 780-303F(3).
[3]
Earmarking. Fees authorized by this subsection shall, upon receipt
by the municipality, be deposited in an interest-bearing account,
clearly identifying the land or recreation facilities for which the
fee was received. Interest earned on such accounts shall become funds
of that account.
[4]
Use of funds. Funds from such accounts shall be expended only
for the acquisition of land or the construction of recreational facilities
identified in the municipal recreation plan which are accessible to
the residents and users of the proposed subdivision or land development.
[5]
Refunds. If the municipality fails to utilize the fee paid for
the park and recreation purposes within three years of the date such
fee was paid, the municipality shall refund any fees paid with interest
to any person who paid any fee under this subsection who requests
a refund.
C.
Open space amenities for nonresidential development.
(1)
Purpose. Major nonresidential land uses, such as office buildings
and shopping centers, require open spaces to ensure the health, safety
and welfare of large numbers of employees and patrons. Outdoor plazas
and landscaped open spaces provide safe, pleasant environments for
taking breaks, reduce the need to drive to other locations for this
purpose, provide a buffer from noise, glare and other adverse effects
of high-density development, and increase the attractiveness of new
development. The purpose of these standards is to ameliorate the congestion
and other adverse impacts on employees, visitors and patrons of major
nonresidential developments.
(2)
Applicability. These standards shall apply to any nonresidential
land development which will include at least 25,000 square feet of
gross leasable floor area devoted to retail, office, commercial, institutional,
public or industrial use.
(3)
Open space requirements. In all land development which is subject
to the requirements of this subsection, land shall be set aside which
is equal to at least 5% of the gross leasable floor area of the development
as open space. Such open space shall not include driveways, parking
or loading areas or refuse or storage areas.
(4)
Design criteria. Open space areas shall satisfy all of the following
criteria:
(a)
Open areas shall be open to public use for walking, seating
and eating.
(b)
Open areas shall be landscaped or covered with decorative surface
treatment. Natural ground cover, such as grass, shrubs, flowerbeds
or mulch, are encouraged; however, impervious ground cover may be
used, provided that:
(c)
Fountains, art or sculpture, seating, protected walkways, linkages
to transit or trail systems, bus shelters, streetlights or other streetscape
improvements may be installed in lieu of required landscaping with
the approval of the Department.
(d)
All utilities shall be installed underground.
(e)
Open spaces and improvements to open spaces shall be depicted
on the site plan or landscaping plan, which shall be submitted with
the application for land development approval.
(5)
Maintenance agreement. A maintenance agreement for any improvements
required under this section shall be submitted by the applicant and
approved by the municipality.
D.
Dedication or reservation of greenways and trails.
(1)
Purpose. The establishment of greenways provides an important means
for the conservation of environmentally sensitive land and natural
resources and for the preservation of vegetation and wildlife habitat.
The establishment of greenways which are available for public use
also provides a variety of recreational and educational benefits.
Trails for walking, hiking and biking are important facilities for
recreation as well as for nonmotorized transportation. The establishment
of greenways and trails improves the quality of life and will help
to make municipalities and the County economically competitive with
other areas. Both greenways and trails must occupy continuous, linear
land corridors and cannot be effectively contained within individual
parcels of land. The purpose of this subsection is, therefore, to
provide that land which is delineated as a greenway or trail in an
adopted plan or on an official map be dedicated or reserved for such
use when land is subdivided or developed.
(2)
Dedication or reservation of proposed trails and greenways. The Department
may accept the dedication or reservation of greenways which traverse
a proposed subdivision or land development. Any land dedicated or
reserved under this subsection shall be credited against the requirements
of this chapter for the provision of open space, recreational facilities
and open space amenities in residential and nonresidential developments,
provided that:
(a)
The land offered for dedication or reservation is designated
as a trail or greenway on an adopted plan or official map of the municipality
or County.
(b)
Land offered for public dedication is approved by the municipality
or by the County Council if the offer is to the County.
(c)
Land for greenways and trails not publicly dedicated is deeded
to a conservation organization or land trust or privately reserved
for such use, provided that there is an agreement which is acceptable
to the municipality or to the County, if the reserved land is part
of a County trail or greenway, which ensures the maintenance of land
and facilities and which provides for public use at reasonable times.
(d)
The minimum right-of-way width of an easement containing a trail
which crosses private land is 20 feet for a multipurpose trail and
10 feet for a single-purpose trail.
A.
Purpose. The purpose of this section is to ensure that developers,
municipalities and service providers are aware of the potential impacts
that proposed development will have upon community services and facilities
and to encourage cooperative planning and action to improve or augment
facilities and services that are not adequate to meet increased demands
created by new development.
B.
Requirement to inform. An applicant for approval of a major subdivision
shall inform the providers of public services and facilities of the
proposed development, including sufficient information about the development
to enable the service provider to determine whether sufficient capacity,
facilities and/or equipment are available to serve the new development.
(1)
Service providers who must be informed may vary, based on the nature of the proposed development and the community in which it is located, but will normally include police, fire and emergency services and school districts. (Requirements concerning public transportation service and approval of street names by the Postmaster are included in § 780-519.)
(2)
Documentation that the required information was transmitted to appropriate
service providers shall be included with an application for preliminary
approval. Responses from service providers indicating their ability
to provide service to the proposed development may be required prior
to final approval.
C.
Options when services or facilities are not adequate. If a public
service provider indicates an inability to provide service to a proposed
new development, the applicant, service provider and municipality
should agree upon a course of action or program to remedy the inadequacy
and to ensure service to the new development.
A.
Purpose. The purpose of this section is to ensure that in new subdivisions
and land developments streets, driveways, paths (trails) and sidewalks
provide safe and convenient access and accommodate the safe and efficient
movement of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic.
B.
General provisions.
(1)
Every subdivision shall have access to a public street.
(2)
All streets shall be named. No new street name shall be permitted
which duplicates or which may be confused with an existing street
name.
(3)
All proposed connections to existing streets shall be approved by
the jurisdiction owning the existing streets.
(4)
Where traffic or drainage problems are created by the proposed development,
it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to improve both sides
of the existing affected road or street or to provide sufficient funds
escrowed for use by the municipality for the execution of such public
improvements.
(5)
Where appropriate, land shall be reserved for the development of
future streets or to connect with adjacent undeveloped land. Reserve
strips shall not be permitted. No subdivision or land development
shall be approved that will landlock any adjacent parcel.
(6)
Where streets continue into abutting municipalities, the applicant
shall coordinate the design of the street with both municipalities
in order to ensure uniform cartway widths, pavement cross sections
and other public improvements.
C.
General design and arrangement.
(1)
The arrangement of streets shall conform to the municipal comprehensive plan, official maps, municipal, County and state transportation plans and the requirements of § 780-511.
(2)
Streets shall provide convenient connections to existing streets
and shall not adversely affect circulation patterns or the flow of
traffic.
(3)
Streets shall be designed to preserve the natural features and topography
of the development site to the maximum extent feasible.
(4)
Local access streets shall be arranged to minimize through traffic,
discourage excessive speeds, and provide privacy in residential areas.
All local streets, residential or nonresidential, shall be arranged
to minimize traffic speed and volume, noise, congestion, and hazards
to pedestrians and bicyclists.
(5)
Only residential, outdoor recreation or public service uses may directly
access a residential street.
(6)
Streets in a proposed development shall connect with existing or
reserved streets along the boundary of an adjacent tract unless topography
or other existing feature prevents a connection.
(7)
Where a proposed development abuts or encompasses an existing or
proposed collector or arterial street, marginal access streets, reverse
frontage lots with buffer yards, or deep lots with rear service alleys
may be required in order to protect properties and provide separation
of through and local traffic.
(8)
All streets shall be designed to minimize the amount of paved
area necessary to safely meet the standards of this chapter.
D.
Functional classification of streets. The design of a street system
shall include the classification of streets based on their functions
and projected traffic as shown in Table V-4.
|
Table V-4
Functional Classification of Streets
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Classification
|
Description
|
Projected Traffic Volume
| ||
|
Arterial
|
A public street intended to carry a large volume of local and
through traffic, to or from collector streets and expressways; controlled
access
|
3,000+
| ||
|
Collector
|
Channels traffic from local to arterial or other collector streets;
includes main streets within a development
| |||
|
Residential
|
No direct access to residential lots.
|
1,000 to 3,000
| ||
|
Nonresidential
|
Number of access drives limited; may require marginal access
drives
|
800+
| ||
|
Minor collector
|
Provides direct access to lots, and conveys traffic from local
to collector streets
| |||
|
Residential
|
Not more than 500 trips from direct frontage lots permitted
|
500 to 1,000
| ||
|
Nonresidential
|
Nonresidential
|
0 to 800
| ||
|
Local
|
Serves primarily to provide direct access to abutting property;
should be designed to discourage through traffic
| |||
|
Residential
|
Provides direct access to residential lots and to other residential
streets
|
0 to 500
| ||
(1)
Each street shall be designed for its entire length to meet the standards
for its classification.
(2)
The classification of each street shall be based upon the projection
of traffic volumes 10 years after its completion. Traffic volumes
shall be calculated in accordance with trip generation rates published
in the most recent edition of the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE)
Trip Generation Manual or alternate source acceptable to the Department
and shall consider all traffic likely to use each street.
E.
Minimum level of service.
(1)
All proposed streets and intersections in a subdivision or land development
shall be designed to function at Level of Service A or B.
(2)
The existing level of service on any adjacent street and intersection
that will be affected by a proposed subdivision or land development
shall not fall below level C if it is currently A, B, or C and shall
not be further reduced if it is at level D, E or F.
F.
Traffic impact study.
(1)
When required. A traffic impact study shall be required for a subdivision
or land development which will generate 100 or more peak-hour trips
when fully developed. A traffic impact study may also be required
by the Department to assess the impacts of smaller projects if traffic
congestion or safety problems already exist.
(2)
Methodology. The study shall be conducted in accordance with the
recommended practice "Traffic Impact Analysis for Site Development,"
published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, 2010, or in
accordance with an equivalent methodology in PennDOT's "Policies
and Procedures for Transportation Impact Studies," 2009.
(a)
The scope of the study, study area and methodology shall be
approved by the Department before the study is initiated. (A preapplication
conference should be scheduled for this purpose.)
(b)
The study shall be performed by, or under the supervision of,
a professional engineer with training in traffic and transportation
engineering studies and experience in the preparation of traffic studies.
(3)
Required findings.
(a)
The traffic impact study must demonstrate that the levels of service specified in Subsection E will be met by the proposed development and that the circulation plan for the development will function safely and efficiently.
(b)
The study shall describe any measures which have been incorporated
into the development plan in order to achieve the required conditions.
Such measures may include but are not limited to:
[1]
A reduction in the density or intensity of the proposed development.
[2]
Measures to reduce traffic impacts, such as the clustering of
buildings for easy access by transit or ridesharing vehicles or the
inclusion of transit-related improvements.
[3]
The phasing of construction to coincide with the completion
of transportation improvements which have been programmed by the municipality,
County or state.
[4]
The construction of on-site transportation improvements.
[5]
The construction of off-site transportation improvements or
payment of impact fees, when authorized by a municipal impact fee
ordinance.
[6]
The extension of transit, bicycle or pedestrian services to
the site or the sponsorship of a ridesharing program or transit subsidies
for employees.
[7]
Any combination of the above or additional measures.
(c)
Any traffic impact mitigation measures which are not physical
site improvements shall be incorporated into the development agreement
executed between the municipality and the applicant and shall be recorded
with the land development plan.
G.
Special-purpose streets.
(1)
Private streets. Private streets may be permitted by the Department,
with the concurrence of the municipality.
(a)
Private streets shall comply with the design and construction
standards for public streets of the same functional class.
(b)
An agreement for maintenance of private streets shall be recorded
with the final plan and shall include, in case of failure to maintain
in accordance with the agreement, an offer of dedication to the municipality
together with provisions for funds sufficient to restore the private
street to the standards required for public streets prior to acceptance
of dedication.
(2)
Cul-de-sac streets shall comply with the following standards:
(a)
A cul-de-sac street serving residential development shall not
provide the sole access for more than 30 dwellings or a maximum of
250 vehicle trips per day.
(b)
A residential cul-de-sac street shall end in a turnaround which
has a paved cartway not less than 20 feet in width, surrounding a
landscaped island with a minimum radius of 24 feet, except in the
following circumstances:
[1]
A cul-de-sac head with a radius of 40 feet and a cartway width
of 14 feet surrounding a landscaped island shall be acceptable for
one-way circulation.
[2]
Hammerhead turnarounds may be used, if the cul-de-sac street
does not provide access for more than eight dwelling units. The long
dimension of the turnaround head shall be not less than 50 feet.
[3]
A temporary turnaround shall be provided at the end of dead-end
streets which are intended to be extended as through streets in the
future. If the length of a dead-end street exceeds the depth of one
lot, the temporary turnaround shall be constructed with an all-weather
surface and a minimum cartway radius of 25 feet, and its use shall
be guaranteed to the public.
(c)
The terminus of a nonresidential cul-de-sac street shall be
designed so that the largest vehicles expected to use the street can
complete the turn without backing. If a cul-de-sac head is proposed,
a landscaped island shall be provided.
(d)
For any cul-de-sac street which is at least 800 feet in length,
a traffic calming device, such as a stop sign, intermediate turnaround
or traffic circle, shall be provided at the approximate midpoint of
the street. For cul-de-sac streets that exceed 800 feet in length,
a traffic calming device shall be provided every 350 feet or so. The
design and placement of the proposed traffic calming device shall
be acceptable to the Department and the municipal engineer.
(e)
A "no outlet" sign shall be erected at the entrance to every
cul-de-sac or dead-end street, which shall comply with the standards
and specifications of the jurisdiction owning the intersecting street.
(3)
Half or partial streets shall not be permitted.
(4)
Alleys may be permitted, with the concurrence of the municipality,
and shall comply with the following standards:
(a)
Alleys may not be used as the only means of access to a lot.
(b)
Alleys in residential developments shall have a minimum right-of-way
of 16 feet and a minimum cartway of 12 feet.
(c)
Alleys in nonresidential developments shall have a minimum right-of-way
of 20 feet and a minimum cartway of 16 feet. Where necessary, a radius
shall be provided at the alley intersection, sufficient to accommodate
any large vehicles that may be expected to use the alley.
(d)
Dead-end alleys shall not be permitted without a turnaround
and are subject to the approval of the Department.
H.
Driveways and access drives.
(1)
Driveways and access drives shall enter public streets at safe locations.
No driveway or access drive shall enter a public street closer to
an existing intersection than 50 feet. Distances shall be provided
as noted below:
(2)
The maximum permitted grade on residential driveways shall be 14%
and on nonresidential driveways shall be 10%. A leveling area for
all driveways and access drives shall be provided for a minimum distance
of 12 feet, measured from the edge of the pavement of the intersecting
street, at a maximum grade of 5%.
(3)
Shared driveways for up to four houses shall be permitted. Shared
driveways may have a maximum grade of 14%, provided that safe sight
stopping distances are provided the length of the driveway. Pavement
width may vary but shall be appropriate to the length, width and gradient
of the proposed driveway. The Department may require shoulders or
guide rail, if deemed necessary for safety.
J.
Street grades.
(1)
The entire width of the right-of-way of each street in a proposed subdivision shall be graded, except as specified in § 780-504A.
(2)
Minimum permitted street grade for all streets shall be 1%.
(4)
Street grades shall be measured along the center line of the street.
(5)
Center-line grade on the head of a cul-de-sac or hammerhead shall
not exceed 5%.
(6)
Where the grade of the street is six feet or more above the grade
of the abutting land, guardrails shall be provided.
K.
Street alignment.
(3)
For other than local streets, a minimum tangent of 100 feet between reverse curves shall be provided. For local streets, a lesser tangent may be acceptable, provided that safe stopping distances are maintained as per Subsection K(1). Broken-back curves shall be avoided; however, when they must be used, a minimum tangent of 150 feet shall be provided.
(4)
Vertical curves shall be provided for all changes in grade exceeding
1%. For each 1% of algebraic difference between tangent grades over
3%, at least 15 feet of vertical curve length shall be provided. Minimum
vertical curve lengths shall be as follows:
L.
Intersections.
(1)
The design of intersections shall balance the needs of all street
users, including pedestrians and bicyclists. Safe pedestrian crossings
shall be included on every arterial and collector. The following design
features are required as applicable:
(a)
Dedicated turning lanes. On-street types with medians, the median
shall be narrowed to allow the left-turn lane without disrupting on-street
parking and bulb-outs. On-street types without medians and with on-street
parking, on-street parking shall cease a safe distance from the intersection,
and travel lanes shall shift to allow for a dedicated left-turn lane.
At a minimum, parking shall cease 30 feet from the intersection.
(b)
Bulb-outs. Bulb-outs are encouraged where possible. At a safe
distance from the intersection, on-street parking shall cease and
the curb shall be extended to the travel lane.
(c)
Medians. On-street types with medians, a ten-foot median is
permitted at intersections after a left-turn lane has been provided.
Construction and landscaping of these medians shall provide a midintersection
pedestrian refuge.
(d)
Roundabouts. Roundabout design shall comply with state and federal
design guidelines.
(2)
The angle of intersecting streets shall be as close to 90° as
possible. No streets shall intersect at an angle less than 60°.
(4)
Intersections between more than two streets shall be avoided.
(5)
Where the grade of any street at the approach to an intersection
exceeds 5%, a leveling area shall be provided for the secondary intersecting
street. The transition grade shall not exceed 3% for the minimum distance
of 50 feet measured from the edge of the pavement of the intersecting
street.
(6)
An area of unobstructed vision shall be provided at every intersection.
The minimum clear sight triangle shall be measured:
(a)
Along the center lines of the intersecting streets, where L
equals the distance along the center line of the primary through street,
measured from its intersection with the center line of the secondary
intersecting street, to an approaching vehicle on the primary street.
(b)
On the secondary intersecting street, from a point at least
20 feet back from the edge of the pavement of the primary through
street, which is 3.5 feet above the surface of the pavement. Minimum
values for L are as follows:
(7)
No plantings or structures exceeding 30 inches in height shall be
permitted in the clear sight triangle. A public right-of-entry shall
be reserved for the purpose of removing any object that obstructs
the clear sight triangle.
(8)
Deceleration, turning or merging lanes may be required by the municipality
along existing and proposed collector or arterial roads.
(9)
Clearly marked crosswalks and accessible curb ramps shall be provided
at intersections where there are sidewalks or pedestrian walkways.
The Department may require crosswalks in other locations to ensure
pedestrian safety and convenience. Crosswalks shall meet the PennDOT
pavement markings standards in TC-8600, Sheet 6 of 11. Crosswalks
should be stamped or scored concrete (with approved nonreflective
color mixed into the concrete) as shown on Sheet 6, Types D, E or
F. PennDOT-approved hot thermoplastic pavement markings with diagonal
lines between parallel lines are acceptable (Type B). Painted parallel
or perpendicular lines are not acceptable (Types A and C).
M.
Rights-of-way and cartways.
(1)
The right-of-way shall be measured from lot line to lot line and
shall be wide enough to contain the cartway, curbs, or shoulders and,
when required, parking lanes, sidewalks, street trees and bike lanes.
(2)
The right-of-way width of a new street that is a continuation of
an existing street shall in no case be at a lesser width than that
of the existing street.
(3)
The right-of-way width shall consider future development in accordance
with the Comprehensive Plan as well as the plan for the proposed development.
(4)
Right-of-way widths shall be within the following minimum and maximum
ranges; however, the context of the future street (urban, suburban,
or rural) should be considered first:
(5)
For local and residential minor collector streets, moving lanes shall
be nine feet or 10 feet wide. For collector streets, moving lanes
shall not be less than 10 feet and not more than 12 feet wide. Where
on-street parking is needed, parking lanes shall be eight feet wide.
(7)
Additional right-of-way and/or cartway widths may be required for
the following reasons:
(a)
To promote public safety and convenience.
(b)
To provide parking areas in urban districts and in areas of
high-density residential development.
(c)
To provide slopes rights whenever the topography is such that
an additional right-of-way is needed to provide adequate earth slopes.
(d)
To provide for bicycle or pedestrian facilities.
N.
O.
Shoulders and embankments.
(1)
Shoulders and drainage swales shall be used instead of curbs when:
(2)
Shoulders shall be a minimum of four feet in width on both sides
of the street and shall be located within the right-of-way. Greater
shoulder widths shall be provided as recommended by a registered professional
engineer and shall be acceptable to the municipal engineer.
(3)
Shoulder material and construction shall be as recommended by a registered
professional engineer and shall be acceptable to the municipal engineer.
(4)
The width of swales shall be determined by site-specific conditions.
P.
Bikeways.
(1)
All new streets shall be planned and constructed to accommodate bicycle
travel safely.
(2)
For residential developments which will generate 500 or more vehicle
trips per day and for all major nonresidential developments, bicycle
traffic shall be accommodated in one of two ways:
(a)
A bikeway master plan, which identifies bike routes that safely
connect major traffic origins and destinations, shall be prepared.
The plan may propose a combination of existing and proposed bike lanes,
bike paths, shared pedestrian sidewalks and pathways and shared vehicular
roadways. The plan shall demonstrate how any paths, sidewalks or roadways
which are proposed to be shared should be able to accommodate the
shared use safely.
(b)
Bikeways, which shall be provided as follows:
[1]
For nonresidential developments, bikeways shall be provided
along any new collector or arterial road constructed as part of the
development.
[2]
For residential developments, bikeways shall be provided along
any new minor collector, collector or arterial road constructed as
part of the development.
(3)
Where a proposed development is within 1,000 feet of an existing
bikeway or a proposed bikeway included in a municipal or County bikeway
plan or official map, the development plan shall provide for connections
to the existing or proposed bikeway.
(4)
Bikeways can take the form of on-road facilities, such as bike
lanes, cycle tracks, or shared lanes ("sharrows"), or off-road bicycle/pedestrian
paths.
(a)
Bicycle lanes shall include the application of pavement striping,
markings, and regulatory signage and shall be a minimum of six feet
wide. Bicycle lanes may include the application of high-visibility
paint to differentiate it from vehicular travel lanes.
(b)
Cycle tracks are bicycle facilities that are adjacent to roadways
but separated by a physical barrier. Cycle tracks shall be a minimum
of nine feet wide.
(c)
Shared lanes shall include pavement markings as required in
the latest PennDOT Design Manual and as provided for in the latest
edition of the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
(d)
Off-road bicycle paths shall be a minimum of eight feet wide,
although 12 feet is recommended.
Q.
Public transportation.
(1)
Where a proposed development is adjacent to or within 1,000 feet
of collector or arterial roads where transit service is currently
provided or may be provided in the future, the applicant shall consult
with the transit authority regarding street design requirements for
buses and passenger waiting areas and shelters.
(2)
Where a development site is adjacent to or includes a rail transit
facility or other exclusive transit right-of-way, the applicant shall
consult with the transit authority to determine whether any special
design features concerning the rail transit facilities will be required.
R.
Sidewalks and pathways.
(1)
Where a proposed development is adjacent to or within 1,000 feet
of an existing or future rails-to-trails (or other public trail system)
system, access from the proposed development to the rails-to-trails
system shall be considered in the design and layout of the plan.
(2)
Pedestrian pathways and improved sidewalks shall be included in developments
in which any of the following conditions are met:
(a)
Where sidewalks exist in the same block on the same side of
the street.
(b)
Within residential developments where the net density exceeds
two dwelling units per acre and new streets are proposed.
(c)
Within planned business, commercial or industrial developments.
(d)
Along roads that are served by public transit or may be served
by public transit within three years of the expected date of completion
of the proposed development.
(e)
Where blocks exceed 600 feet in length.
(3)
Public sidewalks shall in general be parallel to the street and within
the right-of-way. However, alternative locations will be considered,
provided that safe and convenient pedestrian circulation is maintained.
(4)
New sidewalks must connect to existing sidewalks where the existing
sidewalks are within a right-of-way and within 50 feet of the new
sidewalks.
(5)
Pathways in general shall serve to connect major use areas such as
buildings, parking lots, recreational facilities and other accessory
uses and to separate the movement of pedestrians from vehicles to
the greatest extent possible.
(a)
The site plan shall minimize potential hazards by using special
paving, grade separations, pavement marking, signs, striping, bollards,
median refuge islands, traffic calming features, landscaping, lighting
or other means to clearly delineate pedestrian areas for both day
and night use.
(6)
Sidewalks and pathways shall have a minimum width of five feet or,
if abutting a street curb, shall have a minimum width of eight feet.
Wider widths may be required near major pedestrian generators.
(7)
Sidewalks within street or public rights-of-way shall be concrete,
the design and construction of which shall be subject to approval
by the municipal engineer. Pathways may be constructed of other materials,
including pervious materials, provided that the proposed materials
and construction are appropriate to the surrounding land use and expected
volume of pedestrian traffic and are approved by the municipal engineer.
(8)
Curb ramps shall be provided at all intersections consistent with
PennDOT Standards for Roadway Construction, Pub. 72, RC-67M (13 Sheets),
most recent edition.
(9)
Public sidewalks shall be constructed in accordance with federal
specifications for accessibility.
S.
Streetlights and site lighting.
(1)
In residential subdivision where lots are 20,000 square feet or smaller,
lighting shall be provided at the following locations:
(a)
The intersection of the existing public street with the entrance
to the proposed development.
(b)
Intersections of public streets within the proposed development.
(c)
The apex of the curve of any major thoroughfare (public or private)
within the proposed development having a radius of 300 feet or less.
(d)
Cul-de-sac "bulbs."
(e)
Terminal ends of median islands having concrete curbing, trees
or other fixed objects not having a breakaway design for speeds of
25 miles per hour or greater.
(2)
In a residential development where there is on-street parking or
there are common parking areas of five or more spaces, these parking
spaces shall be illuminated.
(3)
Lights shall be provided in parking areas, along sidewalks and between buildings in multifamily and nonresidential land developments as needed for public safety and convenience. Such lighting shall comply with the standards of § 780-521. The lighting plan required by § 780-402C shall be provided to demonstrate compliance.
(4)
Street lighting shall be subject to compliance with the standards of § 780-521. The lighting plan required by § 780-402C(13) shall be provided to demonstrate compliance.
(5)
The quantity, location, style, type and shielding of light standards
shall be appropriate to the use, the development, and the municipality
and shall be approved by the Department, subject to the recommendation
of the municipal engineer.
T.
Street signs.
(1)
Street name signs shall be provided at all new street intersections.
(2)
Street name signs shall be installed under streetlights and shall
be free of all visual obstructions.
(3)
The design of street name signs shall be consistent, uniform, and
appropriate to the municipality and to the development and shall be
acceptable to the municipal engineer.
(4)
Traffic control signs shall be provided by the applicant as needed.
The design and placement of traffic control signs shall be as specified
in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways
and shall meet all state and local requirements.
U.
Traffic calming. Traffic calming measures described in Table V-5
may be used to modify vehicle speeds and other driver behavior. An
asterisk (*) means that the device is permitted, while a blank cell
means that the device is not permitted.
(1)
The choice, design and installation of traffic calming measures
on any collector or arterial road shall be balanced with its regional
vehicle traffic-carrying role.
(2)
The planning and installation of traffic calming measures shall
respect the presence of driveways.
|
Table V-5
Suitability of Traffic Calming Measures
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Traffic Calming Measure
|
Arterial
|
Collector
|
Town Center
|
Local Road
|
|
Midblock bulb-outs
Midblock bulb-outs reduce the width of the roadway for a midblock
section. They shorten crossing distances for pedestrians and draw
attention to pedestrians via raised peninsulas. Bulb-outs can be built
within the marked on-street parking area or on residential roadways
over 20 feet in width.
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
|
Restriping
Streets can be restriped to create lanes that are nine feet
to 11 feet wide. The excess space can be used to create bike lanes
or marked on-street parking on one or both sides. Bicycle lanes shall
be five feet wide minimum, and on-street parking shall be seven feet
wide minimum. The parking can be staggered to create a weaving path
on the roadway, further informing drivers that caution should be used
in the neighborhood.
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
|
Gateways
Gateways appear to narrow the street, and also serve as highly
visible entryways into neighborhoods. Gateway features can also double
as transit waiting areas.
|
*
|
*
|
*
| |
|
Unmarked on-street parking
Allowing on-street parking on streets without designated on-street
parking areas will create a series of single-lane yield points wherever
parked cars are present. This "informal" single-lane yield point occurs
when the street width is narrow enough to prevent simultaneous passing
of two moving vehicles past a parked vehicle. For streets up to 30
feet in width, allowing parking on both sides of the street is necessary
to create a yield point.
|
*
|
*
| ||
|
Textured pavement
Textured pavement is an effective traffic calming measure. The
advantages of a textured street are that it is aesthetically pleasing
and it calms traffic better as it ages as the surface wears out. Installation
costs are higher than those for asphalt roadways, but long-term maintenance
costs are lower. However, textured pavement can be loud.
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
|
Raised intersections
Raised intersections slow cars down throughout an entire intersection,
providing an extra level of safety for pedestrians crossing an intersection.
This improvement may be most appropriate for commercial areas where
both vehicular and pedestrian traffic volumes are high. Textured pavement
can also be part of this improvement.
|
*
|
*
|
*
| |
A.
Application. All land developments shall include parking facilities
for the planned uses.
(1)
If the municipal zoning ordinance includes parking standards, the
standards of the municipal ordinance shall apply, except:
(a)
If the municipal ordinance does not include provisions for accessible
parking facilities and/or bicycle parking, the standards for those
facilities contained in this chapter shall apply.
(2)
If the municipal zoning ordinance does not include parking standards,
the standards of this chapter shall apply.
B.
Parking requirements.
(1)
Residential land developments.
(a)
In areas where streets are designed and commonly used for on-street
parking, at least one off-street parking space shall be provided for
every new dwelling unit.
(b)
In areas where streets are designed without parking lanes, at
least two off-street parking spaces shall be provided for every dwelling
unit.
(c)
In apartment developments restricted to occupancy by the elderly,
the parking requirement may be reduced to one parking space for every
four dwelling units, plus one space for every employee on the largest
shift.
(2)
Nonresidential land developments. Parking for nonresidential uses shall be provided in accordance with Table V-6. The required number of spaces may be increased or reduced by up to 10%. Applicants proposing greater than ten-percent variation must comply with § 780-520E.
|
Table V-6
Off-Street Parking Requirements for Nonresidential Uses
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nonresidential Land Uses
|
Required Off-Street Parking Spaces Per Indicated Area
| ||
|
Assembly operations
|
1 per 800 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Bar
|
1 per 2 seats
| ||
|
Bowling alley
|
4 per alley
| ||
|
Car wash
|
10 per washing lane
| ||
|
Church/synagogue
|
1 per 3 seats
| ||
|
Fiduciary institutions
|
1 per 300 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Finishing operations
|
1 per 800 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Hotel/motel
|
1 per guest room, plus 10 per 1,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Industrial
|
1 per 800 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Library
|
1 per 300 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Manufacturing
|
1 per 800 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Medical center
|
1 per 250 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Nightclub
|
1 per 3 seats
| ||
|
Offices
| |||
|
Under 49,999 square feet GFA
|
4.5 per 1,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
50,000 to 99,999 square feet GFA
|
4 per 1,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
100,000+ square feet GFA
|
3.5 per 1,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Receiving
|
1 per 5,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Research
|
1 per 1,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Restaurant
|
1 per 3 seats
| ||
|
Quick-food establishments
|
1 per 30 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Retail store
|
1 per 200 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Schools
| |||
|
Elementary
|
2 per classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff
| ||
|
Intermediate
|
1.5 per classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff
| ||
|
Secondary
|
2.5 per classroom, but not less than 1 per teacher and staff
| ||
|
Service station
|
4 per bay and work area
| ||
|
Shipping
|
1 per 5,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
Shopping center
| |||
|
Under 400,000 square feet GLA
|
4 per 1,000 square feet GLA
| ||
|
400,000 to 599,999 square feet GLA
|
4.5 per 1,000 square feet GLA
| ||
|
600,000+ square feet GLA
|
5 per 1,000 square feet GLA
| ||
|
Storage areas
|
1 per 5,000 square feet GLA
| ||
|
Theater
|
1 per 3 seats
| ||
|
In shopping center
|
1 per 4 seats
| ||
|
Warehouse
|
1 per 5,000 square feet GFA
| ||
|
NOTES:
| |
|---|---|
|
GFA = gross floor area.
| |
|
GLA = gross leasable area.
|
|
SOURCE: Listokin, David and Walker, Carole, The Subdivision
and Site Plan Handbook, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Center
for Urban Policy Research, 1989.
|
(3)
Accessible parking. Accessible parking shall be provided for all
nonresidential developments and multifamily developments with more
than five units. Accessible parking spaces shall be the closest spaces
to the nearest accessible entrance and shall conform with federal
standards for accessibility. The minimum number of required spaces
shall be as follows:
|
Total Required Parking Spaces
|
Accessible Spaces
| |
|---|---|---|
|
5 to 100
|
1 per 25
| |
|
100 to 1,000
|
1 per 50
| |
|
Over 1,000
|
1 per 100
|
(4)
Bicycle parking facilities. Bicycle parking facilities shall be provided
for nonresidential land developments in accordance with the following
standards:
(a)
Bicycle parking spaces shall be provided at a rate of one space
for the first 10 automobile parking spaces, plus one space for every
additional 50 automobile parking spaces thereafter.
(b)
Each bicycle space shall be equipped with a structure to which
a bicycle frame and one wheel can be attached using a chain, cable,
or U-lock. There shall be adequate separation between structures to
allow bicycles to be attached or removed without moving other bicycles.
The structure shall be suitable for use by bicycles not equipped with
kickstands.
(c)
Bicycle parking spaces shall be convenient to the structure
or outdoor area for which they are provided. They shall be visible
from at least one entrance to the structure and shall be provided
with lighting.
(d)
Bicycle parking structures shall be placed to provide at least
two feet of free space between a bicycle and the edge of the curb
or sidewalk or three feet between a bicycle and the outside edge of
the roadway shoulder.
C.
Dimensional standards.
(1)
Stall size. Perpendicular or angled parking spaces for automobiles
shall be no less than nine feet in width and 18 feet in length. Parallel
spaces shall be no less than eight feet in width and 23 feet in length.
Accessible spaces shall be no less than 12 feet in width.
(2)
Aisle width. The width of aisles providing access to parking stalls
shall be in accordance with the chart below. Only one-way traffic
shall be permitted in aisles serving parking spaces placed at an angle
other than 90°.
|
Parking Angle
(degrees)
|
Aisle Width
(feet)
| |
|---|---|---|
|
30°
|
12
| |
|
45°
|
13
| |
|
60°
|
18
| |
|
90°
|
22
|
D.
General design standards.
(1)
Parking areas shall be designed to provide safe ingress and egress
from the streets that provide access to the land development. No parking
spaces shall enter directly onto streets. All parking areas shall
be connected with streets by access drives.
(2)
Parking areas shall be designed to provide for the safe and convenient
movement of people between parking areas and their destinations on
the development site.
(3)
Parking areas shall be designed to minimize large expanses of pavement,
and provision of parking spaces in excess of demand shall be avoided.
(a)
In nonresidential areas, shared parking may be provided for
uses which have different periods of peak demand, provided that the
applicant documents the differing patterns of use and provides for
the average peak demand of the combined uses. The documentation must
include provisions acceptable to the Department and to the municipality
for the continuing use and maintenance of any shared facilities.
(b)
For nonresidential land developments in areas of municipalities
where public parking facilities are available, the applicant may fulfill
all or a portion of the requirement for off-street parking facilities
generated by the proposed development by contributing funds to the
municipality or parking authority in lieu of constructing parking
spaces on site. Such funds shall be used for the improvement or expansion
of public parking facilities and shall be approved by the Department
only if approved by the municipal governing body.
(c)
In addition to minimization of impervious area, other stormwater
BMPs shall be considered such as:
(4)
In developments of detached and attached single-family homes, off-street
parking shall be located on the same lots with the dwellings that
they serve.
(5)
Parking lots shall be designed with a minimum grade of 1% and a maximum
grade of 5%. They shall be graded for proper drainage of stormwater.
E.
Parking reductions or increases. Applicants may vary from the off-street
parking requirements provided for in Table V-6 by greater than 10%
by providing sufficient documentation that demonstrates reduced or
increased parking demand.
(1)
The provision of on-street parking or employee showers, lockers
and changing areas will justify a reduction in off-street parking.
Employee showers, lockers and changing areas encourage bicycle commuting,
thus reducing the strain on parking facilities.
(2)
In all cases, applicants must provide sufficient documentation
to clearly establish that minimum and maximum parking needs shall
be accommodated. Where inadequate on-site parking causes a recurring
traffic hazard or a nuisance off site, the owner shall be responsible
for increasing the number of parking spaces or decreasing the need
for parking spaces.
(3)
Applicants seeking an increase in parking shall provide a parking
study consistent with the following standards:
(a)
The application for reduced parking shall include a description
of the use, a development plan, a trip generation report, and a parking
study. The parking study shall include the characteristics of each
use, peak parking demand, hours of operation, and potential improvements
in access, design, and circulation.
A.
Requirement. Permanent monuments and markers shall be placed in all
subdivisions in order to provide survey and property line control.
(1)
The location and installation of monuments and markers shall be planned
to ensure that they will be permanent, accessible and recoverable.
(2)
All monumentation shall conform to recommended practices of the surveying
profession, as contained in the most recent edition of the Manual
of Practice for Professional Land Surveyors in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania or equivalent standard of professional practice acceptable
to the Department.
B.
Placement.
(1)
Intervisible monuments shall be placed sufficiently far apart to
ensure accuracy control within survey procedures. They shall be placed
with priority consideration for permanence and accessibility. This
will require consideration of the ultimate use of the land where the
monuments are to be placed, exposure to future roadway maintenance,
and lot landscape development. To that end, monuments should be located
in the following order of priority:
(a)
On a five-foot or appropriate survey line only where sidewalks
are to be installed.
(b)
If no sidewalks are to be placed, then the center line of the
roadway should be monumented.
(c)
Other locations along or on the right-of-way line, giving due
consideration to the lot owner's use of the land and the likelihood
of future changes in elevation or landscape, which would affect the
monument's location or its intervisibility.
(2)
Monuments shall be placed in a sufficient number of locations to
define the boundary of a subdivision and the location of all streets.
Sufficient monuments shall be placed to locate intersections, culs-de-sac,
and curves in horizontal street alignments. Monuments shall be intervisible.
(3)
Markers shall be placed at the corner of all lots or at such other
locations as may be required to locate all lot lines.
(4)
The location of all monuments and markers shall be shown on the plan
for recording, with the distance between them and curve data shown.
(a)
A notation indicating whether the monuments and markers were
found or set and a description of their type, size, material, condition
and position shall be included.
(b)
Monuments shall be identified on the Pennsylvania Plane Coordinate
System - NAD 83 or 27, where it is feasible to do so. This requirement
may be waived for small projects where the control locations are so
distant that the cost of complying would be burdensome in relation
to the total survey cost.
C.
Materials.
(1)
Monuments shall be of durable materials of sufficient length and
cross-sectional areas to be reliably permanent and shall clearly indicate
the survey point. Concrete or stone monuments with a minimum width
of four inches and a minimum length of 30 inches shall be acceptable.
Other materials may be acceptable, with the approval of the municipal
engineer.
(2)
Markers shall be iron pins or pipes, 30 inches in length, or other
material acceptable to the municipal engineer.
(3)
Monuments and markers shall be detectable with conventional ferrous
metal or magnetic locators.
A.
Luminaire design.
(1)
For horizontal surfaces (parking lots, merchandising and storage
areas, fuel-dispensing facilities, auto sales areas, loading docks,
passive recreation, bicycle and pedestrian trails, sidewalks and building
entrances), fixtures shall be aimed straight down and shall meet IESNA
full cutoff criteria. Fixtures with aggregate output not exceeding
500 lumens (equivalent to a forty-watt incandescent bulb) are exempt.
In the case of decorative/period street lighting, full shielding or
IES cutoff criteria may be substituted for full cutoff.
(2)
For nonhorizontal surfaces (facades, landscaping, signs, billboards,
fountains, statuary and other exterior displays), fixtures shall be
shielded and aimed so to not project light output beyond the object
being illuminated into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent
uses, skyward or onto a public roadway. Fixtures with aggregate output
not exceeding 500 lumens (equivalent to a forty-watt incandescent
bulb or ten-watt compact fluorescent bulb) are exempt.
(3)
Lighting for recreational uses shall be the minimum necessary for the proposed use and shall be directed and shielded to minimize the impact on adjacent properties. The visual impact plan required by § 780-402C(13)(f) shall be provided to determine compliance.
B.
Control of glare.
(1)
All lighting shall be aimed so as not to present a hazard to
drivers or pedestrians or create a nuisance by projecting or reflecting
objectionable light onto neighboring uses or properties.
(2)
Directional fixtures shall be shielded, installed and aimed
so they do not project output past the object being illuminated into
windows of neighboring uses, skyward or onto a public roadway or pedestrianway.
(3)
Parking and vehicular pedestrianway lighting for commercial,
industrial and institutional uses (except for security lighting and
all-night business operations) shall be extinguished, using a programmable
controller, within 1/2 hour after the close of business. Safety or
security lighting for after-hours illumination shall not exceed 25%
of the number of fixtures or illuminance permitted for illumination
during regular business hours. If there is continued, but reduced,
evening activity, the use of dimming circuitry to lower illumination
levels by 50% after 11:00 p.m. or after normal business hours shall
be permitted.
(4)
Vegetative screens shall not be used to serve as the primary
means for controlling glare. Rather, 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 placement.
(5)
The illumination projected from any property onto a residential
use shall at no time exceed 0.1 initial footcandle, measured line
of sight from any point on the receiving property.
(6)
The illumination projected from any property to a nonresidential
use shall at no time exceed 1.0 initial footcandle, measured line
of sight from any point on the receiving property.
(7)
Unless otherwise governed by local zoning, externally illuminated
billboards and signs shall be lighted by fixtures mounted at the top
of the billboard or sign and aimed downward. The fixtures shall be
designed, shielded and aimed to shield the source from off-site view
and to restrict the light output beyond the sign or billboard. At
no point on the face of the sign or billboard shall the illumination
exceed 30 initial vertical footcandles, with a maximum-to-minimum
uniformity ratio not to exceed 6:1.
(8)
Under canopy lighting, for such applications as gasoline service
stations, hotel and theater marquees, fast-food and drugstore drive-through
facilities, shall utilize flat-lens full-cutoff fixtures aimed straight
down and shielded in such a manner that the lowest opaque edge of
the fixture shall be below the light source at all lateral angles.
The illumination of the area directly below the canopy shall not exceed
20 average footcandles, and the maximum shall not exceed 30 footcandles.
(9)
The use of white strobe lighting for tall structures such as
smokestacks, chimneys, and radio/communication/television towers is
prohibited during hours of darkness, except as specifically required
by the FAA.
C.
Installation.
(1)
New electrical feeds shall be run underground.
(2)
Poles in parking areas shall be protected by being placed on
concrete pedestals at least 30 inches high above the pavement and
shielded by bollards or placed a minimum of five feet outside the
paved area or any wheel stops within landscaped islands or end caps.
(3)
Except for the lighting authorized by this chapter for certain
recreational uses, fixtures not meeting IESNA full-cutoff criteria
shall not be mounted in excess of 16 feet above finished grade. Fixtures
meeting IESNA full-cutoff criteria shall not be mounted in excess
of 20 feet above finished grade. For illumination of areas containing
more than 100 contiguous parking spaces, a mounting height of 25 feet
may be permitted for fixtures meeting IESNA full-cutoff criteria when
it can be demonstrated that light trespass and glare control meets
the requirements of this chapter.
(4)
Pole-mounted fixtures for horizontal illumination shall be aimed
straight down and poles shall be plumb.
D.
Lighting plan. Where lighting of buildings, signs, parking areas, and other site features is proposed under this § 780-522, a photometric plan containing the information required by § 780-402C(13) shall be submitted.
