A. 
Whenever a subdivider proposes to subdivide land which includes, or appears to include, all or part of the proposed site for a public facility, the Planning Board shall submit the plat to the public body responsible for acquiring the land for the site before approving the preliminary plat of the subdivision. If this public body determines that the site for the public facility or public utility should be located within the boundaries of the proposed subdivision, then the Planning Board may require the subdivider to reserve land for public acquisition and shall designate the boundaries of said land. Such reservation shall be for a period determined by the Planning Board. Upon receipt of a preliminary plat where a site for a public facility may be involved, the Planning Board shall transmit a copy of the plat to the public body responsible for the acquisition of the site.
B. 
No dedication by the subdivider for an easement or a highway or other public use shall be shown on a plat unless the Town Board determines to accept such dedication. When a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainage way, channel, stream, or creek, the subdivider may be required to provide a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way of sufficient width for such purpose and its maintenance, wherever the Planning Board finds such easement desirable.
C. 
Where alleys are not provided or may not be used for that purpose, easements not less than five feet in width shall be provided, preferably at the rear of each lot, for poles, wires, conduits, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, gas lines, water mains and lines, and other utility purposes as required. In no case shall the combined widths of the easements on both sides of a rear lot line be less than 10 feet. Additional easements shall be provided where required by the Planning Board.
D. 
In a proposed or approved regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), additional and different requirements for land reservation and dedication for public facilities, utilities, infrastructure, and easements apply. (See §§ 272-306 through 272-309. TND street construction and engineering standards and TND stormwater design guidelines are in separate guides.)
[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
[Amended 4-10-1995]
A. 
Before the Planning Board may approve a subdivision plat containing residential units, such subdivision plat shall show, when required by the Planning Board, a park or parks suitably located for playground or other recreational purposes. The amount of land to be so reserved is normally, subject to the provisions below, in the amount of 10% of the gross area of the subdivision. The area shall be shown and marked on the final plat "Reserved for Park and/or Playground Purposes."
B. 
Land for park, playground or other recreational purposes shall not be required until the Planning Board has made a finding that a proper case exists for requiring that a park or parks be suitably located for playgrounds or other recreational purposes within the Town. Such finding shall include an evaluation of the present and anticipated future needs for park and recreational facilities in the Town based on projected population growth to which the particular subdivision plat will contribute. Such evaluation may also include reference to any current Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan existing in the Town.
C. 
In the event the Planning Board makes a finding pursuant to Subsection B of this section that the proposed subdivision plat presents a proper case for requiring a park or parks suitably located for playgrounds or other recreational purposes, but that a suitable park or parks of adequate size to meet the requirement cannot be properly located on such subdivision plat, the Planning Board may require a sum of money in lieu thereof in an amount to be established by the Town Board. In making such determination of suitability, the Planning Board shall assess the size and suitability of lands shown on the subdivision plat which could be possible locations for park or recreational facilities, as well as practical factors including whether there is a need for additional facilities in the immediate neighborhood. Any monies required by the Planning Board in lieu of land for park, playground or other recreational purposes, pursuant to the provisions of this section, shall be deposited into a trust fund to be used by the Town exclusively for park, playground or other recreational purposes, including the acquisition of property.
D. 
If the Town Board, by resolution or local law, has established the amounts, or a formula by which amounts payable in lieu of land reservation may be determined, the amounts payable pursuant to this section shall be as set forth in, or determined by, such local law.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 153, Fees, § 153-12, Fees in lieu of recreational land reservation.
E. 
If the Planning Board, upon the findings set forth above, requires a reservation of parkland or recreational land, such reservation shall be of suitable size, dimension, topography, and general character and shall have adequate road access for the particular purposes envisioned by the Planning Board. The Board may require that the recreation area be located at a suitable place on the edge of the subdivision so that additional land may be added at such time as the adjacent land is subdivided. The subdivider may dedicate all such recreation areas to the Town.
F. 
Land reserved for use as playgrounds or playfields shall be of a character and location suitable for such use. This land shall be relatively level and dry and shall be improved by the subdivider to the standards required by the Planning Board.
G. 
The provisions of this section are minimum standards. None of the subsections above shall be construed as prohibiting a subdivider from reserving other land for recreation purposes in addition to the requirements of this section.
H. 
In a proposed or approved regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), New Neighborhood Code requirements for park and preserve land area, types, location, configuration, connectivity, access, programming, and ownership apply. (See § 272-308.) Payment in lieu of land reservation does not apply for traditional neighborhood development, and is not a substitute for providing and improving parks and preserves.
[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
A. 
All roadways shall be paved and all road signs installed according to the Town of Ithaca Highway Specifications, copies of which are available in the office of the Town Engineer. The subdivider shall improve or agree to improve all highways, alleys, and other ways to provide drainage improvements, all in such manner as is necessary for the general use of lot owners in the subdivision and to meet local traffic and drainage needs, including the needs of pedestrian and bicycle traffic as may be required by the Town of Ithaca Complete Streets Policy.
[Amended 5-11-2015 by L.L. No. 3-2015]
B. 
The arrangement of streets in the subdivision shall provide for the continuation of the principal streets in adjoining subdivisions or for their proper projection when adjoining property is not subdivided, and shall be of a width at least as great as that of existing connecting streets or the minimum highway widths established here. As a general rule the right-of-way of streets shall not be less than 60 feet. The street arrangement must provide for reasonable access from adjoining property that has not been subdivided.
C. 
Street names shall be shown; they shall provide for continuation of the names of existing streets wherever appropriate; they shall not duplicate the names of highways elsewhere in Tompkins County. Highway names shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board. House numbers shall be assigned by the Town Engineer.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See also Ch. 192, Numbering of Buildings.
D. 
Alleys shall be provided along the rear lines of lots intended for commercial or industrial use, except in the case of developments such as shopping centers and industrial parks where access to individual establishments will be over common space on the lot. Alleys shall not be provided for lots intended for residential use, unless the subdivider produces evidence satisfactory to the Planning Board of the need therefor.
E. 
The right-of-way of an alley serving commercial or industrial properties shall be 20 feet, and that of one serving residential properties shall be 20 feet. Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided, but where necessary, corners shall be rounded at a twenty-foot radius or cut off with an equivalent chord. Dead-end alleys shall be avoided wherever possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turnaround or backaround facilities, as determined by the Planning Board.
F. 
Highway grading and paving shall be required for all highways to be opened by dedication in the subdivision, but where a frontage road is provided, the improvement requirement shall apply only to such frontage road and not to the through portion of the highway. In addition, highway grading and paving shall be required for all highways to be dedicated for frontage roads, including those abutting or adjacent to existing highways.
G. 
There shall be a minimum of 600 feet between intersections on primary thoroughfares. Street jogs shall be avoided. There shall be a minimum of 300 feet between the center lines of highway intersections. Highway intersections shall be at right angles as nearly as possible, and no intersections shall be at an angle less than 70º. Detailed designs of intersections may be required. Curb radii at intersections shall not be less than 20 feet and property lines shall be adjusted accordingly. Side lines of lots, insofar as practicable, shall be at right angles or radial to street lines.
H. 
For thoroughfares having a right-of-way width of more than 60 feet, longitudinal profile grades shall be connected by vertical curves of a minimum length equivalent to 20 times the algebraic difference between the rates of grade, expressed in feet per hundred. For all other thoroughfares, the vertical curves shall be equivalent to 10 times such difference. At any point, the minimum sight distance shall be 350 feet.
I. 
Where provided, a street with a cul-de-sac shall not exceed 1,000 feet in length and shall be terminated in a turnaround having a property line radius of not less than 50 feet. Where a dead-end street is dedicated for the purpose of providing future access to adjacent property, its length shall not exceed 1,000 feet. Where any lot has its principal access on such street, the street shall be terminated in a turnaround or backaround acceptable to the Town Engineer.
J. 
The minimum right-of-way width shall be 60 feet. Additional rights-of-way may be specified where deep cuts or fills will be encountered. Where a thoroughfare is designated in the Comprehensive Plan as having fully or partially controlled access, and the subdivider elects to provide a frontage road rather than back or side lots on the thoroughfare, full right-of-way shall be dedicated for the frontage road.
(1) 
Where any highway deflects at an angle of 10º or more, the minimum radii of center line curvatures and the minimum lengths of reverse curves shall be as follows, where not specified in the Comprehensive Plan:
TYPE OF HIGHWAY
RADIUS
(MIN.)
TANGENT
(MIN.)
Ramp
100
100
Cul-de-sac
50
100
Other local streets
140
100
Highway
270
200
K. 
Where a subdivision contains or abuts a thoroughfare designated as having fully controlled access or partially controlled access in the Comprehensive Plan, the plat shall provide for such control for the purpose of reducing traffic hazards by eliminating conflict between local traffic entering and leaving driveways and through traffic. Where a plat includes lots which directly abut such a thoroughfare, rather than a frontage, the Planning Board may require the subdivider, by sufficient instrument, to relinquish right of access to the thoroughfare from such lots.
L. 
The roads in the subdivision shall have no more than the maximum gradients specified in the Town's Highway Specifications, as amended from time to time.
M. 
In a proposed or approved regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), New Neighborhood Code requirements for arrangement of streets, street types and elements, provision of alleys, and geometry apply. (See §§ 272-306 and 272-307. TND street construction and engineering standards and TND stormwater design guidelines are in separate guides.)
[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
A. 
Each normal block shall be planned to provide two rows of lots, but irregularly shaped blocks indented by cul-de-sac streets will be acceptable when properly designed with an adequate turnaround. The lengths, widths, and shapes of blocks shall be determined with due regard to the provision of building sites suitable to the special needs of the type of uses contemplated, zoning requirements as to lot sizes and dimensions, need for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of highway traffic, solar access and the limitations and opportunities of topography.
B. 
Residential blocks shall not be more than 1,500 feet in length, except as the Planning Board determines necessary to secure efficient use of land or to achieve desired features of the highway system; measurement of block length shall be between property lines. In any block over 700 feet long, the Planning Board may require the subdivider to dedicate and construct a public walkway transversely across the block. Such walkway shall have a minimum right-of-way of 20 feet, of which at least eight feet shall be paved. Residential blocks shall be wide enough to provide two tiers of lots of minimum depth, except where permitted in § 234-23.
C. 
The area, width, depth, and orientation of lots shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision and for the type of development permitted by Chapter 270, Zoning, or contemplated in the Comprehensive Plan. Except for areas which have been previously platted as small lots, minimum lot areas and dimensions shall be as established in Chapter 270, Zoning, including the approved plans of the planned development districts. In areas which at the effective date of these regulations were platted and a map of which has been recorded in the office of the County Clerk with lots having areas or widths less than those required by Chapter 270, Zoning, the Planning Board may permit the platting or replatting of lots conforming generally in area and width to existing lots in the immediate vicinity, but the areas shall not be reduced below 6,000 square feet or the widths below 50 feet.
D. 
Where any lot is proposed to be served by an individual sewage disposal system, the minimum dimensions of each lot shall be determined by the Health Department. The Health Department may require the subdivider to provide acceptable percolation tests for lots to be served by individual sewage disposal systems, except that no such lot shall have an area of less than 30,000 square feet.
E. 
Corner lots shall be increased in size whenever necessary so as to provide that any structure to be placed thereon shall conform to the provisions of Chapter 270, Zoning. Lots which are sufficiently large to make possible replatting in the future shall be of such shape to facilitate replatting. Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles or radial to street lines. Where a building setback line is shown on a plat, it shall not be in front of any building setback line established by ordinance.
F. 
In a proposed or approved regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), New Neighborhood Code requirements for thoroughfare and block pattern and lot siting apply. (See §§ 272-306 and 272-403.23.)
[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
The Planning Board may require subdivisions to be platted so as to preserve or enhance solar access for either passive or active systems, consistent with the other requirements of these regulations. Improvement of solar orientation may be a sufficient consideration, in the judgment of the Planning Board, to warrant site plan modifications.
A. 
All land development shall be related to the surrounding drainage pattern, with provisions made for proper storm drainage facilities. All drainage improvements must be acceptable to the Town Engineer. Minimum runoff shall be determined by the Rational Method or an equivalent formula with conventional runoff factors, using as a minimum a rainfall rate of 0.5 inches per hour. In all instances, provisions shall be made for adequate storm drainage and drainage structures to prevent water from standing on any portion of dead-end streets or culs-de-sac.
B. 
Diversion of storm flow shall be avoided, wherever possible. If stormwater is to be diverted from its natural course, the constructions plans shall include:
(1) 
A sketch showing the existing waterway and the location of the proposed channel change;
(2) 
Profile of existing watercourse; and
(3) 
Provisions for the prevention of soil erosion and silting, such as sodding and paving, in open watercourses.
C. 
Where an underground drainage system is installed, emergency surface drainage overflows shall be provided to prevent possible flooding in the event of failure of the underground drainage system.
D. 
In developments with an average grade of 7% or more, detention ponds, check dams or other structures shall be provided to reduce the velocity of storm runoff. Riprapping shall be required in areas designated by the Town Engineer.
A. 
When connections are to be made immediately to a community water system or public water supply, water lines shall be installed to serve each lot in the subdivision prior to the application for acceptance of the streets or rights-of-way. Where such connection to said system is not to be made immediately, but is contemplated within five years, plans shall be prepared for future installation of a water distribution system to serve each lot, and those parts of such system which will be in the paved portion of streets and alleys shall be installed before the streets and alleys are paved. Plans for water systems shall conform in all respects to the standards for the design of water systems of the New York State Department of Health and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and shall be subject to the approval of the Town Engineer, the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission, and the Tompkins County Health Department.
B. 
When connections are to be made immediately to a community disposal system or public sewer system, sanitary sewers shall be installed to serve each lot in the subdivision prior to the application for acceptance of streets or rights-of-way. Where such connection to said system is not to be made immediately, but is contemplated within five years, plans shall be prepared for future development and installation of a sewerage system to serve each lot, and those parts of such system which will be in the paved portion of streets and alleys shall be installed before the streets or alleys are paved. Plans for sewer systems shall conform in all respect to the standards for the design of sanitary sewer facilities of the New York State Department of Health and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and be subject to the approval of the Town Engineer and the Tompkins County Health Department.
C. 
In a regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), public water and sanitary sewer infrastructure, along with infrastructure for other essential utilities (see § 272-309.1), must be complete before acceptance of streets or rights-of-way.
[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
A. 
Concrete monuments, the specifications of which are hereinafter set forth, shall be set in each subdivision. At least two reference ties shall be established in the most permanent manner possible, to the exterior corners of the lot finally platted. The markers and ties shall be shown on each final plat of all subdivisions. The monuments shall be placed normally on block corners or points of curve and shall be no more than 1,000 feet apart.
B. 
The monuments shall be constructed of reinforced concrete (3,000 psi in 28 days) and have no fewer than two no. 3 deformed bars in them, evenly spaced. The monuments shall be six inches in diameter and 36 inches in length. Each monument shall have a cross case in the top center or a copper rod extending 1/4 inch above the concrete. All such monuments may be precast or cast in the hole. It shall be the responsibility of the developer to maintain the monuments on all unsold lots.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
A. 
Wires and cables providing local utility and similar services (including but not limited to electric, telephone, cable television, and streetlighting) in residential subdivisions shall be placed underground.
B. 
In a regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), New Neighborhood Code requirements for underground utilities apply. (See § 272-309.2.1.)
[Amended 11-9-2020 by L.L. No. 7-2020]
A. 
In large, phased developments, a sequential installation of utilities and improvements shall be made in accordance with an agreement satisfactory to the Town Planner, Town Engineer and Town Attorney. The phasing agreement shall provide for the maintenance of existing roads and utilities.
B. 
In a regulating plan area for traditional neighborhood development (TND), New Neighborhood Code requirements for a subdivision phasing plan may apply. (See § 272-703.3.3.)