A.
Basic requirement. The subdivider shall observe all
design standards for land subdivision as hereinafter provided. These
standards shall be considered minimum standards and shall be varied
from or waived, only as provided in Section 81R of the Subdivision
Control Law.
B.
Conformance with Master Plan. Any proposed subdivision
should conform, as far as practicable, to the proposals and intentions
of the Abington Master Plan as adopted in whole or in part by the
Planning Board, unless substitute proposals may be shown to the satisfaction
of the Board to better serve the general area of the subdivision and
the Town.
C.
Compliance with zoning. The proposed plan shall be
in compliance with the existing Zoning By-Law, as amended, particularly
relating to shape, width, frontage, and use of lots within a subdivision
before the Board will grant approval.
D.
Protection of natural features. Due regard shall be
shown for all natural features, such as large trees, watercourses,
scenic points, historic spots, and similar community assets, which,
if preserved, will add attractiveness and value to the subdivision.
The Board may exercise its right, in accordance with the provisions
of Section 81CC of Chapter 41 of the General Laws as amended, to visit
the applicants property to determine which natural features might
be preserved.
E.
Design objectives. The subdivision design, including
consideration of the resulting building sites, shall reduce to the
extent reasonably possible, the following:
(1)
The volume of the cut and fill;
(2)
The area over which existing vegetation will be disturbed,
especially if within 200 feet of a river, pond, wetland or stream,
or on land having steep slopes.
(3)
The number of trees greater than 10 inches in diameter
(at six feet above ground) removed;
(4)
The increase in peak rates of stormwater runoff;
(5)
The number of building site frontages or driveway
egresses onto collector streets;
(6)
The disturbance of important wildlife habitats, outstanding
botanical features, and/or scenic or historic environments;
(7)
Soil loss or instability during and after construction;
F.
Access through another municipality. In case access
to a subdivision crosses land in another municipality the Board may
require certification, from appropriate authorities, that such access
is in accordance with the Master Plan and subdivision requirements
of such municipality and that a legally adequate performance bond
has been duly posted or that such access is adequately improved to
handle prospective traffic.
G.
Lot frontage at cul-de-sac. The allowable street frontage
for a lot fronting on a cul-de-sac shall be measured along the side
line of the street approaching the cul-de-sac as though the street
line continued through the cul-de-sac uninterrupted, and not along
the outside radius of the cul-de-sac. For lots across the end of a
cul-de-sac in a permanently dead-end way the frontage shall be measured
along the arc of the street line intersection with the side lot lines.
H.
Reserve strips. Reserve strips prohibiting access
to streets or adjoining property shall not be permitted, except where,
in the opinion of the Board, such strips shall be in the public interest.
I.
Further subdivision. In the event a tract is subdivided
into larger parcels than ordinary building lots, such parcels shall
be arranged so as to allow the logical and economic extension of streets,
utility easements, drainageways, and public areas into such parcels.
Adjacent parcels shall also be considered for logical, economical
extensions of streets, sidewalks and utilities, etc.
J.
Resubdivision. The resubdivison of all or part of
land covered by an existing plan shall be governed by these regulations.
Such resubdivision plans shall show clearly that area or areas which
are being replated and shall show all previous plans of these same
areas with dates of recording information. All land last subdivided
more than eight years previous to the date of application shall be
resubdivided in accordance with the the Rules and Regulations and
Zoning By-Laws currently in effect.
K.
As-built plan. The developer shall provide the Board
with an original and six copies of a final as-built plan drawn to
the required standards of these Rules and Regulations after the completion
of a subdivision or a portion of a subdivision, showing the precise
location of streets, easements, storm drainage facilities, public
sewerage facilities if appropriate, all other utilities and bounds.
The plan shall clearly identify where the as-built conditions differ
from the approved plan. The as-built plan shall bear the stamp and
signature of a registered land surveyor and a registered professional
engineer. A digital copy in AutoCad format (current release) on a
CD-ROM shall also be provided.
L.
Street acceptance plan.
(1)
At the time the street or way or portion thereof is
ready for acceptance and to facilitate acceptance by the Town of Abington,
the developer shall have prepared and certified by a registered land
surveyor a plan of acceptance drawn to Registry of Deeds standards
showing widths, lengths, and bearings of all boundary lines of streets
and easements and radii, tangents and central angles of all curves
in street lines. It shall show and certify that all permanent monuments
have been set.
(2)
The surveyor shall place a certification on the plan
stating: "The street (or way or portion thereof) is laid out and the
bounds have been set as shown on the plan" and shall be dated, signed
and the surveyor's stamp affixed thereon. The plan shall be submitted
to the Board of Selectmen upon final review approval as to form by
the Planning Board.
M.
Conveyance of utilities and easements to the Town.
Prior to the final release the Planning Board of a surety bond or
deposit, or, in the case of a covenant, the issuance of a certificate
of completion, the applicant shall execute an instrument transferring
to the Town, without cost, valid unencumbered title to all common
sewers, storm drains and water mains, and appurtenances thereto, constructed
and installed in the subdivision or portion thereof to be approved.
Such instrument will convey to the Town without cost and free of all
liens and encumbrances, perpetual right and easements to construct,
inspect, repair, renew, replace, operate and forever maintain the
aforesaid underground utilities, with any manholes, pipes, conduits
and other appurtenances, and to do all acts incidental thereto, in
the subdivision or portion thereof to be approved. If any such utilities
have been constructed and installed in land not within such streets,
then said transfer shall be in, through and under an easement as shown
on the definitive plan.
A.
Arrangement. The proposed streets shall be considered
in their relation to existing and planned streets, to topographic
and geologic conditions and to public convenience and safety. They
shall provide for:
B.
Access to arterial street. Intersections of collector
and residential streets with arterial streets will not normally be
allowed at intervals of less than 400 feet. Subdivisions of 50 or
more lots will be required to have more than one access to an existing
arterial or collector street or to a proposed collector street which
is to be built in conjunction with the proposed subdivision.
C.
Street jogs. Street jogs are herein defined as offset
crossing intersections. Street jogs in arterial and collector streets
with center-line offsets of less than 250 feet shall not be allowed.
Street jogs in minor and local streets with center-line offsets less
than 125 feet shall not be allowed.
D.
Right-of-way width and alignments. On all classification
of streets the following characteristics shall be the minimum acceptable:
|
Street Class
|
Right-of-Way
(feet)
|
Minimum
Radius
of Curve
(feet)
|
Sight
Distance
(feet)
|
Maximum
Grad.
|
Minimum
Grad.
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arterial
|
80
|
500
|
300
|
6%
|
1%
| |
|
Collector
|
62
|
300
|
200
|
8%
|
1%
| |
|
Minor
|
52
|
150
|
200
|
10%
|
1%
| |
|
Local
|
40
|
100
|
100
|
10%
|
1%
|
E.
Intersection. Rights-of-way (ROW) shall be laid out
so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles. No ROW shall
intersect any other ROW at less than 60º. Property lines at ROW
intersections shall be cut back to provide for a curb radius on the
roadway of not less than 20 feet except where the angle of intersection
varies more than 10º from a right angle in which case the radius
of the curve connecting the acute angle may be less, and the opposite
radius must be correspondingly greater. Where street grade at the
approach to an intersection exceeds 3%, a leveling area shall be provided
having grades not exceeding 1% for a distance of 50 feet from the
nearer exterior line of the intersecting street.
F.
Dead-end streets.
(1)
Dead-end streets shall not exceed 600 feet in length,
as measured to the center of the turnaround and shall be provided
with a turnaround having a property line diameter of at least 120
feet. The turnaround centers shall be crowned, loamed, seeded and
planted with trees and shrubs. A landscaping plan for the island area
shall be included as part of the submission of a definitive plan.
Any easement obtained for turnaround purposes at the end of a temporary
dead-end street shall provide for termination upon construction of
an extension.
(2)
A twenty-foot-wide minimum easement shall be required
at the end of culs-de-sac to provide for continuation of pedestrian
traffic and/or utilities to the next street, unless waived by the
Board in writing.
G.
Driveway cuts. Driveway cuts shall not be allowed
within 55 feet of an intersecting street.
H.
Street names. Proposed streets shall be named after
servicemen from Abington who were killed in action. A listing of available
names may be obtained from the Veterans Service Agent. If such names
are not available, proposed street names shall reflect the history
of the Town of Abington or the history of the parcel being subdivided.
Names similar to existing street names shall not be allowed. All proposed
names of streets shall be approved by the Abington Fire Department.
I.
Reduced density subdivisions of land.
(1)
In accordance with MGL Chapter 41, Section 81Q, the
Planning Board has determined that within subdivisions of land where
the number of dwellings is reduced to less than the maximum allowed
by the Zoning By-Law the prospective amount of travel upon the various
ways within a subdivision will be less and therefore design and construction
standards may be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, the Planning Board
has determined that a reduction in development density and road construction
will assist the Town in growth management by minimizing impacts on
public services, and therefore is in the public interest. For the
purpose of this section, density shall be defined as the number of
single-family residential dwelling units divided by the total land
area available for development and the total land area shall not include
any area contained within any existing or proposed roadways, rights-of-way,
travel/access easements and furthermore, each lot must contain at
least 30,000 square feet of contiguous upland area. (For example,
in the R-40 Zoning District, density is equal to one dwelling unit
per 40,000 square feet. A development at 1/2 density would be
equal to one dwelling unit per 80,000 square feet while a 1/3
density development is equal to one dwelling unit per 120,000 square
feet.)
(2)
The following road design and construction standards
shall apply to reduced density residential subdivisions:
(a)
Where the density of a subdivision is equal
to 1/2 the density allowed under the Zoning By-law the following
standards shall apply.
[1]
Minimum horizontal center-line radius: 100 feet.
[2]
Property line radius at street intersection:
20 feet.
[3]
Cape Cod berm curbing.
[4]
Layout width: 40 feet.
[5]
Maximum center-line grade: 10%.
[6]
Pavement width: 22 feet traveled way plus 1.0
Cape Cod berm each side.
[7]
Sidewalks: one five-foot walk.
[8]
Design storm: ten-year for pipe size (Rational
Method).
[9]
Alternative turnaround area designs are encouraged.
|
Where the density of a subdivision is equal
to or less than 1/3 the allowed density the following standards shall
apply:
|
[10]
Minimum horizontal center-line radius: 75 feet.
[11]
Property line radius at street intersection:
20 feet.
[12]
Cape Cod berm curbing/no curbing as required
by the Planning Board.
[13]
Layout width: 40 feet.
[14]
Maximum center-line grade: 12%.
[15]
Pavement width: 18 feet traveled way plus 1.0
Cape Cod berm each side.
[16]
Sidewalks: none required.
[17]
Design storm: ten-year for pipe size (Rational
Method).
[18]
Alternative turnaround area designs are encouraged.
(b)
Reduced-density preliminary subdivision submissions
must include accurately located, field determined, wetland/upland
areas; and calculations supporting the number of lots within the subdivision.
(c)
Reduced-density definitive subdivision submission
packages that were not presented as a preliminary reduced-density
subdivision shall include accurately located, field determined wetland/upland
areas; and calculations supporting the number of lots within the subdivision.
The definitive plan lotting sheet shall clearly indicate that the
plan is a reduced-density subdivision and any further development
or creation of additional lots will require the roadway to be upgraded
to full design and construction standards including the submission
of a definitive plan modification to the Planning Board.
A.
Layout. Easements shall have a minimum width of 20 feet and the limit located by bearing and dimension. Greater widths may be required by the Planning Board where additional area is required to adequately access the easement area. All easements (except for tree planting) shall be bounded by the placement of granite monuments in accordance with § 200-19Y.
B.
Watercourses. Streams or watercourses shall be provided
with a drainage easement conforming substantially with the line of
its course, but not less than 20 feet in width. The relocation of
streams or watercourses into open channels or covered culverts shall
be kept to a minimum. Any stream diversion or relocation shall be
done in accordance with the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act
and the developer shall be required to submit such proposals to the
Abington Conservation Commission prior to the approval of a plan.
C.
Utilities. Utility easements shall generally follow
lot lines and shall be not less than 20 feet in width.
Pedestrianways or footpaths will normally be
required to provide convenient circulation or access to schools, playgrounds,
shopping, churches, transportation, parks, conservation areas, adjacent
subdivisions, and/or other facilities. Such ways shall consist of
a right-of-way of at least 20 feet.
A.
Areas for open space, parks, and/or playgrounds may
be required to be set aside in accordance with the proposals and intents
of the Master Plan and Chapter 41, Section 81U of the General Laws
as amended. Such areas shall be of reasonable size but generally not
less than 5% of the total area of the proposed subdivision. No building
may be erected or placed on such an area for a period of three years
without the approval of the Board.
B.
Any open space, park or playground shall provide at
least 50 feet of continuous frontage on a street, and pedestrianways
will normally be required to provide access from each of the surrounding
streets, if any, to which the open space, park or playground has no
frontage.
C.
Further, such parks and/or playgrounds may be required
to have maintenance provided for by covenants and agreements acceptable
to the Board, until public acquisition by the Town of Abington.
