A.
In order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the present and future population of the town, the Planning Commission shall refuse to approve any proposed subdivision when such subdivision would bring about the development of land which is unsuitable for such use due to flooding, lack of drainage, excessive erosive action by water, unstabilized slope or fill or other conditions which may cause danger to life, health or property or aggravate erosion of flood hazards or when the lands involved would, in its opinion, become unsuitable through the development proposed.
B.
The Planning Commission shall refuse to approve any proposed subdivision where it determines that there is a lack of adequate public facilities to serve either the subdivision or the surrounding area.
A.
Application of standards. The standards and requirements provided herein shall be considered to be minimums to protect the public health, safety and general welfare. No subdivision of land shall be approved unless it complies with the standards herein or unless a waiver shall be granted in accordance with the provisions hereof.
B.
General standards. The following general standards shall apply:
(1)
All portions of a tract being subdivided within the subdivision shall be taken up in lots, roads, public lands or other proposed uses so that remnants shall not be created.
(2)
Where trees, groves, waterways, scenic points, historic features or other assets and landmarks are located within a proposed subdivision, every reasonable means shall be provided to preserve these features.
(3)
Lands which are unsuitable for development due to flooding, lack of drainage, excessive erosive action by water, unstabilized fill or slope or other conditions which may cause danger to life, health or property shall be set aside on the plat for uses which will not be endangered by such conditions and which do not involve the construction or use of buildings or structures for human occupancy.
(4)
Where deemed appropriate by the Planning Commission, open spaces constituting a reasonable proportion of the gross acreage of the subdivision shall be provided for in the proposed subdivision. Such open spaces may include wetlands, areas set aside for stormwater management and other facilities, required buffers and lands not suitable for development. Open spaces shall be landscaped according to such landscape plan as shall be approved by the Planning Commission. Future nonrecreational development of the open space shall be prohibited by deed restrictions and notation on the final plat. Ownership shall be transferred to a neighborhood association. Open space which does not contain required facilities may be offered to the town in accordance herewith, however the town is under no obligation to accept such offer.
C.
Standards for streets. The following standards shall apply to the layout of streets:
(1)
The street layout of the subdivision shall be in general conformity with a plan for the most advantageous development of adjoining areas and the entire neighborhood.
(2)
Where appropriate to design, proposed streets shall be continuous and in alignment with existing, planned or platted streets with which they are to connect.
(3)
Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the tract to be subdivided, unless prevented by topography or other physical condition or unless, in the opinion of the Planning Commission, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision with the existing layout or the most advantageous future development of adjacent tracts. Temporary turnarounds will be required at the ends of such streets by means of easements or otherwise.
(4)
Dead-end streets of reasonable length (normally not over 600 feet) will be approved where necessitated by topography or where, in the judgment of the Planning Commission, they are appropriate for the type of development contemplated. A turnaround shall be provided at the end of such a street.
(5)
Wherever there exists adjacent to the tract to be subdivided a dedicated or platted and recorded half-width street or alley, the other half-width shall be platted.
(6)
The street layout shall conform substantially to existing topography, minimizing street grades and providing for good drainage, good building sites and ready access to lots without excessive cuts or fills.
(7)
Streets shall intersect one another at as nearly right angles as topography and other limiting factors of good design will permit.
(8)
Minor residential streets shall be arranged so as to discourage their use by through traffic.
(9)
Buffering of land abutting highways.
(a)
Land abutting highways shall be platted with the view of making the lots, if for residential use, desirable for such use by cushioning the impact of heavy traffic upon them; also of minimizing interference with traffic on such highways as well as accident hazards. One or more of the following ways may be used to accomplish this:
[1]
By platting the lots extra deep and providing vehicular access to them by alleys or service drives in the rear or by service drives in front separated from the highway by a parkway and connecting therewith at infrequent intervals.
[2]
By backing the lots upon the highway so that they front on and have access from a parallel minor street one-half (1/2) block away. Vehicular access to the lots from the highway should be prohibited by a parking easement along the rear of the lots, covered by deed restrictions.
[3]
By arranging the lots around a series of loop streets or dead-end streets stemming from a collector street generally parallel to and some 600 to 1,000 feet distant from the highway, the ends of such loops or dead-ends being one lot depth away from the highway. Parking easements and deed restrictions as in Subsection C(9)(a)[2] above should be provided along the rear of such lots adjoining the highway.
(b)
The choice between the foregoing or other methods for accomplishing the desired purpose in a specific case must necessarily be made in consideration of topography and other physical conditions, the character of existing and contemplated developments and other pertinent factors.
(10)
Public improvements shall not be approved in any private streets.
(11)
Street names shall be subject to approval by the Planning Commission. Names shall not duplicate nor closely approximate existing street names in or near the municipality, except for extensions of existing streets.
(12)
Streets shall be spaced to allow for blocks meeting the dimensional requirements specified herein. The number of intersections along highways and other major streets shall be held to a minimum, normally spaced not less than 1,200 feet apart.
(13)
Alleys shall be provided in all commercial and industrial areas if no other provisions are made for adequate access to parking and loading spaces. Alleys may be provided in the rear of residential lots located on highways and major thoroughfares in order to provide safe access to such lots, or service drives may be platted in front thereof, or such lots shall be designed as suggested in Subsection C(9) above. Alleys will not be approved elsewhere in residential districts except for row dwellings or unless required by unusual conditions. In the absence of alleys, easements will be required for utility lines or drainage.
(14)
Minimum widths for the right-of-way of streets, alleys and easements shall be as follows (extra widths may be required where necessary):
(15)
Street grades, curves and sight distances shall be as follows:
(a)
Grades shall not be less than one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) and shall not exceed 6%.
(b)
All changes in street grades of more than 1% shall be connected by vertical curves of a minimum length of 50 feet or equal to 15 times the algebraic difference in the change in grade, whichever is larger.
(d)
Between reversed curves, either of which has a radius of less than 200 feet, there shall be a tangent at least 100 feet long, if possible.
(e)
At street intersections, each property corner shall be rounded off by an arc, the minimum radius of which shall be 20 feet; except that in a business district a chord may be substituted for such arc. At alley intersections (within the block), a chord shall be used cutting off the corner at least 10 feet back from the point of intersection in each direction. Where the smallest angle of intersection is less than 60°, the foregoing radii and chords shall be increased.
(f)
Curbs at street intersections shall be rounded off concentrically with the property line.
(16)
Poles and wires for the distribution of electric, telephone or similar services within the subdivision shall not be placed in streets but shall be in rear alleys and easements, except where street placement is unavoidable.
(17)
The minimum widths of the paved areas of the various types of streets shall be the minimum set out in the transportation elements of the Comprehensive Plan.
D.
Blocks and lots. The following standards shall apply to the layout of lots and blocks:
(2)
In a long block, a crosswalkway may be required to improve access to a school, church, playground or other pedestrian objective.
(3)
Business and industrial blocks may be specially designed to serve their particular purposes, which designs shall be subject to approval by the Planning Commission. Business blocks shall not exceed 300 feet in length unless provided with interior public driveways for access and circulation.
(4)
Lots shall be of such size, shape and orientation as will be appropriate for the location and the type of development contemplated. Normally, a proportion of about two and one-half (21/2) to one in depth and width will be considered appropriate. Excessive depths in relation to width shall be avoided.
(5)
All lots shall comply with at least the minimum size and area requirements of the zoning district in which located.
(6)
Corner lots shall have extra widths to provide for extra side yards on the street sides of such lots, in accordance with good design practice and sufficient in any case to meet the side yard requirements for such lots in any applicable zoning ordinance.
(7)
Residential lots fronting or abutting on highways and major streets should have extra depths and extra deep building lines or should have service drives.
(8)
Every lot shall abut on a public street. Through lots (extending through the block) and reversed-frontage lots (fronting on a side street) shall be avoided.
(9)
Side lot lines shall be approximately at right angles to or radial to the right-of-way line of the street.
(10)
Building lines shall be shown on the plat, along each street, at least as required in each case by the applicable zoning regulations. The locations of these lines shall be clearly indicated by dimensions.
(11)
All lot measurements shall be net measurements, not including any part of any street, alley or crosswalkway. Easements, however, shall be regarded as within the lot.
