A. 
The standards and requirements contained in this article are intended as the minimum for the promotion of the public health, safety and general welfare and shall be applied as such by the Town Planning Commission and Town Council in reviewing all subdivision plats.
B. 
Land subject to hazards to life, health or property, such as may arise from fire, floods, disease or other causes, shall not be subdivided for building purposes unless such hazards have been eliminated or unless the subdivision plat shall show adequate safeguards against them. Such safeguards shall be approved by the appropriate regulatory agencies.
C. 
Subdivision plats shall give due recognition to the policies of the Comprehensive Plan, if one exists, and to other plans and ordinances of the Town or to such parts thereof as may have been adopted pursuant to statute.
D. 
All required on-site improvements shall be installed by the applicant at his cost. Before any subdivision plat will be finally approved, the applicant shall install the required improvements to the satisfaction and approval of the appropriate engineer (Town, highway and/or other) or, in lieu of construction, shall certify that the costs of construction have been paid to the person(s) completing the requirements or shall furnish bond or cash in an amount calculated by the Planning Commission, with the necessary assistance of appropriate engineers, to secure the required improvements for the subdivision which the subdivider has submitted for final approval. Such bond shall be payable to and held by the Town Council. The form of such bond shall be approved by the Town Attorney. The applicant's bond shall not be reduced by Town Council until construction has been inspected and approved.
A. 
General standards.
(1) 
All streets, except where specifically noted, shall meet the Virginia Department of Transportation standards for secondary roads.
(2) 
The proposed street system shall extend existing or recorded streets at the same width or larger but in no case at less than the required minimum width as specified in this article. Where possible, new intersections along one side of an existing street shall coincide with any existing street intersection on the opposite side of such street.
(3) 
Where, upon recommendation of the Town Planning Commission, it is desirable to provide for street access to adjoining property, the Town Council shall require street stubs to be extended by dedication to the boundary of such property.
(4) 
New local streets shall be so designed as to discourage through traffic, but the applicant shall give adequate consideration to providing for the extension and continuation of arterial and collector streets into and from adjoining property.
(5) 
Where a subdivision abuts or contains an existing street of improper width or alignment, upon recommendation of the Planning Commission, the Town Council shall require the dedication of land sufficient to widen the street or correct the alignment.
(6) 
All streets shall meet the design standards of these regulations.
(7) 
The street arrangement must be such as to cause no unnecessary hardship to owners of adjoining property when they plat their own land and seek to provide for convenient access to it.
B. 
Partial and half streets. New half or partial streets shall be prohibited except where essential to reasonable subdivision of a tract in conformance with the other requirements and standards of these regulations and where, in addition, satisfactory assurance for dedication of the remaining part of the street can be obtained.
C. 
Street widths.
(1) 
The minimum width of a proposed street right-of-way, measured from lot line to lot line on either side of such right-of-way, shall be a minimum of 50 feet unless otherwise approved by the Town under § 170-32 of this chapter.
(2) 
Alley rights-of-way shall not be less than 20 feet in width.
(3) 
Additional right-of-way and pavement widths may be required by the Town Planning Commission or Town Council for the purpose of promoting the public safety and convenience or to provide parking in commercial and industrial areas and in areas of high-density residential development.
D. 
Construction of streets. All street construction shall conform to specifications and standards of the Virginia Department of Transportation for secondary streets. The construction shall be subject to approval of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
E. 
Restriction of access. Whenever a proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a limited access highway or expressway, provision shall be made for either a service drive or reverse frontage lots. A service drive shall be approximately parallel to such right-of-way at a distance suitable for an appropriate use of the land between such highway and the proposed subdivision. Such distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for ingress and egress to the main thoroughfare. The right-of-way of any major highway or street projected across any railroad, limited-access highway or expressway shall be of adequate width to provide for the cuts or fills required for any future separation of grades.
F. 
Approach angle. All streets shall approach each other at an angle of not less than 80° unless the Commission, upon recommendation of the Highway Engineer, shall recommend and the Council approve a lesser angle of approach for reasons of terrain, etc.
G. 
Street grades. Center-line grades shall meet Virginia Department of Transportation standards for secondary roads, but in no case shall they be greater than 8°.
H. 
Cul-de-sac streets.
(1) 
Dead-end streets are prohibited unless designed as cul-de-sac streets or designed for future access to adjoining properties.
(2) 
Cul-de-sac streets, permanently designed as such, shall not exceed 500 feet in length and shall not furnish access to more than 20 dwelling units.
(3) 
Any dead-end street intended for access to an adjoining property or because of authorized stage development shall be provided with a temporary all-weather turnaround within the subdivision.
(4) 
Unless future extension is clearly impractical or not desired, the turnaround right-of-way shall be placed adjacent to the tract boundary with sufficient additional width provided along the boundary line to permit extension of the street at full width.
(5) 
All cul-de-sac streets, whether permanently or temporarily designed as such, shall be provided at the closed end with a turnaround which is constructed in accordance with Department of Transportation specifications. The minimum radius shall be 50 feet.
(6) 
Drainage of cul-de-sac streets shall preferably be towards the open end. If drainage is toward the closed end, adequate provisions shall be made for runoff to be carried away. Drainage easements shall be required where necessary.
I. 
Street names.[1]
(1) 
Proposed streets which are obviously in alignment with others already existing and named shall bear the names of the existing streets.
(2) 
The name of a proposed street shall not duplicate or confuse an existing street in the Town or in the postal district. The use of the following suffixes: street, road, avenue, boulevard, drive, way, place, court, lane, etc., shall constitute a duplication if used after a name which is repeated before each suffix.
(3) 
Street names shall be subject to the approval of the Town Council. Names of existing streets shall not be changed except by approval of the Council.
[1]
Editor's Note: See also Chapter 161, Naming of Streets, Roads and Subdivisions.
J. 
Alleys.
(1) 
Alleys may be permitted, provided that the subdivider produces evidence satisfactory to the Town Planning Commission and Town Council of the need for such right-of-way.
(2) 
No part of any main structure shall be located within 20 feet of the center line of an alley.
(3) 
Dead-end alleys shall be avoided, but where this proves impossible, dead-end alleys shall terminate with an all-weather circular turnaround with a minimum radius of 50 feet.
(4) 
Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided.
K. 
Driveway. Private driveways on corner lots shall be located at least 40 feet from the point of intersection of street right-of-way lines.
L. 
Street signs. Street identification signs of a design approved by the Town Council and readable from either side shall be installed at all intersections.
M. 
Railroad crossings. The applicant shall be responsible for providing flashing lights and short-arm gates for any road within a subdivision which may cross a railroad track.
A. 
Length. Blocks shall have a maximum length of 1,200 feet and a minimum length of 500 feet.
B. 
Depth. Blocks shall be wide enough to allow two tiers of lots consistent with applicable Town ordinances and/or § 170-20A and F of this chapter, unless prevented by topographical conditions or the size of the property, in which case the Town Council may approve a single tier of lots.
A. 
Shape.
(1) 
Lots shall not contain peculiarly shaped elongations which would be unusable for normal building purposes solely to provide necessary square footage.
(2) 
Generally, the depth of residential lots should be not less than one nor more than four times their width.
(3) 
No lot shall be less than 90 feet in width and 125 feet in length, with a minimum area of 11,250 square feet.
B. 
Location.
(1) 
Each lot shall abut on a street dedicated by the subdivision plat or on an existing public street which has been accepted by the governing body. If the existing streets are not constructed in accordance with the Virginia Department of Transportation standards, the subdivider shall make provisions in the deeds to the lots for all buildings to be so constructed as to permit the widening by dedication of such roads or streets to such a required width.
(2) 
Municipal boundaries shall not cut through lots, but rather shall act as lot lines for those lots adjacent to either side of said municipal boundaries. All lots shall comply with Subsection F of this section.
C. 
Corner lots. Corner lots shall have extra width sufficient for maintenance of an adequate site distance at intersections as determined by the Council.
D. 
Side lines. Side lines of lots shall be approximately at right angles to straight street lines or radial to curved street lines.
E. 
Remnants. All remnants of lots below minimum size left over after subdividing of a tract must be added to adjacent lots or otherwise disposed of rather than being allowed to remain as unusable parcels.
F. 
Lot size.
(1) 
Minimum lot size. Minimum lot size shall be as follows:
(a) 
For lots having both individual on-site water and sewer systems, the minimum size of any lot shall be 40,000 square feet.
(b) 
For lots having either individual on-site water or individual on-site sewer systems, the minimum size of any lot shall be 20,000 square feet, or larger if required by the State Health Department.
(c) 
For lots having both public water and public sewer systems, the minimum size of any lot shall be 11,250 square feet.
(2) 
The Planning Commission shall require that tentative approval of the Health Department be submitted as a basis for evaluating the lot sizes of subdivisions dependent upon individual on-site water and/or sewer systems. The Town shall not approve any subdivision unless tentative approval from the Health Department is given on a lot-by-lot basis stating that the proposed lots have satisfactory sites for the proposed water and sewer systems at the proposed lot size. The issuance of tentative approval does not guarantee the issue of a permit when application is made for a septic system at time of construction. The Health Department reserves the right to reject an application for a septic system based on further testing.
(3) 
In any instance, greater lot areas shall be required in accordance with Health Department findings where individual septic tanks or individual wells are used if the health official determines that there are factors of drainage, soil conditions or other conditions to cause potential health problems.
A. 
The applicant shall provide the type of sanitary sewage disposal facility determined by Town Planning Commission to be consistent with existing physical, geographical and geological conditions. The following types of sanitary sewage disposal facilities are listed in order of desirability:
(1) 
Public sanitary sewage collection and treatment system.
(2) 
Community sanitary sewerage system with a temporary sewage treatment plant.
(3) 
On-lot disposal with septic tank and drain field.
B. 
Sanitary sewers, whether public, community or on-site, shall be designed and constructed in strict accordance with Department of Health and/or State Water Control Board standards, whichever is applicable.
C. 
Sanitary sewers shall not be used to carry stormwater.
A. 
Soil evaluation tests shall be performed by the Health Department for all subdivisions where on-site sewage disposal systems are to be used.
B. 
Soil evaluation tests shall be made by the Health Department in accordance with the procedure required by the State Health Department and shall be approved by the Health Department. The results of such tests shall be submitted with the final plat.
C. 
The Town Council shall not approve any subdivision using septic tanks unless a tentative approval from the Health Department is received stating that all lots in the subdivision have a suitable site for a septic tank system. If the analysis of the soil evaluation test results reveals that the soil is unsuitable for the intended use at the lot size proposed, the Town Planning Commission and Town Council shall require that the lot size(s) be increased in accordance with the testing results as determined by the State Health Department. This tentative approval does not guarantee that a permit will be issued for installation of a septic tank system. The Health Department reserves the right to reject any further request for permits based on further inspection and tests.
A. 
Whenever an existing public or approved community water system is determined by the Town to be geographically and economically accessible to a proposed subdivision, the applicant shall provide an approved distribution system which shall be designed to connect with such system in accordance with State Health Department standards. Such system shall furnish an adequate supply of water to each lot, with adequate main sizes and fire hydrants located to meet the specifications of the Insurance Services Office. A copy of the approval of such system by the appropriate public agency or utility company shall be submitted with the final plat. Suitable agreements shall also be established for the ownership and maintenance of such distribution system. In accordance with these regulations, the applicant may be required to provide his own community water system.
B. 
Where an individual on-site water supply system(s) is to be utilized, each lot so served shall be of a size and shape to allow safe location in accordance with State Health Department standards.
A. 
Storm sewers and related installations shall be required only when the runoff of stormwater cannot be satisfactorily handled within the street pavement.
B. 
Where existing storm sewers are reasonably accessible, according to the Town Planning Commission, the proposed subdivision shall be required to connect with said storm sewers.
C. 
In the design of storm drainage facilities, problems shall be avoided which may arise from the concentration of stormwater runoff onto adjacent developed or undeveloped properties or the collection of water at low points in the subdivision and along streets. Water shall be drained away from on-site sewage disposal facilities.
D. 
Storm drainage facilities should be designed to handle not only the anticipated peak discharge from the property being subdivided, but also the anticipated increase in runoff that will occur when all the property at a higher elevation in the watershed is fully developed.
E. 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a drainage easement conforming substantially with the line of such watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream and of such width as will be adequate to preserve unimpeded flow of natural drainage or for the purpose of widening, deepening, relocating, improving or protecting such drainage facilities. Any changes in the existing drainageway shall be subject to the approval of the State Water Control Board.
F. 
All streets shall be so designed as to provide for the discharge of surface water from their rights-of-way.
G. 
The applicant shall provide for all such drainage improvements, together with a certified engineer's or surveyor's statement that such improvements will be adequate for proper development. The highway resident engineer shall then approve or disapprove the plans.
A. 
Easements with a minimum width of 20 feet shall be provided for poles, wires, conduits, storm and sanitary sewers, gas, water mains and/or other utility lines intended to service the abutting lots. No structures or trees shall be placed within such easements.
B. 
To the fullest extent possible, easements shall be centered on or adjacent to rear or side lot lines.
C. 
Easements shall be in accordance with requirements of appropriate utility companies.
A. 
The subdivider shall consult all available engineering and soils studies and delineate the one-hundred-year floodplain on the plat of his land.
B. 
The Town shall not approve any plat in which a structure or street will be located within the area subject to flooding by a flood of one-hundred-year frequency unless such structure is adequately floodproofed and approved under the appropriate building code or the street approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
As required by this chapter, all monuments must be installed by the subdivider. Upon completion of subdivision streets, sewers and other improvements, the subdivider shall make certain that all monuments required by the Town are clearly visible for inspection and use. Such monuments shall be inspected and approved by the Town before any improvements are accepted by the governing body.
A. 
Location of steel pins. Steel pins shall be used as monuments at all street corners and at all points where the street line intersects the exterior boundaries of the subdivision and at right angle points and points of curve in each street. Such monuments shall meet the specifications of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
B. 
Location of iron pipe. All other lot corners shall be marked with iron pipe not less than 3/4 inch in diameter and 24 inches long and driven so as to be flush with the finished grade. When rock is encountered, a hole shall be drilled four inches deep in the rock, into which shall be cemented a steel rod 1/2 inch in diameter, the top of which shall be flush with the finished grade line.
A. 
Curbs, where required by the Town, shall be installed along both sides of all streets, except along alleys. Curbs shall meet the standards and specifications of the Virginia Department of Transportation. Adequate provision shall be made for driveway entrances.
B. 
Installation shall be in accordance with these and other regulations of the Town.
A. 
When required by the Town, sidewalks with a minimum width of four feet shall be installed on both sides of all streets within the subdivision and the side of each street touching the subdivision, except that no sidewalks shall be required along service streets.
B. 
All sidewalks shall be installed in accordance with these and other regulations of the Town.
[1]
Editor's Note: See also Ch. 165, Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places.
The installation of streetlights, if required, shall be in accordance with design standards and specifications of the Town and the Virginia Department of Transportation.