The Board of Trustees and Planning Commission, in considering an application for the subdivision of land, shall be guided by the following considerations and standards, which standards shall be deemed to be the minimum requirements for the convenience, health, safety and welfare of the Village.
A. 
Character of land. Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace. Land subject to such hazards shall not be subdivided nor developed for residential purposes, nor for such other uses as may increase danger to health, life or property or aggravate a flood hazard, but such land may be set aside for uses as shall not involve such danger nor produce unsatisfactory living conditions.
B. 
Preservation of natural features.
(1) 
Land to be subdivided shall be designed in reasonable conformity to existing topography in order to minimize grading, cut and fill and to retain, insofar as possible, the natural contours, to limit stormwater runoff and to conserve the natural vegetative cover and soil. No tree, topsoil or excavated material shall be removed from its natural position except where necessary and incidental to the improvement of lots and the construction of streets and related facilities in accordance with the approved plan. Topsoil shall be restored to a depth of at least six inches and properly seeded and fertilized in those disturbed areas not occupied by buildings or structures.
(2) 
Existing natural features which are of ecological, aesthetic or scenic value to residential development or to the Village as a whole, such as wetlands, watercourses, water bodies, rock formations, stands of trees, historic spots and similar irreplaceable assets shall be preserved, insofar as possible, through harmonious design of the subdivision, and, where appropriate, the Board of Trustees may require the inclusion of such features in permanent reservations.
C. 
Conformity to the Village Comprehensive Plan and Official Map. Streets, parks and other subdivision features shall conform to the Village Comprehensive Plan and the Official Map.
D. 
Frontage on improved streets.
(1) 
The area proposed to be subdivided shall have frontage on and direct access to a street duly placed on the Official Map, and, if such street be private, it shall be improved to the satisfaction of the Board of Trustees or there shall be a bond held by the Village to guarantee such improvement.
(2) 
The subdivision of property into lots having no street frontage and for which access to a street is derived by way of an easement shall be prohibited.
A. 
Location, width and improvement. Streets shall be suitably located, of sufficient width and adequately improved to accommodate the expected traffic and to afford satisfactory access to police, fire-fighting, snow removal and other utility and road maintenance equipment and shall be coordinated so as to compose a safe and convenient system.
B. 
Relation to topography. Streets shall be appropriately related to the natural topography and shall be arranged so as to obtain as many as possible of the building sites at or above the grades of the streets. A combination of steep grades and curves shall be avoided.
C. 
Intersections. Cross (four-cornered) street intersections shall be avoided insofar as possible, except at important traffic locations. A distance at least equal to the minimum required lot width, but not less than 150 feet, shall be maintained between center lines of offset intersecting streets. Within 60 feet of the center of an intersection, streets shall be at approximately right angles and grades shall be limited to 1 1/2%. When two streets intersect at an angle of less than 75°, special pavement, channelization, right-of-way and/or sight easement restrictions may be required by the Village.
D. 
Continuation of streets into adjacent properties.
(1) 
The arrangement of streets shall provide for their construction between adjacent properties where such continuation is determined necessary for proper traffic movement, effective fire protection, efficient provision of utilities, snow removal and other services and/or where such continuation is in accordance with the Comprehensive Development Plan. Alternatively, if a street continuation is not determined to be warranted by the circumstances or would result in unsafe traffic conditions or otherwise jeopardize the public safety and welfare, the Board of Trustees may require such street to be terminated short of the boundary lines of the subdivision.
(2) 
Where a continuation of a street beyond the boundaries of a subdivision is warranted, but the adjacent property is undeveloped and the street must dead-end temporarily, the Board of Trustees may require that the right-of-way and all improvements be extended to the property line. A temporary circular turnaround shall be provided on all temporary dead-end streets in excess of 100 feet in length, with a notation on the plat that land outside the normal street right-of-way shall revert to abutting property owners upon continuation of the street. The length of temporary dead-end streets shall normally be limited to not more than double the permitted length of permanent dead-end streets.
(3) 
Where a turnaround exists at the end of a street within an adjoining development to which a proposed street is to connect, the applicant may be required to remove the portions of the turnaround pavement outside of the normal width of the traveled way, perform any necessary reconstruction of the pavement edge, construct continuations of any existing driveways to the new pavement edge and regrade, seed and drain the disturbed areas in such a manner as to blend them in with the surrounding landscape.
E. 
Permanent dead-end streets.
(1) 
Where a street does not extend to the boundary of a subdivision and its future continuation is not required by the Board of Trustees, it shall be separated from such boundary by a distance not less than the minimum required lot depth. The Board of Trustees may require the reservation of an easement to the boundary to accommodate utilities, drainage facilities and/or pedestrian traffic. A circular turnaround shall be provided at the end of a permanent dead-end street.
(2) 
For greater convenience to traffic and more effective police and fire protection, permanent dead-end streets shall, in general, be limited in length, exclusive of the turnaround, to eight times the minimum lot width for the zoning district in which it is located.
F. 
Solar access considerations. To permit maximum solar access to proposed lots and future buildings, wherever reasonably feasible, consistent with other appropriate design considerations, new streets shall be located on an east-west access. This encourages house siting with the maximum exposure of roof and wall area to the sun. The Board of Trustees shall also consider the slope of the property and the nature and location of existing vegetation as they affect solar access.
G. 
Street names. Street names shall be sufficiently different in sound and in spelling from other names in the Village so as not to cause confusion. A street which is a continuation of an existing street shall bear the same name. In general, street names shall conform to the following classifications:
(1) 
Avenue, street or road: major or collector street.
(2) 
Drive or lane: minor residential streets, except as follows:
(a) 
Court or place: permanent dead-end street.
(b) 
Circle or loop: street that returns to a starting point or a street both ends of which intersect another street at different locations.
H. 
Design standards for new streets. Streets shall meet the design standards set forth in the following table. Street classifications may be indicated on the Comprehensive Development Plan or may be determined by the Board of Trustees. Standards are not shown for streets which would be built by the state or county.
Residential Streets
Business Streets
Minimum right-of-way width:
Minor street (feet)
50
60
Collector street (feet)
60
70
Minimum traveled-way width:
Minor street (feet)
25
40
Collector street (feet)
30
48
Maximum grade:
Minor street
8%
8%
Collector street
8%
6%
Turnaround
5%
3%
Minimum grade:
1 1/2%
1 1/2%
Minimum center-line radius of horizontal curves:
Minor street (feet)
200
250
Collector street (feet)
350
400
Minimum right-of-way radius at intersections:
Minor street (feet)
25
30
Collector street (feet)
30
35
Minimum pavement radius at intersections:
Minor street (feet)
15
20
Collector street (feet)
20
25
Minimum length of vertical curves:
Minor street, crest curve
100 feet, but not less than 20 feet for each 1% algebraic difference in grade
Minor street, sag curve
75 feet, but not less than 15 feet for each 1% algebraic difference in grade
The same as crest curve
Collector street, crest curve
150 feet, but not less than 30 feet for each 1% algebraic difference in grade
Collector street, sag curve
100 feet but not less than 25 feet for each 1% algebraic difference in grade
The same as crest curve
Minimum length of tangent between reverse curves:
Main street (feet)
100
150
Collector street (feet)
200
250
Minimum diameter of turnaround right-of-way:
Permanent dead end (feet)
120
130
Temporary dead end (feet)
100
110
Minimum diameter of turnaround pavement:
Permanent dead end (feet)
95
110
Temporary dead end (feet)
80
95
A. 
Street improvements. Streets shall be graded and improved with pavement, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, streetlighting standards, street signs, street trees, water mains, sanitary sewers, storm drains, fire alarm signal devices, fire hydrants and other utilities, except that the Board of Trustees may waive, subject to appropriate conditions, such improvements as it considers are not requisite in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare. The subdivider shall install underground service connections to the property line of each lot before the street is paved. Except where waivers are granted, all such grading and street improvements shall conform in all respects to these regulations and to the Village Construction Standards and Specifications.
B. 
Drainage improvements. The subdivider may be required by the Board of Trustees to carry away by pipe or open ditch any spring- or surface water that may exist either previous to or as a result of the subdivision. Such drainage facilities shall be located in the street right-of-way where feasible or in perpetual unobstructed easements of appropriate width and shall be constructed in accordance with the Village Construction Standards and Specifications.
(1) 
Drainage facilities shall, in each case, be large enough to accommodate potential runoff from their entire upstream drainage area, whether inside or outside the subdivision, based on a one-hundred-year storm. The applicant shall be responsible for submitting such computations to the Village Engineer in sufficient detail to make possible the ready determination of the adequacy of the proposed drainage installations, and the Village Engineer shall be responsible for reviewing these and preparing recommendations for the Board of Trustees.
(2) 
The Board of Trustees may also require the subdivider to prepare a study of the effects of the subdivision on existing downstream drainage facilities. Where such study or the Board of Trustees, after an independent analysis, determines that the additional runoff incident to the development of the subdivision will overload an existing downstream drainage facility, the Board of Trustees shall notify the owner of such downstream facility of such potential condition and may withhold approval of the subdivision until provision has been made for the correction of said potential condition.
C. 
Underground utilities. Where required by the Board of Trustees in order to assure greater safety and improved appearance, all utility lines and related equipment for providing power and communication services shall be installed underground in the manner prescribed by the regulations of the utility company having jurisdiction. Underground utility lines shall be located outside of the traveled way of the streets but, except in unusual circumstances, within the street right-of-way. Underground service connections shall be provided to the property line of each lot before the street is paved and may pass under the traveled way of the street.
D. 
Other improvements.
(1) 
Monuments. Monuments shall be required wherever deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees to enable all property lines to be readily reproduced on the ground.
(a) 
In general, monuments shall be located no more than 500 feet apart on street lines, preferably at street, lot or easement corners or at points of curvature or tangency on curved streets, and spaced to be within sight of one another along lines entirely within the street right-of-way.
(b) 
Monuments shall be set vertically in solid ground three inches above the ground surface with accurate reference to a permanently identifiable fixed point and shall meet or exceed the construction requirements specified in the Village Construction Standards and Specifications.
(2) 
Traffic control and street signs. Traffic control and street signs shall be provided by the subdivider and placed at all intersections, within the street right-of-way, and in other locations as required by the approving authority. In the case of traffic control signs, their type and location shall be approved by the Chief of Police of the Village of Elmsford; and in the case of street signs, by the Village Engineer of the Village of Elmsford.
(3) 
Streetlighting standards. When required by the Board of Trustees, streetlighting standards, of a design and location specified in the Village Construction Standards and Specifications, shall be provided and installed by the subdivider.
(4) 
Sanitary sewers and sewerage facilities; water mains and water supply facilities; and fire hydrants. Where required by the Board of Trustees, the subdivider shall install sanitary sewers and sewerage facilities and/or water mains and water supply facilities and fire hydrants of the type and in a manner specified in the Village Construction Standards and Specifications.The subdivider shall meet all requirements of and obtain all approvals from the Westchester County Department of Health as to water and sewer mains.
(5) 
Fire alarm signal devices. Where required by the Board of Trustees, the subdivider shall install fire alarm signal devices, including necessary ducts, cables and other connecting facilities, of a type and in a manner and location prescribed by the appropriate fire district or other municipal agency having jurisdiction.
(6) 
Street trees. The Board of Trustees may require the planting of street trees. Such trees shall be of a hardwood variety indigenous to the neighborhood and shall be at least five inches caliper at a height of five feet above ground level. Where they are required by the Board of Trustees, such trees shall be planted along both sides of the street, within the street right-of-way and spaced approximately 40 feet on center.
(7) 
School bus pickup areas. The Board of Trustees may require that the subdivider reserve, clear, grade, pave and otherwise improve an area of such size and as will provide a safe and suitable place for the use of children awaiting school buses. In general, the size of such area shall not be less than 100 square feet, and no dimensions shall be less than eight feet. Such area shall be included within the street right-of-way and shall be maintained by the holder of fee title to the street. The layout and design shall be subject to Board of Trustees approval.
A. 
Lot arrangement. The lot arrangement shall be such that there will be no foreseeable difficulty, for reasons of topography or other conditions, in securing building permits to build on all lots in compliance with Chapter 335, Zoning, Chapter 179, Freshwater Wetlands, and the County Health Department regulations.
B. 
Driveways. Approximate driveway locations shall be shown on the construction plans. The maximum driveway gradient to the building site shall not exceed 10%, and the intersection of driveways with the road shall be so oriented and graded that vehicles may use the driveways safely. The Board of Trustees may require that the applicant submit necessary topographic and design information to demonstrate that the lot layout will allow driveways that meet these criteria and provide proper drainage.
C. 
Lot dimensions. Except as provided elsewhere in these regulations or otherwise permitted by the Board of Trustees, lot area and dimensions shall comply with at least the minimum standards of Chapter 335, Zoning, for the district in which they are located. A yard equal to the required front yard shall be provided with respect to any lot line at an angle of 45° or less to the street and located between the street and a principal building contained thereon if such line is wholly or partially in front of said building.
(1) 
Where lots are more than double the minimum required area, the Board of Trustees may require that they be arranged so as to allow for further subdivision and the opening of future streets where necessary to serve such potential lots, all in compliance with Chapter 335, Zoning, and these regulations. Where, in the opinion of the Board of Trustees, lots of larger than minimum size are required for purposes of proper drainage, water supply, waste disposal or the preservation of important ecological features, the Board of Trustees may require such oversized lots as a condition of plat approval.
(2) 
Side lot lines shall generally be at right angles to street lines (or radial to curving street lines) unless the Board of Trustees allows a variation from this rule to provide [give] a better street or lot arrangement. Dimensions of corner lots and through lots shall be large enough to allow for erection of buildings observing the minimum front yard setback from all [both] streets.
(3) 
Where a proposed subdivision includes an existing residence larger in size than can appropriately be placed on a lot of the minimum size permitted in the zoning district, the Board of Trustees may require that the lot be of such size and relationship to the proposed street system that the structure will be an appropriate and harmonious part of the subdivision.
D. 
Access from collector streets. Lots shall not, in general, derive access from a collector street, but shall front on a minor interior street. When driveway access from a collector street may be necessary for two or more adjoining lots, the Board of Trustees may require that such lots be served by a combined access drive in order to limit the possible traffic hazard on such street. Any such driveways, where permitted, shall be designed in such a way as to provide adequate and convenient area for the turnaround of vehicles so as to avoid requiring them to back into traffic on such streets.
E. 
Double frontage lots. Lots fronting on two streets, other than corner lots, shall be avoided except where deemed essential by the Board of Trustees in order to provide separation of residential development from major or collector streets or to overcome problems of topography or orientation. The Board of Trustees may require access limitations and/or buffer landscaping for such double frontage lots where the Board of Trustees determines that such measures would be appropriate.
F. 
Water bodies. If a subdivision contains a water body or portion thereof, lot lines shall be drawn so as to distribute the entire ownership of the water body among the fees of the adjacent lots, unless the Board of Trustees approves an alternate plan whereby the ownership of and responsibility for the safety of the water body is so placed that it will not become a Village responsibility. No more than 25% of the minimum lot area required under Chapter 335, Zoning, may be satisfied by land which is under water or is defined as a wetland.
G. 
Access across a watercourse. Where a watercourse separates the buildable area of a lot from the street by which it has access, provision shall be made for the installation of a bridge, culvert or other drainage facility, of a design approved by the Board of Trustees based upon, among other considerations, recommendation of the Village Engineer, to provide satisfactory access across such watercourse for fire, police and other emergency equipment.
H. 
Subdivision with land in two or more zoning districts or municipalities.
(1) 
In general, a lot should not be divided by a zoning district or municipal boundary. If it is, however, necessary for a zoning district boundary to cross a lot, such lot shall be designed so that it can be readily developed in accordance with the standards of the more restrictive zoning district. If it is necessary for a municipal boundary line to cross a lot, the Board of Trustees may require suitable legal agreements to assure that the two portions of the lot will not be separated in the future and that the portion of the lot in the adjoining municipality will not be used for any purpose that would make it nonconforming if the entire lot were located within the Village of Elmsford.
(2) 
Whenever a subdivision includes land in two or more zoning districts and/or municipalities, the location of the zoning district and/or municipal boundary lines shall be shown on the plat and, in addition, where zoning boundaries are involved, the following notation shall be added: "Existing zoning boundaries as of __________________________, 20 ___."
All reservations and easements shall be clearly indicated on the final subdivision plat, along with appropriate notations indicating the rights which exist with respect to each such reservation and/or easement.
A. 
Park reservations.
(1) 
General standards. The Board of Trustees may require that land be reserved within subdivisions for a park or parks suitably located for playground or other recreational purposes. Such locations shall be as designated on the Comprehensive Plan or Official Map or as otherwise deemed appropriate by the Board of Trustees. Each reservation shall be of suitable size, dimensions, topography and general character and shall have adequate street access for the particular purpose or purposes envisioned by the Board of Trustees. The area shall be shown and marked on the plat as "Reserved for Park Purposes."
(2) 
Minimum size.
(a) 
Areas for parks shall be of reasonable size for neighborhood playgrounds or other recreational uses. In general, not less than 10% of the area of the subdivision shall be set aside for these purposes.
(b) 
In general, sites reserved for park purposes shall have an area of at least one acre. The Board of Trustees may require the location of such areas along the boundary of a subdivision so that additional land may be added at such time as the adjacent property is subdivided.
(3) 
Ownership of park area. The ownership of reservations for park purposes shall be clearly indicated on the plat and established in a manner satisfactory to the Board of Trustees so as to assure their proper future continuation and maintenance.
(4) 
Cash payment in lieu of reservation. Where the Board of Trustees determines that a suitable park or parks of adequate size cannot be properly located in a residential subdivision or where such a reservation is otherwise not appropriate or practical, the Board of Trustees may require, as a condition to approval of any such plat, a payment to the Village of a fee as set forth by resolution of the Board of Trustees in the Master Fee Schedule, which may be amended from time to time. Such payment shall constitute a trust fund to be used by the Board of Trustees for the acquisition and development of neighborhood parks, playgrounds or recreation facilities.
B. 
Widening or realignment of existing streets. Where a subdivision borders an existing street which is narrower than the recommended right-of-way width, as specified for such streets in these regulations, or where a subdivision borders an existing street planned for widening or realignment in such a way as to require the use of some land in the subdivision, the Board of Trustees may require the subdivision plat to show such areas which shall be marked "Reserved for Street Realignment (or Widening) Purposes." Land reserved for such purposes may not be counted in satisfying yard or area requirements of the Chapter 335, Zoning.
C. 
Utility and drainage easements. Where topography or other conditions are such as to make impractical the inclusion of utilities or drainage facilities within street rights-of-way, perpetual unobstructed easements of at least 20 feet in width shall be provided for such utilities or drainage facilities across properties outside the street lines and with satisfactory access to the street.
(1) 
Drainage easements shall extend from the street to the watercourse or other drainage facility and shall convey to the holder of fee title of the street, the perpetual right to discharge stormwater runoff from the street and the surrounding area onto and over the affected premises by means of pipes, culverts or ditches or a combination thereof, together with the right to enter said premises for the purpose of making such installations and doing such maintenance work as the holder of such fee title may deem necessary to adequately drain the street and the surrounding area.
(2) 
When a proposed drainage system will carry water across private land outside the subdivision, appropriate drainage rights must be secured in a form satisfactory to the Village Attorney and suitable for recording in the office of the County Clerk.
D. 
Slope easements. Where determined appropriate by the Board of Trustees, said Board of Trustees may permit an embankment alongside a proposed street to extend beyond the normal right-of-way of such street, provided that a slope easement is granted, conveying to the holder of fee title of the street the right to enter the premises for the purpose of maintaining such slope. Where the embankment slope is located on private land outside the subdivision, such easement shall be permitted only where the appropriate rights have been secured in a form satisfactory to the Village Attorney and suitable for recording in the office of the County Clerk.
E. 
Sight easements. Sight easements shall be provided across all street corners, outside the street right-of-way, within the triangular area formed by the nearest edges of street pavement and a straight line between two points each 75 feet back from the theoretical intersection of the edges of such pavement prolonged. The easements shall provide that the holder of fee title to the abutting streets shall have the right to enter the easement area for the purpose of clearing, pruning or regrading so as to maintain a clear line of sight in either direction across such triangular area between an observer's eye 3.5 feet above the pavement surface on one street and an object one foot above the pavement surface on the other. The initial establishment of clear sight lines within the sight easement area shall be the responsibility of the subdivider.
F. 
Easements for pedestrian access. The Board of Trustees may require, in order to facilitate pedestrian access from streets to schools, parks or neighboring areas, the reservation of perpetual unobstructed easements of at least 10 feet in width for such purposes and the construction of walkways thereon.
The subdivider may place restrictions on any of the land contained within the subdivision which are greater than those required by Chapter 335, Zoning. Such restrictions shall be indicated on the final subdivision plat.